from full day to half day

I had my reasons for putting M in full day Montessori, as opposed to half day. She always seemed happier when she did full days at her previous school, and I assumed it was because she is an extrovert and also has a busy mind that thrives on stimulation. Since starting at the Montessori school, however, I have become aware of the fact that her behaviors might be telling me that full day, five days a week is too much. My little girl seems stressed and over-tired when I pick her up… and we weren’t getting many whole days together anymore, like when she went two days a week (usually when I worked). I think this was contributing to her separation anxiety.

Then there’s the fact that the state mandates that all preschools and day cares have “rest time”, a time during which children must remain on their cot (20 minutes) and then do quiet activities (up to 1 hour). There’s no way in hell my daughter, who no longer needs naps to feel good during the day, will stay on a cot for that long or remain quiet. She is an active, loud person, and that’s ok. I don’t want her to experience shaming, scolding, or punishing because someone else has dictated what her body “needs”. She is the one that should be making that decision, with some guidance at this age, of course. In any case, she should not be expected to stay stationary that long, or remain quiet, if that is not coming naturally to her, or if it is not necessary for her health and well-being.

And so… she will go and enjoy her friends and activities for 3 hours from now on. The point of school for her is only to provide her with fun, stimulating activities that can’t be provided by myself, my home, or my mom. She gets to enjoy friendships, work on relationship skills, while playing. She also gets introduced to new ideas that she might be interested in but hasn’t been exposed to yet at home, like Spanish.

I have no idea what the future holds for my daughter’s education. Unschooling, worldschooling, Montessori schooling, democratic schooling… those are the options we will consider, based on our current life situation and financial situation at the time, and whether or not I have a community or partner to pair up with for education purposes.

Gosh, having kids can really open a person’s mind, eh? Crazy, but I love it!

Author: Mother of All Things

Mother by fostering, adoption, and marriage... wife to my best friend... Bay area critical care nurse... travel in my blood, reading in my bones, clean food on my mind! View all posts by Mother of All Things