End of the school year

I had more trepidation about sending Otto to a Luxembourgish preschool than I did about moving to a foreign country. In addition to fear, I had guilt. A lot of guilt. Who moves to a foreign country and then sends their smaller-than-average three-year-old to preschool (for the first time) in a foreign language every morning of every day and in the afternoons Monday, Wednesday, and Friday? I do. 





Up until the Christmas holiday, he struggled to interact and play with other children and he struggled to smile and talk audibly. 

After a long break from school and a trip home, Otto marched right into his classroom and said moien! (hello in Luxembourgish) louder and happier than he's ever said anything. From January to July, he acted like he owned the three-block walk to school. He started calling his classmates friends. His teachers started texting me pictures and videos of him happily playing with others. We all rejoiced. 

There were still afternoons he didn't want to go back and I had to carry his little body back to his classroom and feed him chocolate as emotional compensation, but as soon we opened the door to his building, he lit right up, hung up his coat and cap, took off his shoes, put on his slippers and said, Äddi Mama (goodbye in Luxembourgish). 

I missed a few things over the course of the year due to language (like when he was going on field trips), but it got better each month and the more baked goods I brought to his classroom, the more information and kindness his teachers gave me. 

As July 15 approached (the last day of school), I felt a mix of emotions. So happy to give my little guy a break but so sad to say goodbye to Tess and Tessy and the experiences they gave Otto. 

Ben attended the end-of-the-year bilan (parent-teacher conference) with his teachers and learned that up until two months ago, both French and Luxembourgish were being spoken/taught to the children. Then, only Luxembourgish was allowed. We also learned the following about our little Otto: 

He made good friends in class -- Raphael and Elias, specifically, and they played a lot together.  
He pays attention and listens to others. 
He respects the rules and the values of life, community and the classroom society. 
He waits his turn and respects the materials in class. 
He's conscious of the consequences of his action and is obedient. 
He made good progress in Luxembourgish and understands more and more. 
He's very interested in languages. 
He's starting to express himself in Luxembourgish. 
He understands instructions in Luxembourgish. 
He repeats well little little words and phrases in Luxembourgish.
He's less timid and speaks more and louder. 
He knows all of the colors in Luxembourgish.
He can count and identify 0 to 16 in Luxembourgish.
His strengths are reason, logic, and math. 
He has endurance and loves to finish his work. 
He reads (identifies) his name among other written names.
He can write his name. 
He's very interested in reading and writing. 
He loves to free draw. 

I have so much love and gratitude for his teachers. Hands down, our experience at the Gasperich Précoce has been the highlight of our overseas experience. They have loved Otto. They have wiped his tears. They applied sunscreen. They have pulled his hair back into pony tails. They have taken him to museums, farms, theme parks, musicals, talent shows, puppet theater, on walks in the woods, and endless amount of parks. They've taught him French and Luxembourgish. They've helped him develop his cutting, coloring, gluing, and arts and crafts skills. They've taught him how to make friends. They've taught him to wear a cap when it's sunny out. They've taught him how to walk in a line while holding hands with someone else. They took ridiculous pictures of Otto and so much more. 

I have so much love and admiration for Otto. I'm so proud of him for doing something really hard and really scary, and I'm so proud of him for enduring it from September 15 to July 15. He has more confidence. He has more friends. He has more life and social skills. He has more languages. He has the preparation he needs to go to back to school on this September 15 (in Luxembourg, school is required at age 4 -- one of the main reasons we chose to enroll and send Otto to preschool at age 3 when we arrived in Luxembourg last year). 

As we said goodbye to Tess and Tessy (they aren't returning next year as Aksels' teachers because they're both expecting babies), I cried and so did they. Otto didn't cry. But four days later, he did ask where is friends were and why he wasn't going to school any more.