Shockingly, it is time for Olive to head to Kindergarten in the fall. Living in a big city with lots of school choices, this means that parents start talking about (and considering) schools about a year before their child will begin Kindergarten.
I went to public schools K-12, my parents spent their careers training people to be teachers, and as a public school teacher myself, I never thought I would consider private school for my own child. It just wasn't really on my radar as something I thought would be "right" for our family.
And then we had Olive.
And Olive turned into a child ready to head to school.
Olive is a really unique child (as all kids are). I struggle to describe her to people that don't know her. I use words like "shy" and "sensitive", but those don't really do her justice.
She is intensely aware of everything going on around her.
She is easily overwhelmed.
She is brilliant.
She is not a fan of being the center of attention in large groups.
She is a rule follower.
She doesn't like change.
She is so smart and catches on to new tasks easily.
She is a people pleaser.
As we approached the daunting task of choosing a Kindergarten for Olive last fall, we decided to look at Friends School, a private Quaker school in Saint Paul, in addition to our closest public schools. We toured all of the schools we'd decided were options. From our first visit there, Friends felt right. It felt like it was designed for our girl. To me, there is little that is more important than finding the right educational fit for a child. Kids are so different from one another, and they require different teaching styles, environments, group sizes, activity levels, and opportunities.
It's hard for me to articulate WHY I think Friends is the place for Olive. It's more of a feeling that every time we've been there, I can just feel that it's a place Olive will become a confident learner. A place where she will thrive and do better than fine. The small class sizes (16-18 children per grade), the mixed grade classes in grades 1-4 that allow students to have the same teacher for 2 years, the emphasis on social learning, their progressive education philosophy...
It all just matches our girl so well. There are many little details (such as silent times throughout the day) that are right up her alley. From their brochure: "Brief periods of silence during the daily classroom routine allow students to focus and reflect in the midst or at the end of a busy day."
And while we are not Quaker ourselves, we find our lifestyle beliefs to match nicely with the overall principles of this school:
"Friends School of Minnesota is committed to practicing the values of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), especially those of peace, community, social justice, nonviolent conflict resolution, and tolerance and respect for all people. There is no direct religious instruction at the school; rather, it is a place of lived values."
The Saint Paul schools we looked at are both fantastic schools with great teachers. I don't think Friends School is fundamentally better than our public school options. I do, however, think it's a better fit for Olive at this point in her life. So that's where she's going. For Kindergarten. And who knows how long after that.
We will do everything we can to encourage our girls to be confident and comfortable learners. The most important thing right now is that Sam and I are confident and comfortable in the choice we've made as our oldest forges ahead in life.
