Our kindergarten world seems to have come to an interminable halt - in the toilets. It is toilet, toilet and toilet from the moment we enter the school to the moment we leave the school; and still then it comes to haunt us in our private time, family hours and dreams as well.
Last night I couldn't sleep at all and Cl told me she too had been unable to sleep and we both had been thinking incessantly about the unpleasant occurences of the school, in particular the toilets.
We are both so stressed, tense and fatigued both physically and mentally that we are unable to concentrate on anything else.
I realize it is all Stf's fault. She wants more money so she has taken in more children than permitted. There are 20 children in Mk and My's group but their children are older. We have only 12 children in our group. According to general practice in German kindergartens, only one new child joins at a time so that he gets plenty of personal attention and space to get assimilated in the group. The next new child can join only after at least 1 or two weeks.
Last year had been so fine! We had only 6 children when we started the group and every new child joined after 2 weeks so there was no tension and stress either for us, for the new child or for the group as well. And they were all between two - three years age group.
This time our group is more like a cow's herd- 7-8 children from previous group and four new children who joined all together. To make matters worse most of them are on potty training without our consent so instead of getting familiar with our children, talking to them and discovering their individual character and personality and creating a loving bond with them, we are forced to think and talk and take them to toilets the whole time and quietening down the wailing new kids. Mgt is no help to us in any way, if anything she creates new problems. All our attention and time is being devoured by the toilet ritual and keeping the new kids quiet so we are unable to give any attention to the other children of the group. The whole time it is only Fr and his pee, Ksh and his pee, Mrn and her pee and "don't cry", Jr and "Don't cry", Sf and her pee and "Don't cry" and so on.
This year the parents are also different. Not at all the nice, courteous, gracious, understanding parents we had last session. We strive to communicate to them every little thing about their children's progress, write long welcome emails for them, toil to create their user group so that they could get information regarding school and our group but they don't even bother to appreciate us and say at least a "Thank you". If anything, they are always suspecting that we are not doing enough.
Next week, we have the parents evening! The same event when the new parents committee will be formed and parents will pose tough questions for the management to answer. Last year it had been particularly firy but this year I doubt it will be like that. Stf has been able to strike fear into all the parents' hearts by expelling the children of all those who dared speak against her. No parent will think of raising his head against Stf if he wants his child to be in this school. And all those parents who thought the world of me and Cl are all gone so there is nobody to speak in our favor either.
Till two weeks before I had not a cloud of doubt in my mind but now the prospect of the parents evening is striking terror in my heart. I am very apprehensive....
Last night I couldn't sleep at all and Cl told me she too had been unable to sleep and we both had been thinking incessantly about the unpleasant occurences of the school, in particular the toilets.
We are both so stressed, tense and fatigued both physically and mentally that we are unable to concentrate on anything else.
I realize it is all Stf's fault. She wants more money so she has taken in more children than permitted. There are 20 children in Mk and My's group but their children are older. We have only 12 children in our group. According to general practice in German kindergartens, only one new child joins at a time so that he gets plenty of personal attention and space to get assimilated in the group. The next new child can join only after at least 1 or two weeks.
Last year had been so fine! We had only 6 children when we started the group and every new child joined after 2 weeks so there was no tension and stress either for us, for the new child or for the group as well. And they were all between two - three years age group.
This time our group is more like a cow's herd- 7-8 children from previous group and four new children who joined all together. To make matters worse most of them are on potty training without our consent so instead of getting familiar with our children, talking to them and discovering their individual character and personality and creating a loving bond with them, we are forced to think and talk and take them to toilets the whole time and quietening down the wailing new kids. Mgt is no help to us in any way, if anything she creates new problems. All our attention and time is being devoured by the toilet ritual and keeping the new kids quiet so we are unable to give any attention to the other children of the group. The whole time it is only Fr and his pee, Ksh and his pee, Mrn and her pee and "don't cry", Jr and "Don't cry", Sf and her pee and "Don't cry" and so on.
This year the parents are also different. Not at all the nice, courteous, gracious, understanding parents we had last session. We strive to communicate to them every little thing about their children's progress, write long welcome emails for them, toil to create their user group so that they could get information regarding school and our group but they don't even bother to appreciate us and say at least a "Thank you". If anything, they are always suspecting that we are not doing enough.
Next week, we have the parents evening! The same event when the new parents committee will be formed and parents will pose tough questions for the management to answer. Last year it had been particularly firy but this year I doubt it will be like that. Stf has been able to strike fear into all the parents' hearts by expelling the children of all those who dared speak against her. No parent will think of raising his head against Stf if he wants his child to be in this school. And all those parents who thought the world of me and Cl are all gone so there is nobody to speak in our favor either.
Till two weeks before I had not a cloud of doubt in my mind but now the prospect of the parents evening is striking terror in my heart. I am very apprehensive....
No comments:
Post a Comment