First Day in School

Yesterday was Miya’s first day in school. We were there early but there were already a lot of kids with their companions inside the classroom when we got there. I immediately gave her requirements to her teacher which include plastic envelopes and folder and a box with all her things – extra shirt, shorts, socks and underwear. And then I went back to my little girl and removed her shoes. I showed her where I put her shoes and her lunch bag and then said goodbye. But the moment we were out of the classroom, she cried and called out “Mommy!” Haaaay! I had to go back inside the room and stayed with her the whole class.

 

This was when we arrived in her classroom. That's a smile, don't worry :)

 

Intently listening to her teacher

 

The moment she doesn’t see me she starts to cry. So that’s two times she cried. Because after the second time, I made sure she knows where I am. Although, she felt the need that I had to be there with her and check up on me every once in a while, she stayed with her classmates and teachers the whole time.  She even ate by herself although a teacher helped to feed her because she kept on dropping her spoon hehe. At home, we usually spoonfeed her although she always insists that she eat on her own. I was so proud of her and at the same time a bit sad when I saw her eating on her own. She’s no longer a baby, but she will always be my baby.

 

Eating on her own. OT: one of my pasalubongs for her from my KL trip is that water tumbler (more of my KL trip in my next posts)

She’s such a brave kid. She tackled the playground by herself with no care to the other children. In Gymboree, we were always there with her inside the play area. So this was definitely a first for her. I think one of the teacher aides was more worried because she kept on assisting Miya going up and down the slide, which I think was really good for the school and for my child, as well. On one trip to the slide, Miya headbutted a little boy. Miya just kept on playing while the little boy went to his mom to tell that he’s hurt. Oh my!

My brave little girl

What I noticed is that even though she was with other kids, she didn’t really interact with them. And as with her previous first classes in Gymboree, she preferred to just observe on the first day. She listened and watched, not really actively participating. By the time the class was ending, she wasn’t with the group anymore. She preferred to take some blocks and played on her own. All in all, I still think her first day was a success! J

++++
 
Today, when I called home after her class, her yaya said Miya agreed to be left on her own inside the classroom. Although there was one time when she cried, and asked for her yaya. The teacher carried her and told her that yaya won’t leave her behind. As soon as she saw our yaya, she was pacified and again sat on the chair. The other only time our yaya was asked to be inside was during recess, when she had to wash Miya’s hand and because Miya didn’t want to let go of her lunch bag. But after washing her hands, Miya ate on her own. Our yaya also reported that Miya was so talkative during recess. The teachers were amused by her. I’m a little sad I didn’t witness this because as I’ve said, yesterday Miya preferred to observe.

Don't grow up too fast, little girl!

Miya Daldal: Big big big big big

Sharing with you another video, this time Miya's video. See how kulit my mini-me is.

Going to School

My little girl will be going to school this June. And it only dawned on me during the parents' orientation last Saturday that we are “letting her go”. Waaah! I had to keep myself from crying when they were showing this clip. I was teary-eyed when the clip ended. I had to hide it coz for sure my hubby would have teased me hehe.
 

Hay! You know, my initial thought in finding a school for her this coming school year was I was concerned that she was getting more and more restless at home. I was a little bit concerned that our yaya might not be able to handle her and lose her temper with Miya. Don’t get me wrong, our yaya is very patient and has been with us since Miya was a few months old. But you know how children can be, sometimes you wonder if they’re really trying your patience. So I thought, we need to put Miya to school so that they have a few hours of the day apart from each other (Miya and the yaya). My friend laughed at me saying I was more concerned about the yaya hahaha! So I was a bit late in finding a school because hubby was thinking it’s too early for Miya to go to school. I had to convince her that Miya needs an outlet for all her energy. And once a week of Gymboree just won’t cut it. Last April I started researching for schools. I asked around what are the schools near our area (shoutout to Marsy who was very candid in answering my questions). I’ve only convinced Joema to look into a school last May because as luck would have it, the nearest preschool from our home was having an open house. I’ve researched on the different types of schools for young children – traditional vs progressive. Here are the links that have enlightened me.

 Teacher Tina's What is a Progressive School?
My Mom Friday's A Closer Look at Progressive and Traditional School Settings
 

Teacher Tina’s blog was really helpful in introducing me to progressive schools, she even gave guides on what to consider when choosing a school. If budget permits, I would enroll Miya in Explorations. But they don’t have any more slots for Miya’s age for this coming school year and Joema found the tuition fee a little steep. So I had to find an alternative. As I’ve said, we went to the open house of the preschool near our place. I was so happy that it fit the bill (pun intended) – it’s a progressive school, very near our place and the tuition is, I think, very reasonable.

Here are some of her photos during the open house after the jump: