Well, the preschooler went to school. This week, we seem to have been living at the unschooling alternate school that will be my five-year-old’s home for a few hours every week. This is all part of the intake process, but it’s making my head spin.
On Tuesday, she loved it. The school was almost quiet, and the children who were there were all new to the school and played fairly well together. She had a great time, and by the end of the morning she informed me that I could stay down the hall and she would play somewhere else, thank you very much. That was fine with me, since it looked like she was integrating well into the new environment and feeling confident, at least.
Yesterday was a little more challenging. As with any school, she has discovered that it can be a challenge to make new friends and integrate into the social groups that already exist at the school. I also have some trepidation about our choice of days, since one of the two days the regular teacher is away. At a school where things are very fluid, a teacher can be a good touchstone. I’m thinking.
On the other hand, my daughter seems to be completely happy with the idea of this school. Yes, there are some challenges that she needs to work out. However, she is very keen on all of the opportunities that are there for her: the school is more like a college where any age of child can sign up for classes or move freely around the (extremely small) campus. She’s also happy that she can play and eat when she likes.
I’ll keep you posted over the next few weeks as things develop, both in my mind and in hers. I’m still not quite sure what this year will bring.