First Day of Preschool

Already? Already. Bear is officially a Montessori student.

The worst part was she wasn't even sad to see me go. We went into her room, she ran off and became engaged in her surroundings and when I left she didn't even tell me bye. Glad she jumped right in, but it hurts not to feel needed.

Seems lately she doesn't need help with anything anymore. She goes potty by herself -- including taking off her diaper, getting up on the potty, flushing and washing her hands -- she won't let me help her down the stairs, she always want to try putting on her shoes herself first and she even buckles herself into her car seat.

A lot of the decisions we've made, we did with the intent of raising an independent toddler. Does anyone ever regret not being needed?!? I'm only half kidding -- this is going too fast!

It was also Daddy's first day of school today -- well his first in many years. I took the day off for the occasion. After they were both done for the day we celebrated with lunch at Rudy's and a walk in the East Village. It was quite delightful. I took some photos, but I'm too tired to get up and get the camera right now so they'll have to wait.

After we got home, we all napped. Add popcorn and a movie for dinner at home = quite close to perfection.

Say It Isn't So

My baby will be starting school in the fall. Today I sent off the check to hold her place in the local Montessori school. I've posted before about our interest in Montessori, and my love for the method has only grown since I first stumbled across it.

This spring I taught a Junior Achievement class to the fourth graders at this school. I was in awe of the dreams and ambitions, passion for learning and exceptional communication skills of this group of kids. Now maybe I just don't spend enough time with this age group, but they were truly fascinating to watch and interact with.

One moment that particularly stands out to me was when I had divided the room into two groups to complete a worksheet. One group was social and quickly finished their work by working together. The other seemed to take more of a fend-for-yourself method to doing the work. I noticed one girl was struggling and looked very frustrated that her group members weren't helping her understand how to do the assignment, and just as I stood to see if I could help, a boy from the other team came over and asked if she needed help. He proceeded to walk her through the steps and explain how his group came to the conclusion that they did. I felt teary.

Near the end of my class, I toured the school with the director, and as I suspected it's fabulous. Four rooms make up the school: 2- to 3-year-olds, 3- to 6-year-olds, first through third grade and fourth through sixth. Each classroom has learning stations appropriate for the age group present. All of the common subjects are displayed in an artful, interactive way.

In the morning the children come together as a group for an activity such as singing or dancing. Then they are released to go to the learning station of their choosing, and can move about freely throughout the day. They can work independently or interact with the other children.

The teacher primarily is an observer, but is present for questions and anything the children may need. As she learns each child's learning style, she will make note of areas they need improvement on and create opportunities for them to hone their own skills.

We had initially decided to hold off another year since N is only two, but ultimately decided that we thought this was not only as, if not more, cost effective than day care, but it was also best for her restless mind. She will glean so much more from this environment than she does at her current day care.

She has to be two before she can enroll, so she won't start right at the beginning of the school year, but since her birthday is just a few short weeks after school begins they were willing to hold her spot. Gah, I thought I had a couple more years before this day came!

Oh and for those of you who don't read my other blog, check out N's new Montessori room.

Montessori, anyone?

With moving comes a mountain of other time consuming, necessary changes -- finding new doctors and dentists, forwarding mail, updating billing address for everything, new checkbook, new drivers license, finding a new job, and the list goes on -- all daunting as an adult, but does not even begin to compare to having to move a child.

I spent eight months of pregnancy researching pediatricians and day cares, hoping to find what I thought would be a perfect fit for my child. And they have been, but now we have to start over. We loved Kindercare in the beginning, but now I would say we just like it. We loved that it had a curriculum, that there would always be an adult around, and that Nora would be around kids her age instead of the wider range found in in-home day care. As she grows, however, we're finding that they are more reluctant to deviate from the "schedule", and that everything must go as planned. I don't think they appreciate non-mainstream parents.

Anyway, somewhere along my search for the new perfect place I discovered Montessori. For those of you as clueless as I was, Montessori is an alternative education method characterized by child-led learning. The classrooms don't have an agenda and the children aren't expected to all develop at the same pace and take interest in the same topics. Montessori encourages children to think independently and puts a strong emphasis on personal responsibility. One of their arching principles is the belief that hands are an extension of the mind -- meaning the method generally takes a very hands on approach.

In a lot of ways, Montessori supports our parenting philosophy by following the childs cues, letting them develop at their own pace, and not forcing a schedule or agenda. Children stay in the same classroom for a number of years allowing them to form a strong relationship with thier teachers, which I also think is great.

Traditionally, Montessori was geared toward birth to 6-year-olds. The Quad Cities Montessori School accepts children as young as 2 and goes through age 12. I'm not 100% on this yet, but I love the concept and look forward to touring the school next time we're in town. My thought is if we love it, we can plan for Nora to attend once she turns 2 until she reaches school age, at which point we can re-evaluate whether we would like her to continue schooling at Montessori or transition to a more traditional school setting. It really seems like the perfect way to explore all the school has to offer -- trying the shoe to be sure it fits.

Now on to pediatricians...any recommendations? :)