Preschool Diaries

I hate to admit it, but the "preschool frenzy" has gotten to me. Many of the moms that I encounter in Los Angeles act like preschool is going to determine whether or not their child becomes the next CEO of Google. Lately every playgroup or class that we attend someone is talking about it and asking where we have applied. Apparently most of the moms in LA started thinking about where to send their kid to preschool while they were pregnant.

First, let me be clear that I do not buy into the whole exclusivity and prestigious preschool snobbery that exists here. Seriously, people! These kids are still babies. Most of them still poop their pants, spit and throw food, and have meltdowns reminiscent of a cave person on a daily basis. I am definitely not looking for an academic program (with a $20,000 tuition) that will require her to sit at a table all morning and participate in a structured curriculum. Trust me, as an educator, I know all to well that there will be plenty of time for that later in her school career. Instead, I want her to play, socialize, and learn that the world does not revolve solely around her wants and demands. I believe that preschool for a two year old should focus on a couple of realistic learning outcomes: learning how to function in a group, following basic rules, and sharing/playing with others. It should also provide mommy and daddy with a much needed break a few mornings a week.

Now I will get off of my soapbox and tell you one of my favorite Everly stories of all time! Since we are only about four months away from Everly's 2nd birthday, I figured that I should start exploring our options. After some research and recommendations from some level-headed moms in our area, we decided to tour a small church-based preschool program that is focused solely on play and socialization. We decided to take Everly with us on the tour to see how she would react to the setting and all of the children. From the minute we walked in the door Everly was ready to put on a show. As we were waiting in the lobby to start the tour with about 5 other sets of parents, Everly decided it was time to share her extensive color knowledge with everyone by pointing out all of the colors on the tile floor. She enthusiastically shouted and pointed to every single color, over and over, until she was sure that she had every one's full attention. It was actually quite funny. Here was this tiny little 19 month old girl walking back and forth and shouting out "yellow", "purple", "blue", "red", "orange", "green" with such authority and pride. I secretly couldn't stop laughing because all I could think about was how the other parents were probably thinking that we had staged this performance. Too bad we weren't at one of those snobby preschools that actually conducts interviews and requires applications, huh?

As part of the tour we were able to visit all the classrooms. This was Everly's favorite part of the whole experience (mine too!). As soon as the door to the two year old room opened, Everly cut in front of the director who was leading the tour and walked right up to one of the tables where the children were having snack and pulled up a chair. I am just thankful that she didn't say "move" as she barreled through the door (which is one of her favorite, yet not so charming, commands that she has picked up from our interactions with Bama). She looked over at the teacher who was serving apples to all the kids and waited patiently for her snack. Before the teacher could get to her table she discovered a reading center and immediately darted out of her seat, grabbed a book, and made herself comfortable in a small chair in the back of the room. No one on the tour could focus on what the director was saying about the classroom because they were all watching and laughing at Everly's assumed familiarity and eagerness to join the class. Her readiness for exploration and social play was never more obvious than at that moment. This same behavior continued in every room that we toured. The teachers in the four year old classroom could not get over how comfortable she was interacting and playing with the "big" kids. She did not even hesitate about joining in with a small group of four year old boys who were playing together. She walked right up to the group, grabbed a handful of Legos, and sat down right in the middle of them. She also grabbed some freshly glued craft sticks right off of a little girl's art project. Luckily, I was able to stop Everly's path of destruction and put the sticks back in place before the little girl had a meltdown. Of course all of the other children on the tour were standing quietly with their parents or being held without protest.

Needless to say, Danny and I were both sweating by the end of the tour (big beads of sweat were running down my back actually). I was secretly afraid that we would be blackballed after Everly's show, but thankfully we were still able to secure a spot in the two year old classroom. It makes me a little sad to think about my baby starting preschool in the fall, but after observing her behavior on the tour I am convinced now more than ever that she needs it for more than a few reasons. :)