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Choosing a good elementary school is rolling the dice. You honestly just don’t know what you’re going to get. You hope to get a Lucky 7 but you might end up with snake eyes.
After some careful deliberation and going back and forth, we ended up choosing an Arts school for Bear. Our other choices were a Quaker elementary school and a STEM school.
So, you’re probably wondering why we made that choice considering that was the same school I had an issue with previously? Well, it wasn’t an easy breezy decision at all. In fact, the Arts school was actually third on the list.
We originally wanted Bear to attend the Quaker school but after going through the finances aspect of it, it was just a bit out of our reach. Affording half of the tuition wasn’t the problem, but affording the other half was going to put us in the ‘How badly do we need to eat dinner tonight?’
The STEM school was the second choice because of its California Distinguished School certification and plus, they’re all things math and science. We felt that would’ve been a great fit for Bear.
But then a funny thing happened – Bear is into all things arts – music, painting, dancing, and just a bit of acting.
He loves to explore his creative side, and as a result, we love to explore it with him. We keep pictures of his artwork all over the home and we constantly do painting and creative sessions at home.
We also introduce Bear to some great music. Maks introduced Bear to Ukrainian rock music while I play a lot of old R&B such as The O’Jays, Temptations, and Four Tops at home. And of course, Bear’s namesake – Michael Jackson.
Bear constantly sings and dances at home and also at school. Even when he’s with his friends, they do dance parties. At first, I wondered if us choosing an arts school was the right fit just because it’s a public school and the class sizes are significantly bigger than what Bear is used to.
However, we think it’ll be the best fit since the school is arts-centered and that’s something Bear is rather passionate about. I think having two parents who are also creatives, brought out the creative side within Bear.
It’s still a concern about the class sizes, though. I decided to incorporate some homeschooling lessons to ensure Bear is getting the right amount of education in addition to what he’s being taught. If you follow me on IG, I occasionally post lesson plans I do with Bear.
We learn his letters and numbers (writing), spelling his name, and I’m teaching him Spanish in addition to Ukrainian. We also do a lot of outside activities and take advantage we have a backyard to do them in.
I’m still uneasy at the thought Bear won’t get too much attention in kindergarten with a class of 25+ other students, but I can also be assured with the lessons we currently have will soothe his transition.
So, yeah, there you have it. Bear’s going to an Arts school. We’ll see if it’s a success or if we’ll be choosing another one. I have a feeling, however, it’ll be the right fit for Bear.
