Well today Isaac had his first day of school here! I can’t believe it — it definitely makes it feel more like real life here! The really cool thing is that every child here is entitled to one free year of preschool, paid for by the government. I couldn’t believe we would qualify for that too not being actual citizens, but since we are living, working, and paying taxes here, we are entitled to it!

The process for choosing a school was interesting. I had looked at a bunch online before we got here, but not knowing exactly what neighborhood we would be in, I knew I would have to wait til we got here before deciding. So once we settled on living in Clontarf, it narrowed down the choices a bit. There were about 7 preschools in our area, 4 of which had openings. We visited all 4 last week and 2 are actually literally around the corner from where we will be living, like a 3 minute walk. I was really hoping to like one of those since it would be so convenient and easy, but they felt a little disorganized, with the teacher just kind of sitting on the side not interacting, and the big deal breaker was the outside space (or lack thereof). There was a tiny, tiny, pretty depressing stretch of pavement where the kids could run around but they only go out when it doesn’t rain (um, which is like everyday in Ireland?) To me, outside play is so so important, so despite the convenience, I couldn’t bring myself to choose those schools.

The one I liked the most is a bit of a commute…about a 30 minute walk. But there’s also a bus which comes often and would get us there in about 10 minutes so we will probably do that most of the time. It has an awesome outdoor area and the kids go out everyday. This school is one I had actually looked at and liked during my search back home, but the website had said they had waiting lists for this year AND next year too. So that felt like a good sign that it’s well liked and well sought after, but I thought there was no chance they’d have room. I emailed on the off chance they had a spot and it turned out someone left at the last minute and all the waiting list kids already had other plans, so we were able to get a spot!

It is a Montessori school and pretty strictly follows the Montessori method. An interesting thing is that almost all the preschools here call themselves Montessori, but I think here that just means “preschool.” 🙂 Most do have Montessori materials, but some also use other methods/materials or just have certain parts of the day that are “montessori” and other times that are not. But the school we chose is pretty truly a Montessori. There are a lot of great things about it, and I’m learning more and more about the methods, but also some things that make me miss our old school.

I ended up staying with Isaac for the full morning today. He has been anxious whenever Jeff or I even go in the other room at the apartment (I think all the newness and changes just give him a little separation anxiety), so I could tell he would have a hard time separating for the first day of school. Luckily, they were fine with me staying and over the next few days I will ease away and stay less and less. We decided to start him this week, too, before Jeff goes back to work, so that he could stay with Rafi while I settle Isaac in.

It was very calm and quiet in the classroom and all the kids were working on their own individual activities. Isaac did some scooping, lock and key matching, building towers, and lots of puzzles. I liked that there was so much to choose from. There’s a very specific way they are supposed to do each activity, which is good in a way for teaching directions and the desired skill, but I guess I’m just more used to more open ended activities.

The teachers were warm and welcoming and all the kids were very sweet and we showed them on the map where America is. They also learn some Irish words, like at circle time they call roll and when everyone hears their name, they have to say “anseo” (on-shay), which means “here.” And at the end of the day they are supposed to go up to their teachers, shake their hands, and say “slan” (bye). So that’s kind of a different/fun aspect. Also, one of the teachers is from Spain so they will also learn some Spanish words.

A few things that felt different were less collaboration on activities/playing (like at Isaac’s old school a lot of time was spent with kids building big block structures together or making big art pieces together)…here it felt more individual, though there was some interaction during work time. Also, less open ended free play time here. Isaac loves imaginative play, so hopefully he will be ok with a bit less of that, at least in the classroom (outside they do a lot of it).

I guess my overall first impression was that it was a lot more structured and directed than at home, with more emphasis on getting kids ready for “big school.” One thing I didn’t realize is that most kids start “big school” (as they call it) at 4 going on 5. So next year Isaac could potentially attend regular school, which I wasn’t expecting. They aren’t required to start til age 6, so he could stay in preschool, but everyone is sort of implying it would be unusual. That’ll be a whole other decision, so I won’t worry about that now, but it does help make more sense why preschool is trying to get them ready!

In any event, the school process has been interesting and I’m sure he (and I!) will get used to it soon! I am happy we chose the school we did even if it’s further away, and I think some of the differences are what will make this experience interesting! I don’t have any pictures for today, but I’ll try to take some tomorrow!