the preschool saga continues

My parents have been touring private schools over the past six+ months. There may be no preschool spaces available anywhere until 2029 or so - at which time I will be 20 years old.

My mom visited another school today and, good news, they have space available. The bad news: the school is not fit for children. My mom reported one bad thing after another. Someone should have warned this school that my mom turned the last one down because they didn't have papertowels, or anything for that matter, in the bathroom to dry your hands after washing up.

First off, the school administrator took my mom into the classroom during circle time. It seemed nice enough but the teacher had a cell phone on the floor beside her. The teacher also immediately disrupted circle time to focus on the tour. The children were promptly dismissed to play outside mostly unattended.

In the classroom, my mom noticed that the shelves had very few of the traditional Montessori materials. Instead, there were plastic toys of various sorts; Etch-a-Sketch has its rightful place but it does not belong in the classroom. The teacher tried to explain the sandpaper letters but did not know much about them.

In the snack area, there was a microwave. (I do not eat microwaved food.) There was a piece of cheese on the floor that had dried up and curled. The students wash their own dishes (good) but the teachers rewash them (bad, because this tells the students they didn't do a good enough job).

The bathroom area smelled like urine and didn't have child-sized toilets.

The worst offense: there was a stack of DVDs in the reception area. Do they allow television at the school? My mom requires that my school have a strict media policy.

The school brags about feeding the children only healthy snacks but the kids were eating Chex Mix by the bucket.

There is a pet tarantula in the classroom. I like spiders and would not be afraid of this one but there is nothing to stop me from popping the lid off the tank and away we go.

The list of bad things goes on and on and on.

What was good about the school:

The children seemed happy.

They do yoga daily.

A goat and a pig live on campus and the students care for them.

Enid.

Most people still comment on what a beautiful girl I am. When my mom was at the school, she met a little girl named Enid; she looked exactly like me. Enid followed my mom all during the tour and was quite cuddly.