Montessori

It is a well-known fact that my goal was to stay home with our children until they were old enough to be enrolled in JK (which meant staying home until September of 2013).  However, when I applied for a third leave of absence, my employer denied it stating that there were too many people waiting in line for my job (true) and that the was a precedence set in the board to only allow two years LOA for any employee.  I didn't like this, but I accepted it after some time.

I gave the twins three full years of being home with me, learning from me, receiving valuable skills and security from me (not to mention all the love, cuddles, hugs and kisses I could give them) and I feel pretty good about where they are in their development.  They are ready, even if I am not, to enter the world of school.

We did some research into the possible care facilities in our area (three that were recommended to us, at least) and tried to keep an open mind with all of them.

The first was a daycare facility just down the road from the high school where I teach.  A few of my current colleagues have their children there and they each raved about how much their children enjoyed it.  I made an appointment to tour the facility and was somewhat disappointed in both the staff and in the facility itself.  Sure there would be catered lunches and I wouldn't have to worry about preparing lunch for the kids, but the room in which they would be all day was small, the windows were above their heads and a college student was singing songs with the toddler group when we visited.  It just didn't seem to "fit" the twins' personalities.

The second was a convent my parents wanted me to check out.  My parents work closely with this particular church and raved about the daycare the nuns ran.  So, my mom and I (and the twins) dropped in one day to see what this care facility was like. As warm and caring as the nuns were, I was disappointed to see that the toddler group was sitting on the floor watching a movie.  The baby group (18-24 month old children) were in a room playing on their own while a nun washed the floor.  The room in which the twins would be all day was bright, but small and had very simple toys.  Again, not a good fit for our kids.

The last option was a Montessori School close to J.'s work and less than a 5 minute drive from our home.  Truthfully, I didn't think we would be able to afford Montessori, but the price difference between the first option and Montessori was a measly $10 a month.  I was shocked.  When the teachers at the Montessori School showed us the activities in which the kids would be engaged, I immediately knew that they would love it there.  The school's activities were very much in tune with those that I have been doing with the kids here at home.  The room was bright, large, full of floor to ceiling windows, and had interesting (and bilingual - which is very important to us) activities and posters around.  The play yard was beautifully landscaped and the toys were engaging as well.  We were shown the gymnasium on the upper level and it was HUGE. The twins didn't want to leave when our tour was over and this spoke volumes relevant to their comfort.  It was a no-brainer as it was the only place I visited in which I felt the kids would be happy and challenged (not to mention cared for in the best possible way).  Lunch is not provided (they serve a hot lunch twice a week for a small fee) but I was happy about this because of the nature of our kids' diets.  I would be able to provide them the proper nutrition I know they need and wouldn't worry about them being served processed junk.

So, come Fall, I will be back to teaching full time and the kids will be in school from 9am until 3:30pm every day.  They will be three years old by then and more than ready to start a new chapter in their lives.  Not sure if I feel the same about me.