For all my dear blogging buddies who read my post on the Waldorf school, here's an update. After a lengthy IST (Instructional Support Team) meeting on Wednesday, we left school with assurances that the public school would do their utmost to help our girl succeed in 1st grade next year. Then on Thursday morning, we took our daughter for a visit/assessment at the Waldorf school. She loved it and couldn't wait to go back. Of course, we have been aiming at sending her to the SWS in the fall, but after our conversation with her potential teacher on Thursday night, we threw all caution, deliberation, etc. to the wind. Long story short, we decided that, given the current level of tension our daughter suffers regarding school, why wait? At the suggestion of her Waldorf teacher, and after hair-pulling financial consideration and several previous sleepless nights over the whole issue, we have decided to go ahead and let dear daughter make the move now.
I have just composed a letter to her principal explaining that she will not be returning to the public school and will indeed finish the year elsewhere. There are many good, good people at the public school who have been more than patient with Maisie's outbursts and frustration over the year. But as it stands, the pressures of that little bastard known as NCLB are just too much for the current administration to battle. And until that changes, our dear daughter hasn't a chance.
So, our sweet girl is making the transition to a more holistic approach to learning. It remains to be seen whether she will progress to 1st grade or repeat kindergarten next year, but we know we are doing the right thing for her. Now...if I can just get that job... It's all still up in the air, but there are some promising developments on that front. If it all works out, we'll have two kids in the Waldorf system. Hurray! Stay tuned...
"...the pressures of that little bastard known as NCLB are just too much for the current administration to battle. And until that changes, our dear daughter hasn't a chance."
ReplyDeleteOh, I hear ya. My son isn't in kindergarten yet, but I'm preparing myself now for what's to come.
Best of luck on that job, by the way.
Love Waldorf and Statler; love Firefly. So glad you found my blog, Ghost Girl! Does your title come from "To Kill a Mockingbird?" (I'm teaching that to my 7th graders right now!) I hope your daughter has a great end of year. The right school can do miraculous work!
ReplyDeleteI hope your daughter thrives at her new school, Mary Ann. The NCLB is an affront to education and terribly punitive. I'm hoping it will be gone when GWB is finally out of office.
ReplyDeleteHang in there and I hope you get that job!
Amen, Stella!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Cake! Actually, my title comes from my first novel, still unpublished. It's called Under a Broken Tree which is actually a line from a W.B. Yeats poem. When my current WIP is done, I'm going to revise that first one.
Aisha, does your school do a kindergarten assessment and orientation? Make sure they tell you everything. Communication has been a real problem with our teacher this year.
I feel so much better that some of this is finally settled. Whew!