We really aren't "those" parents. I love Quinn with all my heart, but I don't think he is necessarily exceptional academically. He is a very good reader; he is marginal at handwriting and art. He doesn't really have any special needs in school and seems to make friends pretty easily. You make decisions based on what you know at the time you make them, right?
Quinn started Kindergarten in Arkansas with huge amounts of enthusiasm. He would run into school with barely enough time to smooch his mom and dad. He knew all the kids' names, all the teachers, and with the exception of the day he called someone a butt face, did really well. He loved school.
When we came to visit and as noted in previous blog entries, choosing Quinn's school really wasn't a difficult decision. We looked at the American International School of Johannesburg and it was very impressive. A beautiful school, warm, friendly teachers, and lots of opportunity for kids to try new things. There was nothing NOT to like except the bus ride. Then we saw Bryanston Primary. It was 5 minutes from our house, older but nice, and we met his teacher who was so sweet. We were excited about the idea of Quinn being right in there with the rest of the locals. We had all of our eggs in the Bryanston Primary basket. It was not a trial. There were so many good things about his school (again...as previously noted), however, over the last few weeks, the "settling in" period should have been over. Quinn should have been back to his old self, running into school, making lots of friends.
We watched as Quinn slowly started just not going to his afternoon activities...none of the teachers noticed. I noticed that he would bite his lip every day on the way to school...Quinn's way of showing he's a little nervous. Jake and I felt very disconnected from what was going on at school and what was going on in his classroom. I noticed when I dropped him off in the morning that the boys tended to stay to themselves. He even cried a couple days when I left. Now, I fully realize that all of the scenarios are normal kid things, but I also know my kid and this just wasn't like him. Despite liking the what's-on-paper of the school, his teacher, the activities, etc., it just didn't feel comfortable to any of us. The campus is HUGE, and call me crazy, but I don't like the idea of my 6-year-old wandering around by himself, skipping out on activities, without anyone knowing where he is. As far as I am concerned, I leave responsibility for my child in the hands of his school when I kiss him goodbye in the morning. Am I crazy?
Anyway, Jake and I decided to go back and have another look at the American school. As with our previous visit, it was great...the trade off would be the bus ride. It’s a good 40 minutes on the bus. We presented all options to Quinn, gave him the pro's and con's, let him weigh in (with as much reason as a 6-year-old has), and made the decision to move him to the American school. Our discovery has been that you just don't mess with what is familiar when it comes to school, curriculum, and learning. When we enrolled him at Bryanston Primary we thought, yes, he will be learning all things South African (metric system, Afrikaans, etc.) but he will be young enough to catch up when we move back. We now realize how quickly, even in Kindergarten, they learn new things and how quickly they become familiar. We realized that, by having him in a South African school, he would be at a serious disadvantage when we return to the US. Why would we do that to him? We ARE immersed in the culture just by living here...we don't want to mess with school. It is not a judgment of SA schools, but we are not South African. We know we will be returning to American schools.
It was a big decision, a rather easy one, and tomorrow Quinn starts "Winter School" with the totally international crowd at AISJ (only 30% of the population of the school is actually American). He is very excited, especially that he doesn't have to put that STUPID uniform on (don't even get me started on starchy button-down shirts and ties).
Live and learn....
Quinn started Kindergarten in Arkansas with huge amounts of enthusiasm. He would run into school with barely enough time to smooch his mom and dad. He knew all the kids' names, all the teachers, and with the exception of the day he called someone a butt face, did really well. He loved school.
When we came to visit and as noted in previous blog entries, choosing Quinn's school really wasn't a difficult decision. We looked at the American International School of Johannesburg and it was very impressive. A beautiful school, warm, friendly teachers, and lots of opportunity for kids to try new things. There was nothing NOT to like except the bus ride. Then we saw Bryanston Primary. It was 5 minutes from our house, older but nice, and we met his teacher who was so sweet. We were excited about the idea of Quinn being right in there with the rest of the locals. We had all of our eggs in the Bryanston Primary basket. It was not a trial. There were so many good things about his school (again...as previously noted), however, over the last few weeks, the "settling in" period should have been over. Quinn should have been back to his old self, running into school, making lots of friends.
We watched as Quinn slowly started just not going to his afternoon activities...none of the teachers noticed. I noticed that he would bite his lip every day on the way to school...Quinn's way of showing he's a little nervous. Jake and I felt very disconnected from what was going on at school and what was going on in his classroom. I noticed when I dropped him off in the morning that the boys tended to stay to themselves. He even cried a couple days when I left. Now, I fully realize that all of the scenarios are normal kid things, but I also know my kid and this just wasn't like him. Despite liking the what's-on-paper of the school, his teacher, the activities, etc., it just didn't feel comfortable to any of us. The campus is HUGE, and call me crazy, but I don't like the idea of my 6-year-old wandering around by himself, skipping out on activities, without anyone knowing where he is. As far as I am concerned, I leave responsibility for my child in the hands of his school when I kiss him goodbye in the morning. Am I crazy?
Anyway, Jake and I decided to go back and have another look at the American school. As with our previous visit, it was great...the trade off would be the bus ride. It’s a good 40 minutes on the bus. We presented all options to Quinn, gave him the pro's and con's, let him weigh in (with as much reason as a 6-year-old has), and made the decision to move him to the American school. Our discovery has been that you just don't mess with what is familiar when it comes to school, curriculum, and learning. When we enrolled him at Bryanston Primary we thought, yes, he will be learning all things South African (metric system, Afrikaans, etc.) but he will be young enough to catch up when we move back. We now realize how quickly, even in Kindergarten, they learn new things and how quickly they become familiar. We realized that, by having him in a South African school, he would be at a serious disadvantage when we return to the US. Why would we do that to him? We ARE immersed in the culture just by living here...we don't want to mess with school. It is not a judgment of SA schools, but we are not South African. We know we will be returning to American schools.
It was a big decision, a rather easy one, and tomorrow Quinn starts "Winter School" with the totally international crowd at AISJ (only 30% of the population of the school is actually American). He is very excited, especially that he doesn't have to put that STUPID uniform on (don't even get me started on starchy button-down shirts and ties).
Live and learn....
Comments
Post a Comment