School

We three just returned from touring a Montessori school today about 20 minutes from our house. It was a really neat set-up. L just stepped right in and started working on some lessons with a little instruction from a teacher there. It was a sweet little classroom. Three- to 5-year-olds work side-by-side in the same classroom and each child works on his or her own little projects and then moves on to something else. There was a pleasant hum of chatter and play while the tots padded around in their slippers from station to station. It definitely is not the pre-school format I'm used to, but it was a nice environment I'm interested in learning more about.

After a while the director and I went into her office to talk about registration policy and I told L where I'd be. After about five minutes she realized I had left and melted down. That was a major emotional stumbling block for her day and she's been very much on edge all day. I think she's not quite ready for that separation from me, but she said when she's ready for school she'd like to go back to the Montessori.

I'll be looking into some other pre-schools in the coming weeks, too. Meantime we're continuing our second week of lessons at home and it's been really great. L is eating it up and I'm enjoying the creative process of coming up with lesson plans and activities.