This morning Tyler and I went to the Montessori school in town here to observe the class and speak with the teacher about possible placement for T in September. We are very fortunate to have wonderful parents who have expressed an interest in contributing to Montessori for our boys, otherwise it may not have been an option for us.
At first I wasn't going to make the call. It is the only Montessori in town (and surrounding areas), and I had heard that space was limited and was certain that it was too late to get him enrolled. But another mom in town here told me to definitely try as they are very accomodating. Her older son attends the school and she has had wonderful things to say about it. So last week I called.
The gentleman I talked to was very nice and sent me an information package to get started. It outlined how Montessori came to be and what it was all about. I actually didn't know much about the style of education, I thought it was just another way of teaching. I was surprised to read it's history, and what it's principles are based on. I even wished I had attended some Montessori schools as a child! It made me really excited to explore this route for our children.
Today we went and observed a class of children between the ages of 2-6. We were greeted warmly by the instructor, and were given chairs where we could sit and watch. It was really fascinating. The whole atmosphere was very calm and positive. The children were so engrossed in their activities. At one point one of the teachers came over to show us what one of the children had done. He had used letters to assemble a simple sentence describing 'sunshine'. There were a few small spelling errors, but it didn't matter. The boy beamed at us as we looked at it, and I swear I almost cried.
In fact I found myself holding back the tears throughout the whole thing! I can't believe that my first baby, my Big Guy, is going to be moving on to this next stage. I can't believe that the time has already come. I also can't believe that we are going to be able to give him this wonderful opportunity to establish a life long love of learning.
I have a lot of insecurities about my own intelligence. I never really followed through with my education. I am a college graduate, twice actually (though not a high school graduate), and while I was always a good student, I feel as though something was lacking in my education. I can't put my finger on it. I don't know if it started when I was really young, or happened when I was older. It's like I did well in school because I was expected to, but not because I wanted to. I moved through the ranks of grade school through to high school, doing what I was supposed to but not really caring or having any interest in anything that was taught.
My first attempt at college was a joke. It was a time waster, a one year certificate in cosmetic sales. I was good at it, excelled and as usual was top of the class. But upon graduation I thought, what the heck do I do with this?
Next I flunked out of university. Only took me 3 months to do that.
My final attempt at college was to enroll in the Environmental Landscape Management course at Seneca. Finally, something that interested me! It was amazing, and I loved it. Graduated with honours with my diploma in 2007. But still, as much as I loved the course, I'm not sure where it has got me.
It's times like this I wish I had been given more guidance. Maybe if I had been interested in something I would have gone straight to university right out of high school (or finished high school for that matter) and gone on to do something great. It is only now, approaching 30, that I am starting to be more aware of my lack of a proper education, and wishing I had tried harder. But I'm not sure where I went wrong. Was it me, or was it that I was never given the motivation to love learning? Surely the spark was there. Why did I miss the boat?
I want things to be different for my children. I want them to always approach education with a quest for knowledge. Isn't that what all parents want? I want so much more for them than I ever wanted for myself.
I left there feeling very positive about the experience and hopeful that T will indeed be attending Montessori in September. I really feel it is something he will enjoy, and it will offer him challenges that he doesn't get at home with me. He is so bright and his future is so promising, now is the time to build on that.
Today was just another reminder of how fast time is passing.
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