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August 20, 2012

2. Klasse

Ashu started 2nd Grade today. On any day, I would be crying and getting senti over it. But this is a big change in so many levels.  We switched her from the international school (IS) she has been going to for the past 4 1/2 years to the local school (LS). Even though IS was a 15 km/20 minutes drive and now LS is a mere 250 metres/5 mins walk from home, the huge change which was giving me sleepless nights (just a figure of speech. I slept like a log!) was the language. From a complete English environment with a bit of German lessons twice a week, she would be going to a completely German school. And last month when we went to meet the class teacher, he had a translator present for our benefit!! With self doubt every step of the way, I was worried Ashu will catch on to it. But bless her little soul, she was quite brave about the whole change. Today I walked her to school with the intent of going upto her class and have a few words with her teacher but when we went there was not one parent in sight! (All kids are supposed to walk to school on their own!) What a sharp contrast to the IS where truck loads of parents can be found outside school at any given time of the day! A little girl from Ashus class figured out shes the new girl and asked me if she can take her inside and Ashu was ok too. So I just left her there and walked back home. *sob sob* 

And you know what? Shes going to come home for lunch at noon! Thats what all the kids do. Or go to the Hort where they can have supervised lunch bought from the cafeteria. They cant take packed lunch. And she has a one hour and 50 mins lunch break! Have you fainted yet? If not, another bit of a shocker. She has only 3 full days in a week. Wednesday is a half day for everyone anyway. And her class is off on Friday afternoons too. So she will be home at 11.50! There goes my full day plans! I left the house at 11.45 today to pick up Ashu for lunch and she met me half way! She came running and hugged me and had a huge grin on her face! Phew. And then she dropped a bomb that broke my heart to million little pieces! She said, "Dont come to school anymore, Amma. I can walk on my own!"

19 comments:

yaadayaada said...

Kilikku rekai mulachuduthu!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Boo,

you dropped your daughter at 2nd grade and I did mine at the college dorm.let's both cry together!!

brighter side, kids handle emotions much much better than us...

Sujatha R

Vidya said...

Petha manam pitthu pilla manam kallu!

ashok said...

loved yaadayaada's comment :)

Me said...

Best wishes to Ashu.

"Dont come to school anymore, Amma. I can walk on my own!"

...saaku pai effect continues....:)

Anonymous said...

Woow...my lil one starts Kinder next week and I am more nervous than her. From a secure Pre-K Env she goes to the big Public School. Sob Sob...hope she settles well...

Good job Ashu for being so brave and mature...best wishes..

Bhavani

Anonymous said...

Boo, the unaskable question, 'so you guys plan to be in west Europe for most of Ashu's life?' ... Pure german medium of education is a dare move for an international parent! Now you have to choose to speak in English, read English books, in addition to speak in Tamil, keep up with tamil readings ... I am just sitting and imagining all of this - may be you have solid plans and have thought through it all ... Finally though doesnt it feel a bit scary as a parent that your child thinks in a different language ? ... Aah too many unaskable questions ...

utbtkids said...

Awww.....all the best to Ashu. No, no, she seems to be doing well. All the best to you.

What is the deal with half days any ways? Must be banned IMO. As a teacher I have seen it cause so much excitement, hardly any work gets done at school. As a parent one can do nothing.....may be shower before the child is back at 11.50.

Anonymous said...

I thought public schools in US were the best in giving time offs and vacations, but looks like we have another winner. I wonder why they torture parents like this. :)

Good luck to Ashu!

Paavai said...

Do German universities have English as a medium of instruction - this is for my personal interest and I am as curious as Kookaburra regarding the choice of a school that teacher only in German

B o o said...

YY - adhaan naan tag laye adha sollitene! nee ennamo sondha dialogue maari repeat panra?!!! :)

Sujatha - Hugs.

Vidya - adhu ennamo vaasthavam dhaan!

Ashok - Like I said, read my tags!! :)

Me - ayyayo Me! Your memory scares me!

Bhavani - Kids always settle down easier. Its us moms who take some time! :)



B o o said...

Kookaburra - We dont know yet. But right now after 5 years in this country getting local as much as possible seems the right answer. The rest - we will cross the bridge when we come to it. :) That said, it has not been an easy decision. but it had to be done for various reasons.

Utbt - ha ha! forget shower. one has to make lunch for the child, na?!!!

Anon - to make life easier for kids, I guess! We got the raw end both while studying in school and now as a parent too! not fair!!!

Paavai - Not in undergrad but in PG, as far as I know. Right now, lower school is all we have planned for. When the time comes for middle school, we have to reevaluate again! *sighs*

ashok said...

Boo...however childish this may look, Pls accept your Liebster award here :)
http://ashokism.blogspot.in/2012/08/liebster-award.html

Anonymous said...

Brave decision to switch to an all-German school. We shared our dinner table with a German family on our cruise for a whole week and while the 17 year old could speak somewhat decent English, the 7th graders in their family couldn't. Not that there's anything wrong with it, just my observation. But I guess in your family's case, you will have bi-lingual (English, Tamil) conversations at home.

Just curious, did you see a disadvantage in continuing to send Ashu to the IS?

- Uma

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