The Spanish School Experience

What a roller coaster the last couple of weeks have been. I honestly thought after the first morning that I would never take my little one to the school gates again! If it left me traumatised, there was no telling the images that must have remained in his little mind. But perhaps children are fair more resiliant than I realised as after a couple of weeks I actually think he might have settled down.

The first day of school was so disorganised I was shocked. Children everywhere, unattended and crying, randomly making their way into the school building with little direction from anyone. Charlie's school in particular looks very uninviting...more like a prison block than an infant school, grey concrete and bars at the gate. As each parent literally pushed their child through the gate all we could do was stand and watch as our little cherished ones cried and pleaded to be let out again. It was so upsetting that I wasn't able to utter even one syllable to anyone until I was in the safety of my kitchen where I promptly burst into tears! Everything went through my mind - for a while thinking that I should delay my little boy's entry into "big school" for even a few more months until he was better prepared. He took a long time to get used to nursery and I feared the same for settling in at school, only this time he would have to do so in an environment where attention was shared between 19 other children and one teacher.

But I am happy to say that he surprised me, and that my fears at the beginning were perhaps those of a rather over-protective mother!! I am sure we will still get the bad days where he doesn't want to go, but after only 2 weeks he is already happy to stand in line with the other children and wait to be guided in by his teacher. Of course he needs constant reassurance from me stood at the gate that I am not going anywhere but I am so proud of him and how well he has adapted!

Well done Charlie!