Just before the holidays, Ted and I finally had a chance to talk together about finding a preschool for Ella in Cleveland. He knows much more about the city and was able to give me an idea of the educational landscape, you know, the Who's Who of Schools. We started to hop onto websites, make mental notes of application deadlines, program highlights, tuition (wah! wah!), and locations. We decided to pick it all up again after we returned to Ann Arbor just after the new year. And ha!, here we are, February. All those mental notes must have gotten deleted between all the driving, the celebrating, the eating and the drinking of the holidays. The drinking . . . that's probably what did it really.
In any case, here we are, in February and realizing we've missed application deadlines. After a momentary freak out, I've been able to get things back on track and have realized that these things are not such a big deal. Ella will go to school somewhere, I'm sure. And, she (and we) will be just fine.
But, aside from the application deadlines, the logistics of touring schools in a city where you know only a handful of people is a challenging and expensive endeavor. Booking hotels, arranging for our dog to be boarded, gas, meals . . . you know, the general expenses one encounters when traveling. And of course, the toll it can take on a toddler is also a bit of a drag. Though she might look quite cozy reading to her stuffed animals in the hotel, the quick trip wore her out.
While in Cleveland, we visited two schools. A third visit was planned but ultimately cancelled because we were exhausted and because the first school we visited happened to be exactly what Ted and I wanted for Ella. Even she let out an audible "ooooooh" when we walked into the building, and then asked, "Where's the paint, mommy?". I'm a firm believer in following your intuition with things such as this. If you feel comfortable, at ease, and confident, you're probably doing the right thing. And we did at this school. We ALL did. Ella marched straight into the preschool classroom without a single hesitation, or goodbye for that matter. She went immediately to a comfy chair by the bookshelves, grabbing book on her way, and sat down to read; something she often does when the social atmosphere is a bit intimidating (she is certainly my daughter). Now, we are just in a holding pattern until we hear that they have space for Ella in the class next year. Waiting and crossing our fingers, so our next trip can be completely dedicated to our house hunt.
But, aside from the application deadlines, the logistics of touring schools in a city where you know only a handful of people is a challenging and expensive endeavor. Booking hotels, arranging for our dog to be boarded, gas, meals . . . you know, the general expenses one encounters when traveling. And of course, the toll it can take on a toddler is also a bit of a drag. Though she might look quite cozy reading to her stuffed animals in the hotel, the quick trip wore her out.
While in Cleveland, we visited two schools. A third visit was planned but ultimately cancelled because we were exhausted and because the first school we visited happened to be exactly what Ted and I wanted for Ella. Even she let out an audible "ooooooh" when we walked into the building, and then asked, "Where's the paint, mommy?". I'm a firm believer in following your intuition with things such as this. If you feel comfortable, at ease, and confident, you're probably doing the right thing. And we did at this school. We ALL did. Ella marched straight into the preschool classroom without a single hesitation, or goodbye for that matter. She went immediately to a comfy chair by the bookshelves, grabbing book on her way, and sat down to read; something she often does when the social atmosphere is a bit intimidating (she is certainly my daughter). Now, we are just in a holding pattern until we hear that they have space for Ella in the class next year. Waiting and crossing our fingers, so our next trip can be completely dedicated to our house hunt.
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