Almost ready for school

“Mama, I can’t keep up with them. They read and write so fast!”

I enrolled in a regular school when I was six. I had no previous education but I went straight to Kindergarten 2. I barely remember how challenging it was for me to be among kids who all seemed to read and write faster than I could.

Thankfully, with practice and help from my Mama, I was able to graduate from Kindergarten with a “Best in English” award.

Fast forward, 23 years later, I am enrolling my little girl into a progressive school. She just turned four.

Someone asked me why I was in such a hurry. But I think early education can do my daughter a lot of good.

Why we chose a progressive school

The moment I learned about progressive schools, I knew I want Jamaine to study in one. That was my main requirement for choosing a school.

What’s the difference between a progressive school and a regular school?

From how I understand it, a progressive school is focused on the learner. They adapt their teaching methods to the capabilities of your child. Your child’s performance is measured by the progress she’s making and not by the standard grading system regular schools use.

If your child happens to have advanced learning abilities, she will be given activities that will help her harness them. If she happens to be a bit slow, she will be given activities that will help her enhance her skills.

All classes have a small teacher – student ratio so that each child can be given enough attention. This also means that most progressive schools have higher fees than regular schools.

This is a perfect match for what I want for my daughter:

1. I want school to be a fun experience for her.
2. I want a positive learning environment where she can freely explore her interests and develop her skills.
3. I want her to have teachers who respect her individuality and who understand that each child learns differently.

Other factors to consider when choosing a school for my toddler

The next factor I considered in choosing a school was proximity. I wanted one that was near our home, preferably just one ride away.

This is mainly because I want Jamaine to spend more time on sleeping and less time on travel.

I also wanted a school that has a good vibe all around it. I don’t know if you get that “woo – woo” stuff. But I get vibes about certain places and I often sense when I’m in a good environment.

Of course, the surrounding neighborhood also  has to be clean and safe.

The tuition is also a consideration but since I knew progressive schools cost more, hubby and I had already prepared long before to invest in our daughters’ education.

My daughter’s first school

Fortunately, we found a school that met all our criteria.

I actually only had two options of progressive schools near our home, I narrowed it to one when I learned that the other school’s Kindergarten class was actually in a much farther branch.

The first visit to the school was a family affair. We made an appointment with one of the teachers who explained to us what their educational system was like and gave us a tour of the school.

Jamaine and Kalia fell in love with the school at first sight. The first thing that greeted them at the gate was a playground.

The school itself actually looked like a home converted into a school. The classrooms were small and there was nothing fancy about them. But the place had a good feel to it with handcrafted decorations all around.

I think Jamaine would need very little adjustment in this environment because it feels just like home.

The teachers and staff are also very amiable and look very competent.

Jamaine, who actually takes time to warm up to people, easily got along with two of the teachers she met. Now whenever someone asks her who her teacher is, she actually remembers the two teachers’ names. And that for me is a really, really good sign.

We’re all set to have a parent orientation during the first week of June and the start of classes, a week after.

I’m so excited for Jamaine’s first day at school. I can already tell she is going to have so much fun that she’ll only be too eager to go to school again the next day, and the next and the next.

I will probably be the one who will need to keep up!

Tagged as: preschool, progressive school