Thursday, September 16, 2010

Just Thriving

Nolan loves school a lot more than carousels

I am so glad we chose the particular mainstream preschool Nolan attends for his preschool education. The school is just absolutely perfect for him. When we left John Tracy, a part of me lamented the lack of a JTC-like preschool in our area. While no preschool is going to have everything that John Tracy offers, our little local mainstream school comes pretty close.

Nolan's class is small, for a mainstream preschool. I am not quite sure how many children are in the class, but I believe it is somewhere in the neighborhood of 12- with two teachers. The room is quiet, and Nolan is bathed in a developmentally appropriate curriculum. Plus, the teacher truly cares about his development and well-being. Weekly guides let us know what they are focusing on each week, in addition to the particular skill sets being developed. I feel informed, supported, and I know that Nolan is being lovingly taught the pre-academic skills he will need in a few short years.

The best evidence of all is that Nolan is just thriving in his preschool class. On Tuesday, he informed me that he did not get to paint, but he did "read" a story (circle time). Today, he was all smiles as he hopped out of class and his teacher handed me a plastic bag containing Nolan's first masterpiece. He easel-painted today, and let me tell you- that boy loves his paint. The paper was saturated with pink and blue tempera, and he talked about it all the way home. If anyone mentions his teacher's name, he just glows with excitement.

I can't wait to see what this year is going to bring to Nolan!

6 comments:

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Leah,

I've been gone all week and just getting caught up.

What a great preschool situation! Given all the ear gunk/infection/tubes/etc. you're dealing with, I'm SO glad that the school and the TOD are falling into place so well.

Cheers for Nolan :D

Julie

Joey Lynn Resciniti said...

This is great news! It's awesome that he's doing so well. Great teachers make all the difference. Plus I think it's important for us to find an environment that doesn't seem like a giant kid zoo. I visited a lot and some were just that noisy.

rouchi6 said...

Nothing like your kid loving school.It is so good that Nolan loves his school.One is so settled if their kid is settled in school too.Prisha loves her school and I as a mum is so relieved.You must put up some of his art work too.I love it when prisha comes up with some art and craft ideas and shows it to me.Good news after all the ear infections.

Bill and Shelly said...

It is a comfort to know that your child is so happy at school, it make is so much easier leaving them.
Yay for Nolan!

Wow, 12 to 2 teacher to children ratio.....that is wonderful! Jared and Allison's preschool had a 15 to 2 ratio and I thought that was great.

tammy said...

This is wonderful. Choosing the right preschool is hard enough, but seeing your child thrive in it is simply heart warming. Sounds like he's enjoying every moment of it! Here's wishing for a fantastic school year for both your boys!

Anonymous said...

Good for Nolan! Isn't this the best feeling ever? I can't remember feeling this upbeat and happy about E's situation in months and it's all because of his school. I'm so glad you're able to relax in the knowledge that he's in great hands. And yikes on the double accident night! I hope Matt's jaw/lip/tooth are healing okay!

How many years off our lives have these kids taken do you think?