This happened like three weeks ago, so I guess I'm a little bit behind with blogging. I'm going to try to catch up before we leave for Disney, so get ready to be bombarded with posts, if I manage to get the posts written in the midst of packing!
Isla started preschool! She is in the yellow room at her school, the same classroom and teachers that Audrey had when she was three. She is going to school two afternoons each week.
Isla is not very social and is generally very quiet and timid around people she doesn't know. She doesn't like to talk to people she doesn't know, she doesn't really like to be in big groups. I think if she had her way, she would love to just be invisible! So going to school is a big and difficult step for her.
Isla's first day of school got off to a GREAT start! I was able to convince her to let me take her picture, which was miraculous! And I even got a few with her smiling AND looking at the camera!
And of course, the side by side comparison picture with Audrey and Isla in their first year of preschool.
When we got to school, Isla was immediately excited about all the toys and activities in her classroom. She jumped right in and started playing with the sorting toys at one table. I hung around for a minute, and she decided to switch to painting. Then I told her I was leaving, and she told me bye and went back to painting. I left school thinking this was going to be a much easier transition than I expected!
Then I picked her up after school. Her teacher pulled me aside and let me know that Isla did not do anything all afternoon. She sat in the chair where she was painting when I left, and she didn't move. Except for when the teachers had to pick her up and carry her when they went outside to play. She didn't do any of her coloring, she didn't eat her snack, and she didn't even sit at circle time.
Now, this sounds like the Isla I know (and love!!). She tends to just shut down completely when faced with a new situation and a new crowd of people. It's like if she doesn't say anything or do anything or look at anyone she can just make it all disappear.
Since the first day, it has gotten harder and harder to drop her off at school, as she becomes more and more resistant to the idea of going to school. She does not want to go. However, once she gets there, she has shown some signs of improvement. While she still doesn't eat the snack or do any of the crafts or activities, she does now walk holding her teacher's hand from the tables to the circle to outside and wherever else they go. For the first couple of days, she had to be carried if they wanted her to move. And she will also now nod her head yes or no in response to her teachers' questions. So that is an improvement! Baby steps!!
I really feel like she needs to be in a school setting this young so that she can learn what is expected of her in social situations. Even if she doesn't like it, she has to learn how to be polite and interact with the rest of society! When she is comfortable around a person, she will really open up to them. But it takes her a long time to get there sometimes! I think her teachers are willing to be patient with her, so that's a good thing. I'm kind of afraid that she might get kicked out of preschool!
Hopefully by the end of the year, she will at least be participating in the crafts, activities and snack. That's my biggest goal for her. I think it might take her longer to warm up to the idea of talking to a teacher or playing with another kid or singing a song during circle time. But she will get there someday, right? Since birth, Isla has constantly reminded me that she is her own person, and that she does things in her own time.
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