In a nutshell

At the risk of getting myself all worked up again over Gracie's school situation, I'll try to keep this short and to the point... if you were wondering what in the heck happened with all that.

Basically, we agreed to send Gracie to Lainey's school (mostly consisting of 4 & 5 year olds) under the assumption that she would be in Lainey's class. Considering she had been 3 for only a day, we felt that having Lainey there with her would provide some comfort and security. Also, we know and trust Lainey's team of teachers. They have helped her come so, so far. We know they can help Gracie oversome some of her shyness (and fear of boys!... which may not be such a bad thing!). Well, apparently if you don't ask, demand, and shout it from the rooftops, you have no say in what class your child goes into.

Now, I've never been one to question authority. And I try to be the parent who goes with the flow and agree with both teachers and principals on just about everything. But on this, I couldn't keep quiet. I knew, and still know, that being with Lainey would be the best transition for Gracie this year. The poor kid has already been to 3 different schools this year for various reasons. Its no wonder she's so stressed out! And so am I! Anyway, I heard through the grapevine that she wasn't necessarily placed in the class she was placed because it was the best fit for her. Teacher favoritism, the assumption that Gracie was going to be an easy-going kid to manage, and other school politics were thrown in the mix. Thats where things got sticky for me. This is MY child whose got the most to gain, or lose, and a lot of it depends on the classroom environment she's in. Do not play games with her, or me, and certainly please don't make decisions where her best interest is not the number one priority. I would never have placed her in a class that #1 is team taught where the kids switch classrooms every 3 weeks and #2 where the classes are combined for the majority of the day, making for a classroom of about 20 toddlers. An extremely shy kid who has trouble adjusting to new situations? Yeah, lets throw her in there. Makes absolutely no sense.

In my attempt at "making a change", I spoke with both the teacher and the principal. I told them my concerns, complaints, and requests. Fell on deaf ears. She's still in that class, and unless I *escalate*, which I've considered, she will be in there until the end of the year. I'm keeping a close eye on her, and so far, she does seem okay. She walks in happy, comes home happy, and seems to be adjusting the best she can. That is what I will be basing my next move on. I have already spoken with the principal about next year, finding out what I need to do if I want her to have Lainey's teacher (which I do.) I learned a hard lesson this time about not asking questions soon enough.

There are many more details involved in all this, but I think I've written enough to even bore myself! I've learned a lot through this entire process, both about myself and the school system that we trust our kids in. (Trusted... past tense). I'm sure there will be many more road bumps in the coming years, so this was good practice and warm-up for me for what may lie ahead.