Observations from the first weeks of school

Cora and Silas started a new school this term. After visiting so many schools in December, Braeburn was the school I preferred for them from the start, but there were not places for both kids last year (hence our two terms at Early Learning Montessori). But now we've begun our Braeburn adventure!

First day excitement

Even after less than two weeks at the new school I can see that they are thriving with all the opportunities and the positive energy of the place. Braeburn is a British school, which means that it uses the curriculum and methods of the National Curriculum of Britian and Wales. The classes go from preschool all the way through high school. Most of the teachers and admin are from the UK, and most of the support staff (including assistant teachers) are from Kenya. It is funny attending a British school -- as of this week, Silas is obsessed with cricket! And Cora's reading books are so British, the kids are named "Wilf" (is that short for Wilfred?) and Kipper and such. But the place has the warmth and joyfulness of Kenya, and a very international student body. It is absolutely a great mix.

First day family

At Braeburn, the facilities are incredible. The buildings are old, in colonial style, and they take advantage of the climate with lots of indoor/outdoor flow. There is an entire building for Music and Art, the best library I saw at any school, and multiple sports facilities. There are two pools and every class has a weekly swimming lesson. The kids get two recess periods per day, and two sessions of PE per week. Every day they have Maths and English lessons, and multiple times per week they have a mix of Science, Music, Art, "Design Technology" (this is so cool - why don't we have this? It is basically an age-appropriate engineering class), Library, and room for extra activities as they choose. Cora and Silas both joined Tae Kwon Do together and yesterday they learned the "double kick", which they practiced all evening in the kitchen while I made dinner. 

Silas is in the "Foundation Stage" area of the school, which is basically the  preschool/kindergarten. They have a huge, 4-room classroom that is open for them to explore with many teachers' assistants. Plus they have the coolest playground -- a roadway for their collection of tricycles and glider bikes, a petting zoo, a pirate ship, swings and climbing structures, a huge sandpit, and a "mud kitchen". His main teacher is Mrs. Bailey, but it seems like he has about 10 teachers between the other FS teachers and all the assistants.

Cora prefers Silas's playground in the mornings, and no wonder

Cora is in Year 1, which is "more serious," as she put it. Mr. Newman is her main teacher, who seems awkward to me but she says is funny and loves kids. This is his first year with his own class; he was an assistant teacher last year in the same Year. Her classroom is set up with tables for 4 kids to do their written and reading work, but they still spend a lot of time on the carpet as a group doing interactive work. They have been learning about the human body and evolution, which Cora brings up in conversations and questions at home. Last night before bed, we were discussing how humans "used to be chimpanzees," and how humans didn't exist when the dinosaurs were alive. 

Cora's self-decorated backpack peg

The kids really love their school uniforms (really!), and they take a lot of pride in the Braeburn "symbol," as they call it, which they love to point out when we see it on buses or uniforms or buildings. I was ambivalent about the uniforms (and Nate still has not come around) but now that they have simplified our morning routine I also love them.

Swinging with new friends on the first day

At the end of the school day, they are happy to see me but increasingly don't want to leave the school. The last two days we have sat on the sports field benches to watch the older kids practice cricket and track and field. Silas is really keen to play a team sport like soccer or cricket, but he is too young for the teams now. Yesterday, they were both so excited about their new library books that we had to sit down and read them before we left school. At the end of each day Silas is usually filthy from all the fun he's had in the sandbox and with paints and who knows what in the classroom. Both kids have stories to tell about their new friends in their classes. They both seem so happy.