Not going well.

First let me say, Kat is thriving. She loves her school and her school loves her.

Now on to the bummer part. Drew is not thriving. Drew is bumming. Drew hates his school and we're finding that it just isn't a good fit for him. I desperately want to pull him. Peter wants to wait it out. P plans to go up there this week to observe Drew in action and to see if there is any way we can make this better but I really feel like this is a personality conflict and that Drew is never going to be a Montessori kid. He wants to work with people. He wants to play and run around and be silly. They want calm and quiet and independent work.

It's a rough situation to be in. We love Montessori. Love it. I think I have come to accept that it isn't for Drew but Peter is more willing to stick around and to try to get it to work. I feel like there are strikes against it right now. The price went up and it is hard to afford. Drew isn't happy. Drew would be happy at a play school. *sigh*

First day(s) of school.

Kat and Drew both had their first day of school today. Kat at the GATE school, Drew at the Montessori.
I am happy to report that it was a wonderful day for both. Drew was super disappointed that Kat got to take the bus and he didn't but he recouped well.
Kat declared her teacher to be "the best teacher EVER."
Drew declared his school to be "not as nice as the old one." (SNORT! The new school is not only a nicer facility, it has a better teaching philosophy, better nutrition program, and a better set of special classes throughout the week. Drew just doesn't like change.)

It was a great day! Now to get up and do it again for the next 10 months!

Go West, Young Man.

Drew ran away from home yesterday. Of course, he needed my help in packing but I was glad to oblige. We punished him for putting magnets in his mouth and that was the straw that broke the camels back for him. He said he was going to move in with the family across the street, he was certain they would treat him better.
I pulled out his suitcase and snuck downstairs to call across to their house to ask if they were busy and if Drew could come for a short visit. After filling them in on what was going on and what I wanted them to do, they were happy to help.
I walked Drew across the street, said goodbye and turned around. He skipped up to their door and was let right in.
The neighbors harassed him in the way that only truly good-natured people can. They showed him where he'd be sleeping, not in the youngest daughters bed like he hoped, in the basement where it gets really dark. They made him work in the kitchen. After about 5 minutes of this I walked over to retrieve him and he came running out the door before I even made it to the porch. He was quite a sight running outside in his cowboy boots with his little suitcase bumping behind him.
I've never seen him so happy to be home and in his own bed.

The grass is not greener, Boo Boo!

Playdate with GATE kids!

We hosted a wonderful playdate at our home today for 3 other children entering the GATE school in the fall. It was such a nice opportunity for the children to get to know one another and to build some solid relationships before they are thrust into a new school situation in the fall.
The children played well together. There was no "smart" talk, it was all play and swimming and being silly. It was like they knew they were in the company of kindred spirits and were all able to relax together.
We plan to do it again soon and hope to get some more children in on the playdates!

Montessori Graduation.

I guess it's already been 11 days since Kat graduated Montessori. Her school has a graduation ceremony that rivals the opening ceremony of the Olympics. It's that good.

Kat was asked to be the emcee this year. So. stinking. cute! Kat introduced each of the children and the song or dance they would be performing.

Kat also sang a solo in French and danced the Polish dance. It was darling and sweet and I cried the whole time. It was so touching to see all of those innocent faces ready to face the world and first grade.

We're so thankful we placed her in Montessori. A place where she fit in and was allowed to learn at her own pace.

"Don't I look hot?"

Kat was playing in the pool with her little friend and her brother when I heard her say, "Don't I look hot?"
I flipped on the inside. Seriously? Hot? I managed to ask her if she meant to say that she feels warm. No, she wondered if she looked hot like sexy.

ACK! ACK! ACK!

I immediately start to blame the little clique of girls in her public school kindergarten for being little hussies internally and externally say something about how both she and her little friend are beautiful girls and no one at the pool is "hot."

It's just the times I guess...it probably shouldn't be a big deal to me but it really bothered me.

Saying good-bye to Montessori.

Almost 4 years ago I packed Kat into the backseat of my car, drove her to the Montessori school near our home, pulled up the the curb, and let a teacher I didn't know help her out of her carseat and let her walk away.

Then I cried the whole way home.

We chose Montessori education for our children before they were even born. Everything about it sounded wonderful. Following the child, self-directed learning, practical life activities, math, science, reading, peace education, social graces, music, dance, nature walks. We loved the sound of it. The one thing Montessori does not provide is imaginative play. That wasn't a big deal to us since we knew that we'd be able to provide that at home.

Today, I packed Kat into the backseat of my car...well, she actually packed herself, drove her to the Montessori school near our home, pulled up to the curb and watched her walk herself in. In these three years of schooling her confidence has been bolstered. She knows what she is capable of and she knows when to ask for help. She's learned to read and is at least 3 grade levels ahead in language. She's learned math. She understands place value through the 10,000's and has been introduced to place values up to 1,000,000. She can add, subtract, multiply and divide. Fractions are no stranger to Kat. She can dust, vacuum, and wash dishes. She knows how to apologize properly. She knows to look out for younger children and to help them when they need help. She knows how to speak to adults. She can name all 50 states, all of the oceans and continents. She can tell you what an archipelago is and give you an example of one.

Montessori has been a dream for Kat. She's been able to learn at her own pace. She's met new friends from different cultures. She's sang and danced and played on the playground. She's painted pictures and rolled in mud and played fairy games. We're so glad that we found the school and teachers who were willing to teach her mind what it wanted to know and to allow her spirit to be a child.

As they say, "All good things must come to an end" and this is the end of Montessori for our Kat. Next year she moves on to first grade at the public GATE school. The GATE school incorporates some aspects of Montessori education but it is not a Montessori school. She leaves behind the sweet world of preschool and moves into a realm of bigger kids with more "sophisticated" points of view.

We're proud of Kat. We're proud of what she has accomplished. We're proud of her Montessori school for providing such a beautiful, nurturing environment.

It's a bittersweet time. She's accomplished so much and it is time to move on. I thank God for the precious time she has had at her wonderful school with her amazing teachers. May her next school experience be half as good as her Montessori experience and we won't have a thing to complain about.