Thoughts on school

Recently I was reading an email thread from some friends in California about schools. They were discussing budget cuts to music and art, increased class size, fund raising, etc. As I read through these emails it suddenly dawned on me that in the not too distant future, I would be dealing with all of these issues. That's where the sadness came in.

I love the school here in Switzerland. I feel like my kids are getting the kind of education that I had when I was young. They go to the gym once a week to play games, but also to learn how to balance on a beam, climb a rope, use the rings, etc. They have music every week and the kindergartners even go to a dance/music class once a week. They have art once a week where they paint, draw, color and even sew. When's the last time your child came home from school with something like this:

What exactly is it? I'm not sure, but it makes a great holiday decoration. The best part is that Alex made everything on it. If you look closely you'll see that he:

Sewed this snowman, complete with buttons

Cut shapes out of wood, glued pieces together and then strung them together with wire

For crying out loud, there's even a real dried orange on here that he said they sliced up in class

Among other things, at school the kids have:
*made vegetable soup
*made bread
*gone sledding and ice skating
*gone hiking and had a picnic in the woods
*had swimming once a week at the town pool adjacent to the school
*put on a musical play complete with costumes and props that they made and painted themselves

As if all of that isn't enough, I love it that here they let kids be kids. The curriculum is structured so that until mid-2nd grade the kids aren't overloaded with homework. At recess the kids go outside and run around no matter what the weather, snow included. Here it's OK for teachers to hug their students or reprimand them without fearing a lawsuit. They do old-fashioned things like cursive and penmanship tests and Alex and Ruby have had to memorize many poems and songs. There is no such thing as the PTA or fundraisers.

Is it perfect? Of course not. I hate it that I can't take them out of school when I want. Later on down the road the kids are tracked into programs. At the young age of 12, some kids head down the college road while others take the garbage collector route. Insane? Definitely.

But for our family, at this point, it has been lovely. Alex and Ruby walk to and from school together and have become friends with all of the crossing guards. They have friends and get along great with their teachers. I've even grown accustomed to the kids coming home for lunch and I think I will miss it in the States (as will Alex and Ruby once they realize they have to eat sandwiches everyday for lunch). Hopefully I will appreciate the time we have left and gear up for all of the jog-a-thons and bake sales I have been missing. Oh, and is it too early to start collecting Box Tops?