This is how you work from home with a preschooler who’s not really that sick. Lots and lots of Playdough. And a bath. And you let him use nail clippers to clip apart an eraser.
But then, if you are me and you worked frantically the day before knowing that today you would be at home with said boy, in a snowstorm, so that you have a tiny bit of wriggle room (work to do on the weekend), you then take about an hour in the afternoon to type “America’s Next Top Model” into a search engine and watch some clips, because everyone’s on about it and you’ve never seen it. Figuring it cannot be the worst thing to have on with your son in the room.
Until he gets up and executes all the instructions Tyra Banks has been giving – that is, a perfect catwalk, pose for three seconds, turn, catwalk.
I nearly broke a rib laughing.
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This pretty much sums up Noah at his current stage, which is that blissful unabashed age before the 5 year old awkwardness hits I guess. He soaked up the audience attention at his school holiday recital.
Overall I was impressed. The teachers wanted the kids to do well, but if a child was unhappy, scared, or forgetting something, the teachers would help or give them a hug or deliver them to their parents. There were no hissed instructions to line up onstage or anything like that. And the directress of the school explained with care why each group chose what they did and what they learned. (For example, with the piano bits she would explain how hard it is to alternate hands, or let a child play a simple scale. Whatever.) Most kids looked not just ok, but actually happy.
Including mine.
Have I mentioned the thing was awfully long though? It was awfully long. There was a presentation of the life of Shakespeare, fairly clearly developed by the children involved (none over six), that had Carl and I in hysterics. I believe the lines that did us in were “And then Shakespeare’s writing was interrupted by the BLACK PLAGUE” (child falls down dead) and “he introduced us to such characters as Hamlet. Hamlet had to kill the king and die.”
And yes, we found the life of Shakespeare a little – yuppie – except that the kids were clearly enjoying the black plague. And I mean really, who does not enjoy a plague or two? The kids also performed several fairy tales, explained the human body and the solar system, some kids played beginner piano, and there were demonstrations of all the “extras.”
As mentioned Noah was the mirror in Snow White, which was a surprise to us, and Uranus. But it was the extras I found most fascinating:
Martial arts: One of Noah’s favourites, and I think if he continues to strut his stuff on the runway this may come in handy. I was super, super impressed with the instructor. When he came in I had that “oh, shit,” moment of having Forgotten To Freak Out about a teacher I don’t know. Male, even.
But the guy passed my smell test on the spot, and more to the point, Mr. Michael was brilliant with the kids. I noticed that even though the kids were onstage, he would correct their movements; he had worked out a really cool way of making eye contact and making a little secret motion that would let the kid know “look at me to correct something” and then he’d re-show the correct move. It was really sensitive and sweet.
Yoga: We knew this was one of Noah’s passions, since he actually makes Carl and I take a class most weekends. “”Downward Dog! Cobra!” He clearly loves this too, although he spent some time taking off his shoes onstage when the other kids did not (and it clearly was not the plan). I blame Lyria for his interest in yoga; we used to do yoga with him at the end of the day and I think he finds it comforting.
Dance: Noah clearly loves dance. I’m not sure it’s going to be his best talent, but he loves it.
Solo singing: Noah doesn’t take solo singing, but that didn’t stop him from trying to perform with the kids so… I kind of suspect that even though he’s not signed up, he participates.
Then we had a communal meal, curried rice and eggplant and a pasta dish that seems to show up at these things that involves pasta and corn of all things, and a whackload of desserts. My parents didn’t seem that thrilled (I think the life of Shakespeare threw them, as did perhaps the explanation of the intestines) and the curry was real curry and they tried valiantly to protect Noah from it, until he informed them that he likes it spicy. Carl’s mum enjoyed the whole thing.
Santa showed up and the Sikhs and Muslims and Buddhists and Christians and Undecideds all let their kids sit on his lap. I wasn’t originally thrilled that Santa was coming, but it was okay.
I have decided that I genuinely like Noah’s school. You’d think that I wouldn’t have left him there for almost a year and a half without liking it, but in fact I have been so fearful and defensive that I thought I was doing well not to try to get the RCMP to set up cameras. That is, I have felt that skeptical detachment was a safer stance.
I think sometimes they err on the side of being a little bit over the top in their subject matter (the life of Matisse?) but in their presentation of it, it’s always age-appropriate. I do like the whole Montessori thing.* And I really think the staff generally have their heads on straight – safety, care, and love first; learning next. That they are really into the learning scared me originally but now I kind of like it. Maybe because Noah clearly thrives on it.
Although if I have to endure another discussion on how “11″ LOOKS like it has two ones but it’s really ten ones and one one, and two ones is really two, I think I will have to lie down and weep.
(This is my fault for having casually observed that “eleven has two ones, see?” Noah has appointed himself my math tutor.)
And it beats learning about Tyra Banks!
* I realized this made it sound like Montessori was about presenting the life of Matisse. Actually it’s kind of mostly the opposite: during the ‘work cycle’ (work in the good sense of the word) the kids can choose their activity, or work together, or wander aimlessly, or lie down and pretend their toes are Spiderman (as long as they are not disturbing anyone else). The activities are focused on breaking learning concepts down, or developing skills, but to the kids they are pretty much games/things to do. I like the self-directed and concrete bits; to me it’s entirely sufficiently ‘play based.’ I could write a lot more but I’ll stop there.
The life of Matisse is just covered for a few minutes at circle time in the morning, and at story time. I have no objection to that any more than I object to Clifford the Red Dog and in fact, if I have to hear each story verbatim at home each night, I think I’m going to have to go with Matisse trying to sell his paintings over Clifford blowing out the fire in the apartment building.
