Registration: In and Done and Now We Wait

The title pretty much sums it up. But there’s a bit of a story to share.

I got to the school a few minutes after the registration window opened. There were five other moms there: some at the window, some sitting in the waiting area filling out forms, and the other in line. While I was in line, the registrar announced that if anyone got their registration forms online, she had a packet with a couple of other school-specific additions. I grabbed one of those and sat in the waiting area for five minutes, filling out two more forms and getting everything back in order. 

Back in line, I waited just a moment and was beckoned to the window. The registrar leafed through my packet and reviewed each page. She pulled out a pink form and asked a series of questions related to health, custody, my role (parent), and whether I’d taken a tour of the Montessori program for which we are signing up (I had). Papers into a file folder and off to the Nurse’s office for a review of my son’s immunization record (up to snuff). Then out the front door and a text to my husband with the “all set.” 

Now we wait: anyone whose open enrollment is submitted by March 1 will be notified of the status by April 1. So, in the spirit of “plan for the worst and hope for the best,” we’ll start researching a back up school in case this registration does not work out in our favor. We’ll also continue the support for our son’s skill and social development to hone his readiness for school.

Tomorrow’s the (first) Big Day

Tomorrow at 9 a.m. marks the Kindergarten registration for my eldest. Our registration packet has been compiled since November. I have visited the school, program, and teachers for which we’re registering. Last week, I called to confirm the date, time, and procedure I must follow. Because the registration window is squarely in the middle of my work day, I have cleared my calendar and delegated my morning work duties. In sum, the preparations are all I can make them and it’s a matter of leaving my house in enough time to register. 

Because we live outside the school’s attendance boundaries, we’ll be in the first-come-first-served list of registrants. There are limited seats in the Montessori program we want, which creates the very real possibility of a waiting list for anyone who waits very long to submit the registration materials. Thus, my extensive pre-planning to be there when registration opens. 

Fingers crossed for a successful morning!

The Milliner

2013 marks the year I design and start wearing a new hat: that of PTO Mom. The kindergarten registration packet is ready and registration day is Jan. 28 starting at 9am.

I’ve been on the other side of that desk as a teacher (since 1998) and a teacher-educator (since 2003). For all my experience and research into effective education, the prospect of being the parent of a school-aged child is all but terrifying. Perhaps it’s because I have been “under the hood” of schools. I’ve seen the good, bad, and ugly of educators’ approaches. Perhaps it’s because my own experiences as a student were a mixed bag of, yes, learning, but also frustration, boredom, and even cruelty. Knowing what damage bad teachers, principals, and other children can do, I am finding the idea of putting my bright and dynamic five-year-old into school almost appalling. Why would I subject that amazing little person to all the ugly that can happen at school? Why would I risk anything that might stifle his curiosity, energy, and interest?

The funny thing is, I’m all but certain he’s going to love the school we’ve selected. Assuming he is not wait-listed due to being out of the attendance area, he’ll enter a Montessori program at a public elementary school nearby. In my visit to that school & program, the teachers were kind and respectful of the children, the school had a calm atmosphere, every person I met was helpful, and the school’s resources are better than most places I have taught or placed student teachers.

This is the inaugural post documenting my journey to become a PTO mom. Stay tuned for the joys and challenges!