School Big Kid

I always get excited when the postie delivers our mail. Perhaps it’s a letter from an overseas friend or relative, a special invitation or a tax return?

Not on this occasion – a letter arrived addressed formally to my hub and I, inviting us to the prep orientation for our daughter’s impending school. SCHOOL! My little ‘almost five year old’ daughter is ready to take the plunge into the world of structured learning and is more excited by the uniform and matching hair ties. She’ll learn!

How will I explain to her that she can’t just sit and draw pictures of dogs and fairies all day, eat whenever she feels like it, or make a mess and leave it for someone else to pack up? That school is for the big kids and she is almost one of them.

I was initiated into school life when our son leapt excitedly and vicariously into the ‘five-day week information overload’ back in January. I was comforted by the thought that he was well and truly ready, having repeated Four Year Old Kinder, and in his opinion, had honed his cricketing skills. We had chosen a lovely nurturing school and it was time.

We hadn’t always been so sure of our plans. You get thrown a bucket of advice when making the decision ‘to send’ or ‘not to send’ to school. Some of it is ill-informed and you take it with a grain of salt. Other information helps you to make the right decision. What’s the Hurry? Reclaiming Childhood in an overscheduled world, by Kathy Walker, was one bit of solid and reaffirming advice. This book told me to trust my instincts.

Ironically it talks about the overcommitted child (I won’t tell you that I raced from dancing to basketball practice tonight,) and how we need to let kids play more.

The book is set out in sections from valuing our children, understanding their behaviour and social and emotional readiness, choosing schools, talking to the principal, and the transition process. The underlying message is that self-esteem is important and if a child feels pressured to perform when they are not at that developmental stage, it can be detrimental to their learning and acceptance of school.

We made the right call with our son and our daughter will no doubt find her place too. It’s a great read and empowers you to make that decision…"up in the morning and off to school.”