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I’m that mom who the teacher had to walk up to this morning and ask, “Did you know Ava has a outgoing file?”
Obviously that meant her file was full, and I was the bad mama who didn’t even know about it in the first place. That meant my daughter had a file worth of three months work in it. Oopsie! I’m still getting into the groove of this whole preschool thing…
Speaking of preschool, this is what I’m blabbering about today. We STRUGGLED with the decision to whether or not put Ava in preschool. We toured several different ones for over a year and weren’t able to make a profound decision on sending our daughter off to a place where we would have to pay $300+ a month to “educate” her. We did find one that we felt confident enough where we could see her excel. Problem was, it was full. That’s when I made my decision to homeschool her. My husband and his brother were both homeschooled and I’ve heard from numerous parents how rewarding, and yet challenging it was. I ordered Ann Ward’s books to help me build my curriculum and got to work. Little did I know what everyone really meant when they said it was challenging. Trying to homeschool a four year old with a two second attention span, and a mother who freaks out if the paper isn’t properly aligned makes for an interesting session. Yet, we still got through our days with success!
I was set on homeschooling the kids, at least until middle school hit. That is until I got the powering question every single day from the sweetest little four year old with these big huge glistening green eyes, “Mama when am I going to REAL school? You know, school with kids?”
Ugh.
The husband and I had a lot of discussion over it. Where could we find a medium where it would make her happy with new friends and the school atmosphere, and yet be at a place where we felt was comfortable for her? We talked about the local homeschool play dates that others get together, or individual classes some provide. We talked about me taking in one more child a couple times a week to watch so she could have a friend to play with. Granted, Ava is in dance two times a week and just finished up her summer soccer program and swim lessons. The girl is not in a bubble, but I knew she wanted more. So, we went back to touring preschools. We figured maybe two times a week wasn’t a bad idea. It still gave us plenty of time at home together, and she wouldn’t be in a “day care” per say.
That’s when God shows his magical ways in how he makes everything work perfectly. My phone rang one morning with a voice on the other end who I needed to hear. The preschool instructor at a private christian school that we loved, but at the time was full. She had all openings available and remembered Ava specifically. Winner! There was our happy medium!
Thoughts on it so far? I’ve definitely seen a change in Ava. From her speech, to her coloring and writing skills, to the way her confidence has spiked. I do continue homeschooling on the days she is home with me, and have seen a change in the way she will actually sit through a lesson. Before, it was hard to get her to be still. I think it was a good decision.
If you’re struggling on whether or not to make the jump, even if it’s just one day a week, I say do it. Give yourself as a mama, the chance to go to that doctor appointment by yourself, or get your nails done, or go grocery shopping on that morning they’re in school without them pulling on your shirt asking for the most artificial snack on the shelf. If you’re still not comfortable with the fact of a preschool, have you tried the homeschooling activities and classes your city provides? How was your experience? What about your experiences with the preschool your kiddo is in (if they are). This mama is curious!
