The Visit Part II (with Tristan)

I told Tristan that we were going to visit a new school to see if we liked it. He probably wasn't really listening to me, when I said it but we drove to the school on our appointed day. We were early because I really wasn't sure how long it would take to get there from our house at 8am. So I parked and we sat in the car for a while.

Eventually, he said "what are we doing?"
I said, "we're early, so we are just waiting to go in."
He said, "I want to go in now."

So we went in. The school was a hotbed of activity. It was prime drop off time! So we busied ourselves by reading some of the books at the front, walking up and down the halls looking at the art on the walls and the different projects the kids had done.  When the director found us, we went into one of the two classrooms that had space for a new student. 

Tristan is a shy boy at first. He likes to get used to place first before he lets go! So he was quiet for a while. This particular classroom had quite a few older kids in it and was a little bit loud when we first got there. Several children came over to us and said Hello and introduced themselves.  We walked around the classroom and looked at the different materials. The first thing he picked up were thin metal shapes that could be traced. He spent some time tracing several different shapes and was very proud of the results.  He walked around some more and looked at things and then he noticed that the kids were in a circle listening to the teacher.  So he asked if he could join. He sat for a while listening and looking around.  We then moved on to another classroom.

I could tell right away that this one was more Tristan's speed. It was quiet and there were more kids his age in this classroom.  He walked into this classroom more confidently.  He looked at their class pet - a gerbil. He watched some kids eating a snack, a girl washing dished in the sink and another little girl was painting at an easel. He saw one boy playing with dinosaurs - he really wanted to get those dinosaurs! But he patiently waited and moved on to another activity. He found a magnet fishing game that he enjoyed.  Then saw there was a station where he could pour water from one cup to another with a little sponge to clean up any spills. He had a great time with that activity. The dinosaurs became available and he matched each little dinosaur to it's shape on the card. Then he moved on to stacking colored arcs. He seemed to be very engaged and interested in things around the room. 

We decided this was the class he would join when he started school and I think we have made a good decision. The teaching team in this room have been teaching together for over 16 years so I have no doubt they have the experience!  When it was time to go, Tristan wanted to stay. I explained that we could not stay and finally got him to the car.  When we got to his current school, he pitched a fit! He said he didn't want to go and cried and cried! He got over it when presented with some stickers. 

I am not sure he understands that soon he will be going to a new school every day. I think we will surely have some transition issues but I hope that he will adapt quickly and I have confidence that he will love his new environment.