Looking for a school

NZ is in school while we are on summer break (and they are on summer break while we are in school).

So, I am looking for a school for Jee & Aee to go to for a few weeks so I can work a bit while we are in NZ.

Finding a good school when you have a whole country to choose from helps you outline what educational atmosphere you want.

The top three things I treasure in my kid's school experience:

1. Diversity on all levels (financial, physical, intellectual, etc)

2. Acceptance verbiage rather than rejection verbiage. The school's website, usually approved by the principal is a fairly good indication of how the school is run. Ex: "We accept and appreciate..." rather than "We have a no tolerance policy towards..." While I believe strict rules are vital, schools who focus on the positive usually engender the positive, so...

3. Strong academics since my geeky little kids like studying. They get it from both sides of the family. I have such fond memories of sitting at the dinner table doing workbook pages because I liked to do schoolwork. There's something wonderful about a fresh sheet of problems and a pencil that you need to sharpen again and again. Thrill!

Why are diversity and acceptance are first on my list? As a trained teacher, you would think I would have something more concrete on my list. Instead I have the warm-fuzzies of peace, love and happiness.

Here's why... When you have kids you want them to be friends, right? You want sibling rivalry to be at a minimum, right?

Because, after all, what parent actually enjoys hearing: "She looked at me funny!" and "He touched the leaf that I was thinking of picking up!"

When the teacher at school is spending six to eight hours a day working on kindness, enlarging their hearts and minds, training them to naturally assume good intent, it makes my job easier. Haven't I heard too many times from my kids and others, "But he did it on purpose!" countered by, "It was an accident!" Let's rewrite that script.

It seems that the neural pathways need to be trained to assume good intent, at least during the playground years. I haven't heard too many kids on the playground, when bonked by an errant basketball say, "It's ok, I know you didn't mean to toss it over here." Instead you hear, "Hey!..." followed by words I would rather not record.

Anyway, my criteria is based on recognizing that I don't have enough energy or power to teach my kids this particular lesson sufficiently. I need the bolstering of a wide support network to get this message across. When supported by a wide net, my kids know that it is a societal norm, not just something their mom wants them to do.

So far, I have found nearly every NZ school has a message like the Kawakawa school has (note that the language is Maori, a lot like Hawaiin):

Motto: "Kai U Ki Te Pai:" Uphold that which is good

Aroha: Love

Awhina: Help

Atawhai: Care

Manaaki: To help, love and care for one another.

Now, doesn't that sound like something you want in your house at 6:15 every night while you're making dinner?

Bliss.

How to enrol in NZ schools

Tonight I sent out 20+ queries to state schools (one type of public school) up and down NZ. I got the first reply back. Woot! The schools must be sanctioned through the gov't. There's a tuition we pay per week but it's quite reasonable. I would prefer a school w/o uniforms. There are several types of public schools in NZ / AU, but the state schools are 85% of the enrolments. "Enrol" has only one "l" in their spelling and it drives me nuts. I want to scratch a second "l" onto the computer screen... my finger is itching... scratch just one more "l"...

But I will resist and wait for replies from the other 20-something schools.

I picked schools I liked in random locations that seem like fun villages to stay in for a few weeks.

I have no idea what I'm getting myself (and the kids) into.

Are we there yet?

To answer many questions at once:

Q - Why haven't you left yet?

A - Because my husband has been out of town the last two weeks. It was unexpected and unwelcome, but it all worked out for the best.

Q - Are you still going?

A - Yes! I loaded "The Hobbit" onto my son's iPod and we'll be listening to it as we travel up and down the wintery NZ coast. Could anything be more delicious? We love audiobooks and this one has particularly good voice talent.

Q - What day are you leaving?

A - Tomorrow, next week, I don't know. I like doing the last minute tickets on various sites. I have Scottish blood in me veins and I enjoy getting a really good price on the tix. The bags are mostly packed and the next day tix are often the best deals.

Q - Who are you taking?

A - Just the wee ones. The big ones will stay home to work and enjoy their summer. I consider myself quite lucky to have this flexibility.

Q - So, this is just a vacation?

A - (Visible bristling) Actually, it is a working vacation.

Q - Define "work"?

A - It depends. I'm working on parenting healthy kids who know that the world is theirs to navigate. I'm working on writing a few kids books with strong female leads - the Maori culture in NZ infused some ticklishly fun names of streets and locations. I think just being there will be enough inspiration to finally get me to explore this genre (children's fiction) better. I am also working on official company business, but that will only be a minor part of it.

I am not a patient type and the last few weeks have been excruiatingly long. Sigh. It will make it all the more enjoyable.

Sweetness

Over the last three days I have worked so hard... Friday was a 16 hr non-stop workday. I got a few hours at the beginning and at the end to do other work, but wow, 16 hrs is brutal. My husband can do it (and more), but I am not accustomed to it.

So, when today, Sunday, rolled around I did something completely uncharacteristic.

I relaxed.

Like I'm supposed to on Sundays.

It felt *great*! I got sweet relaxing time with my kids and kitties and it was guilt-free! I was not supposed to be doing anything else! (like cleaning, working, or managing)

The kids really noticed it. Big Vee kept saying, "Mom, what's wrong? Are you OK?" I reassured him that I was perfectly fine, better than fine. I was tired and ready to take full advantage of the awesomeness that is Sunday.

I hope you had a great one too. =)

5 beauties in the day

1. Flowers that smell so sweet you can smell them for a full 10 paces as you walk past.

2. Children who play together cooperatively, making up funny little games.

3. Orange lentils.

4. Fresh pears that drip, but you have enough time to eat them slowly so you catch every single little drop.

5. Friends who put their arms around you easily and often.

Timing

I'm starting to feel unloved.

A few too many, "Haven't you left yet?" and "When are you leaving?"

Sorry, but you are going to have to put up with me for a few more weeks.

I have a few work obligations to wrap up first.

I need to get good hiking boots for Jee and Aee.

I need to get Jee a few more warm sweaters.

Other than those three things, we're ready to go.

I've been known to pack for long trips in under an hour, so let's hope this one will go as smoothly.

We are so enraptured by the thought of flying off into the blue yonder. When Jee talks about the penguins and the landscape I can see his heart thrilling to the adventure.

We read the Tolkien Bestiary tonight. Well, we didn't read it; we looked at all the pictures.

Jee is starting to see that there is a fine line between imagination and reality. He asked questions like, "Did Tolkien just imagine those things or did he dream them?" To which I answered, "Is there a difference? Don't those ideas come from the same source?" He seemed to have some lingering notion that dreams are shared experiences, influenced by others more than our imaginings. Hum. He said he wants to pay attention to his dreams because they will "help me weave stories better."

Let's hope New Zealand sparks some wonderful things in this budding eight-year old writer.

To ground this in reality: Today, when Jee was having his writing time, he "ran out of ideas to write on the paper", so he started writing on his cheek. For the entire day, as we went around town on errands, he had a chunk of text on his cheek. People were trying to read it.

To one guy I almost said (but didn't), "Please stop reading my son."

I had Jee take a good, long shower tonight. The words are now a marbleized brown and blue swirl on his cheek. It appears that his cheek is bruised horribly.

Doh.

No, I haven't left yet.

Decided.

Three words to sum up that last three months:

Massive decision overload.

So, it is with gratitude and solemnity that I announce one decision. Just one. That's enough for now.

For the summer, me and the two little ones will be traveling the coast of New Zealand in this funmobile.

The route is mostly along the coastline, but that's sortof how NZ is shaped anyway.

We will be stopping by the WWOF farms helping care for creatures like this.

We hope to see at least one good storm. (That one is a must-see.)

The purpose?

1. Jee has been learning about penguins this year in his super-awesome-teacher's class. His teacher did such an amazing job of exploring penguins that Jee says, "I want to see them in their natural habitat. I must. Please, can we go now?"

2. The two little 'uns need to learn to rely on each other and there's nothing like a good, long camping trip to figure these sorts of things out.

3. It costs more to stay in the bay area. Traveling around NZ is actually a cost-cutting alternative, yet it carries a huge educational benefit.

4. I need some Eat, Pray, Love time. It'll be more like Write, Snuggle, Think time, but whatever.

My favorite upcoming moment will be all three of us sitting in the back of the RV knitting with some truly awesome New Zealand yarns while listening to the pitter patter of that awesome NZ rain.