I'm back, and looking at preschools!

Sorry for the break. We just had our big community art fair (for which I volunteer) over Labor Day weekend, and things haven't really calmed down since it ended. I've been meeting with architects about working on the house, organizing my high school reunion, and researching preschools for Esme. I'm exhausted. (Do I say that a lot on this blog? Exhaustion seems to be a theme for parenthood.)

But on to the topic of the post: preschools. We have been researching preschools for Esme. She currently goes to daycare that has some preschool elements, but I'm seriously considering moving her to a more official preschool. It's not an easy decision, though. She loves the Secret Garden Daycare, where she goes now. It's run out of a friend's house, and is such a wonderful spot for children. But is she getting what she needs there? What's the function of preschool? Well, there are about as many answers to that question as there are preschools dotting the country. There are so many ways to break it down and analyze the various options. But lately, I've been smitten by the Montessori method.

While many teachers would say the purpose of preschool is to socialize children and get them used to a classroom setting, the Montessori method says that preschool should be about allowing the child to educate him or herself. The Montessori classroom is filled with games and activities all neatly arranged on child-size shelves. While the 3-year-old (or 4 or 5-year-old) is playing with the toys, they are actually doing work on an area of development. Each of the activities is designed to help the child's mastery of some specific skill. Of course, you can read about the Montessori method all day, but to understand it, I think you have to see a classroom in progress.

The first Montessori school we looked at was a small, two-room preschool. As we entered, the children were all quietly and happily working away at little tables, matching up pegs of wood that showed gradations of colors, spelling out words, scooping beads from one dish to another. The children were absolutely focused on their work. Of course, they're not expected to do that all day long. There are snack and meal breaks, outdoor play, etc., but the child is given the freedom to pursue their own activities during set work times, and the children seem to thrive in this atmosphere.

It's not that I'm worried about Esme's academics at this age. There shouldn't be so much pressure around preschool, as each child develops differently. But I think that providing an atmosphere that recognizes different stages of development and fosters a sense of joy in education is the best thing that we can do for our children.

Of course, getting into one of these preschools is another story, and another blog post. Thus far, we're playing the waiting list game. And I thought that would be something I would only hear when Esme was ready to apply for college!