Isabel's Moving-Up Day

 

 

My primary intention why I wanted Isabel to go to school even if she is only 1 year 8 months old last June 2013 is because I want to ease the guilt of spending too little time with her when she was little. I felt like she needs to go out more and experience new things especially since she is always left at home just with the 2 yayas eversince I came out of my maternity leave. With Juliana kasi, I was with her the whole time for almost 8 months as I do not have a regular job then.

So when I saw that one of the big houses at Pasig Greenland will have a playschool, I immediately texted the number and asked if I can enroll Isabel there. They told me that they have a 3-day program which I could check for my child. We immediately set a date to visit the school and it was okay for both me and July because the school is inside a big house and thus so secured. They have a small playground at the lawn which makes it more okay because that means they have an area for the kids to roam around. Plus the fees are reasonable.

I enrolled Isabel at Seedlings school with very little expectations. I want her to interact with other kids, get a feel on what is happening at school, play with her classmates, etc. At the end of the year, she can now speak audibly, has now the right grip for writing, can color drawings with minimal lampas, and can sing and dance to her hearts’ content though sa bahay lang nga. She is still super shy as in she does not want to dance in front during the moving up day and the Christmas celebration but when at home, bigay todo naman ang performance. According to one of the guys at school, okay lang daw kasi we have 16 more years of class presentations to watch. Tama nga naman.

Here is an excerpt from her first trimester narrative report from Teacher Marissa and Teacher Wena:

“Upon arrival, Isabel has learned to put her bag away, easily finding her assigned (labeled) cubby on her own. She then walks back into the classroom and may either take a material out herself or wait for one to be offered to her. She generally begins with a puzzle or Practical Life activity, ofen using a few of them before moving on to another material or area.

We have also started to hear Isabel get excited, babbling and sometime even screeching, when is able to accomplish something. She is particularly fond of the shape sorter, repeating the task two or three times. We now hear her sing along with us too! She has yet to sit and join us for the entirety of our Circle Time but she does participate from a distance. She routinely comes up when her name is sung and puts it up on our attendance chart. She is able to pick out her printed name when it is presented to her with one or two other names. She has lately been interested in cutting. She is learning to hold scissors for proper usage. She has lately begun to show a greater interest in blocks, an area she sometimes interacts with others, tossing the soft blocks in and out of the basket. More often than not, she can be requested to put things away and does so successfully, only requiring minimal assistance. “

And here is excerpt from the year-end report of her teachers :

“Isabel has grown so much over the past nine months. She has begun playing with classmates rather than just next to them. She is, however, very protective of her work/chosen activity and will no longer walk away when another child attempts to join in or take over. She is ready and willing to repeat new words when asked to and responds well to requests.

She now usually joins the class for the entire circle/meeting time. In fact, she is often the first to clean up and get to her name once the apple rings (our call to join together in a group). She actively participates in singing, her voice heard loudly during portions of the songs she knows well. She easily follows the classroom routines, needing only some reminding and very little assistance. “

I’m so proud of you my darling bunso!