No wordless Wednesday for me today. Instead I want to take a moment to properly
address the thought provoking comment/question I received in response to yesterday’s
post which you can read
here.
The short of it is I was venting about
my potty training frustrations as it pertains to Liv’s current school, and
someone anonymously commented with the following...
“If you are so unhappy why don't you just leave now. No hate
here, but it seems like you have been unhappy for awhile...”
This made me realize that I haven’t done what I set out to
do with this blog. Which is to be 100% open and honest about matters of my
external heartbeat. As anonymous stated I’ve been very open about my
discontent with Liv’s existing school for some time. And, though I’ve insinuated
that a change in schools is coming I haven’t quite shared the details. The crazy part about it is I feel like I did since all our family and friends have the inside scoop, and are looking forward to September
2nd when she starts her new school.
Now! Before I proceed I’d like to apologize for taking you all
for granted. By not sharing the details of the new school search.
Anonymous made me realize that as much as I complain about Liv’s existing
school, sharing the details of her new school is a post that’s long overdue.
So anonymous whoever you are thanks so
much for the comment.
Now, without further ado here’s the long answer to the
comment above.
It was sometime around April when I truly came to my
breaking point with Liv’s current school. I can’t remember the exact straw
that broke the camel’s back (it honestly may have been the whole potty or
fundraiser thing) but, I knew it was time to leave. And if both my husband and
I didn’t work full time or had family in our area willing to care for
her, I would have snatched her out immediately. No ifs, ands, or butts about
it, as mad as I was I would have made what I’d now consider to be a selfish
decision and left the school without notice. Yes! I said selfish because in my
opinion acting solely on my discontent (which in the moment I would have been), and
not thinking about the best quality of care for her would have been selfish. In
any case, I didn’t take her out immediately because our family dynamics didn’t support
such a decision.
Instead after a year of her being in her current school, and
receiving what I’d consider to be excellent care as an infant. I found myself
back at the drawing board and in search of a new school once she became a
toddler. Honestly, although I was starting to have my share of issues with the administration,
my husband and I were also noticing how she had simply out grown their level of
care. What worked for her as an infant just wasn’t going
to work for her as a toddler. So, in early April I begin diligently looking for
new schools in my area. By now you all know enough of my personality to know I
don’t make decisions like this lightly, and I’m not about uprooting my child to
leave her in the care of just anyone. I attended multiple open houses, randomly
popped up at several schools, spent countless hours reading reviews, talking to administrators, and other parents of my top choice schools. Before we decided that this time around we’d give Montessori a try. Outside of the very docile
environment that I’m hoping my little rambunctious diva will fit into we just
loved the school philosophy. I loved the responsiveness and communication with
the director and teachers. I also lved how even their so called “play” activities have a purpose
behind them.
However, our decision to try Montessori came with a pretty
steep contractual obligation. That further delayed us moving her out of the
current school. The Montessori school we choose only accepts 10 or 12 month
contracts which can only start in June or September and on top of that they are only accredited to
take students as young as 18 months old. This is why our start date is September
and wasn’t sooner. Through my search I found that even if I moved her somewhere
else temporarily the quality of care would be equal or less than the care she is receiving
today. So the hubs and I decided we’ll let her finish out the summer around
her tiny friends and continue to deal with the environment that we know until her first day at the new school. Exactly, two weeks ago I gave her current
school a little over 30 days’ notice that she will not be returning in the fall. And,
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the last few months of dealing with their shenanigans
have been a serious struggle but, I’ve learned to keep calm and look
forward to brighter days.
I’m pretty sure the new school won’t solve all my problems
but, this mom is totally looking forward to a new set of experiences J
