Nursery Calling
Time of the year has started when various schools have opened or are already in the process of nursery admissions.
My son S is already in Nursery, so I’ve gone through this phase last year. He started his Nursery at the age of 3.4 (I know it’s a little early for few, as many parents choose the age for the same as 4+). S is December born and started his play way at the age of 2.5, and when he turned 3+, I didn’t intend to send him in play way for one more year and for the same set of learning like A,B,C 1,2,3 poems etc… and then again the same set of things in Nursery.
I was determined to send S to school at 3+. But when I was waiting for my son’s interview in the wait area, I saw all kinds of kids around. Few confident, tall, smart enough and happy to go with the new teacher to a new room where there was a small test being conducted. And there were a few innocent faces (S falls into this category), who turned twice to see their parents when teacher took them away. You could have heard my palpitations that time when S was away and I was wondering what would be going inside. That time I was a little confused on whether I should have waited for one more year or is it the right age to enter the alma mater. But S got through and here we were, (like his traffic light, ready steady go), set for the schooling.
Definitely sending kids to a learning institute is always a great idea. No matter how much you try, kids learn maximum in company of other children and they start obeying their teachers more than their parents.
Well my intent of this post is not to share his selection day experiences or deciding on the age limit for the schools. But to rather pose a question to schools and the society – What do we expect from a kid going to Nursery?
Are we expecting a disciplined, confident child for class Nursery? – who takes care of his belongings, obeys his teacher’s instructions, finishes his/her lunch, never pee in the class. Or is the complete reverse? Or the mix of both.
Why was institution of school planned from Nursery – Prep and then from – 1st? I feel because Nursery and Prep were spared more to imbibe mannerisms, good habits, self-discipline in kids besides the basics of the subject education. Isn’t it?
Rest of the schooling and teen years are for studies, extra curricular, sports, hobbies etc but don’t you want to treasure the Nursery/Prep moments for lifetime. On how our little ones pronounced difficult or long words, how their eyes sparkled when we mentioned their teacher’s name or class buddies, and how they sleepily open their eyes and walk when bus teacher shake them back to the conscious world at the bus stop where we are eagerly waiting for them and then their unending talks till we unlock the door. These moments are endless and priceless. As they say, best things in the world are free of cost, free of price-tags.
In my opinion,be it a 3+ or 4+ kid, lets not wait for the innocence to diminish a little more, for maturity to come a little more. Be the part of the flow. Let them surf in the tides of the school. Give Time time. Let the things around mould our tiny tots into an individual. What’s say? I’m all ears… 🙂
Swati Jain is a mother of a 3-year-old and an Oracle consultant (computer engineer) for 7.5 years. She is a blogger by interest, happy by choice, observant and curious by nature. She loves simplicity and truth. Follow her blog at: http://khushiniwas.blogspot.
