Today was Asia's first day of preschool! She was very excited to go, as we had gone to visit and meet her teachers a few days before. She felt SO grown-up and excited for this big day, especially with her nifty school jacket. If it were up to me (mom), I would keep her home for a few more years. But she really wanted to try it, and we are all FOR her venturing out and making friends. We really hope she can make some neat buddies and learn some language in the process. She also needed a Chinese name (as a formality) so we chose
Mei-xing (美星 = beautiful star) in hopes that she can be a bright star in her school. The school is brand new, and only offers classes for children ages 3-6. I was especially thrilled to find a school this small with less older kids around. It makes me feel s bit more at ease, knowing she won't be exposed to too much maturity before she is ready...and its about a 5 minute walk from our apartment.
Here she is - with one of her teachers (Nu Laoshi) on her first day. It took a short time to warm-up, but now they are buddies. Today - Asia was the ONLY student in her 4-year-old class!! She got SO much attention, especially since there are three teachers per class!! I got to stay with her for most of the day, observing and helping her get settled. She doesn't know enough Chinese to communicate, but she is catching on with her hands motions, and short phrases. At one point she was in tears because she was frustrated with her inability to speak - but we know she is motivated to learn! I am not sure how often she will attend, but it will only be part time, since we still have
our fun homeschool curriculum that we read thru together, and lots of explorative hands-on excursions as a family.
As we said goodbye to her new friends today, Asia didn't want to leave. As hard as it is for me to entrust her into the care of others, I am so thrilled that she has such a sweet spirit and desires to learn and be a part of this culture. We will see how it goes....one day at a time.
Today was Asia's first day of preschool! She was very excited to go, as we had gone to visit and meet her teachers a few days before. She felt SO grown-up and excited for this big day, especially with her nifty school jacket. If it were up to me (mom), I would keep her home for a few more years. But she really wanted to try it, and we are all FOR her venturing out and making friends. We really hope she can make some neat buddies and learn some language in the process. She also needed a Chinese name (as a formality) so we chose Mei-xing (美星 = beautiful star) in hopes that she can be a bright star in her school. The school is brand new, and only offers classes for children ages 3-6. I was especially thrilled to find a school this small with less older kids around. It makes me feel s bit more at ease, knowing she won't be exposed to too much maturity before she is ready...and its about a 5 minute walk from our apartment.
Here she is - with one of her teachers (Nu Laoshi) on her first day. It took a short time to warm-up, but now they are buddies. Today - Asia was the ONLY student in her 4-year-old class!! She got SO much attention, especially since there are three teachers per class!! I got to stay with her for most of the day, observing and helping her get settled. She doesn't know enough Chinese to communicate, but she is catching on with her hands motions, and short phrases. At one point she was in tears because she was frustrated with her inability to speak - but we know she is motivated to learn! I am not sure how often she will attend, but it will only be part time, since we still have our fun homeschool curriculum that we read thru together, and lots of explorative hands-on excursions as a family. 
As we said goodbye to her new friends today, Asia didn't want to leave. As hard as it is for me to entrust her into the care of others, I am so thrilled that she has such a sweet spirit and desires to learn and be a part of this culture. We will see how it goes....one day at a time.
