I just returned from a whirlwind trip to the city. I was able to see three different schools, one nursery program and a daycare. All that in 2 days and one morning (before jetting back to LGA).
I know that getting into a good school in NYC is a process and has all kinds of stress associated with the admissions process. However -- the more time I spent pondering what to wear and what to say in order to woo the admissions teams from these schools, the more I just wanted to laugh. I am who I am -- and so is our little man. If he's a fit for a particular school - great! If not, he's only 3 right now -- maybe one year in the big city and he will be a violin virtuoso or a published author or a child prodigy in who knows what! Actually - I am starting to think Atticus is rather brilliant. He can already identify and say the letters on almost any flash card we show him. I didn't even realize he could do this until last night in the bath tub. Granted, we are always spelling in the car and pointing out letters on big billboards, but it was last night in the tub when he was picking up some of his bath card/tile thingies and spelling the words that I had the thought -- holy moly, my child is a genius! :-) He's going to be absolutely FINE no matter where he ends up going to pre-K.
I really loved a couple of the schools we toured and I am quite looking forward to continuing the admissions process. And it's a process. I have no clue how well it will go when Atticus is totally out of his element for the testing and play dates. He's going to have just flown for 4 hours to New York, be staying at a hotel and then have to be charming to other kids, psychologists, parents, etc. It is what it is... so we'll see.
The nice thing about all of the schools and the JCC was the small ratio of kids to teachers. Atticus definitely thrives with a smaller ratio and more structure. What can I say, he's an engineer's kid! I love that even if he doesn't end up going to the international school, he's going to be surrounded by diversity. Different cultures, foods, races, sounds, people -- everything I could dream of. The same will go for Wren too. She's about 3 months too young to qualify for the majority of the formal nursery programs, but the daycares offer a lot of diversity too. The world is such a fascinating place and travel from here to anywhere is getting easier every year... I hope my kids are afforded the opportunities to travel anywhere their hearts desire. Travel Europe, live in South America, backpack Australia and New Zealand... just imagine the possibilities, especially if they are 18 years old and bi or tri-lingual. Oooooh.... so exciting.
This is really a rambling post. Essentially, there is a lot going on right now. I'm submitting applications and setting up parent and child interviews. The first week of January, Atticus and I will most likely be back up in the city. We hope Greg can come too - but there are a LOT of logistics we need to work out!! I'll keep the bloggy world updated when we know more.
Totally unrelated -- but while I was in the city, I did manage to meet up with a new friend, Fiona, for lunch and I had dinner with my Sister in Law, Rhonda, and her husband, Brian, close to Rockefeller Center. After dinner, we wandered over and saw the Rockefeller Christmas Tree all lit up. It really is a sight to see. The tree in ginormous! And... I remembered that the subway system is really quite cool. I didn't quite have it down to the same rhythm as when we were living in the city a couple years ago -- but it comes back pretty quick!
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