Our Hunt for a Play School for Badger

 

by Justine C. Tajonera

Recently, Vier and I decided that it was time to find a play school for Badger. We had done our best with our attempt at home school. However, I really feel that home school needs a mom's touch. While Vier has argued that he is all for unschooling, I still feel that a child's progress needs to be closely monitored and nurtured. If we aren't going to give him the quality time of 3 to 4 hours of learning in a day (not restricted to just the house but outside, in the open, or in a park or learning environment) then we might as well enroll him in a play school.

Lots of Choices

I was surprised that we actually have a lot of choices in our area (Ortigas Center, Pasig City), all of them walking distance from our condo. We reviewed them and they've been a mix of the progressive and traditional (more for the K2 classes) approaches. The great thing is they all offer trial classes so Badger has been having a blast. I didn't expect him to enjoy it so much.

Saying Goodbye Wasn't Hard

During one of the trial classes, we brought him into the classroom and watched him start to warm up to the other kids during their "free play time" session. He was starting to have so much fun that he didn't mind mommy and daddy saying goodbye at all. He just walked up to us and kissed us and said "Bye, Mommy, Bye Daddy!" What a miracle! No separation anxiety, no clinging, no crying. I was actually very proud of him. And while I had a twinge in my heart at saying goodbye, it wasn't so bad because I knew he was enjoying himself so much. Over the weekend, when we passed by one of the schools, he pointed at the building and said, "I want to go to school!" I had to explain to him that it was the weekend and that he could go to school on Monday.

More Verbal Interaction

Ever since he started his trial classes, I've also noticed that he's more verbal in his interactions. He used to refer to himself in the third person all the time but now I hear him say stuff like "I want water" or "I want Fita" more often. Yay! Apart from this, I hear him signify his curiosity too. "Daddy, what is this?" I heard him ask Vier the other night. He kept asking Vier to explain what different things were. It's amazing how quickly he's adapted to school. Because he was home schooled for a while, the teachers have told us that Badger is a bit advanced in some things like the alphabet, identifying letters, words, numbers and colors. However, I think the biggest plus has been his exposure to more and more play mates.

The Matter of Cost and Quality

The only thing that Vier and I have to decide on now is the balance between cost and quality. Badger has equally enjoyed his classes in the two schools that he's attended. We're just waiting for the other school to show us the prorated payments for enrolling Badger halfway through the school year. For me and Vier, it's not about the facilities or even how impressive the curriculum looks but rather the environment of learning and fun. As long as Badger is happy to play and explore, we know that he is definitely learning.

We're looking forward to one more trial period with a third school and then he'll start actual classes by September or October. With a new baby coming by November, hopefully, play school will give Badger a familiar haven outside of the changes at home. It's been an adventure, so far, for the three of us and I'm looking forward to more fun and learning in the coming months.