Gabby Goes to Central

Gabby has always attended private schools since she started going to formal schooling when she was 2 ½ years old. I have always chosen schools close to where we lived. The first one was a new preschool (I forgot the name) where Gabby learned a lot of art stuff and nursery rhymes. She only stayed there for a month a half since it was only for the summer.

The next one is a popular preschool near the municipal hall. I chose this was one because the teachers, two sisters from a wealthy family here in San Pedro, Laguna, spoke English without the usual Filipino accent. Plus, they got a nice multimedia curriculum. They aimed to make their students independent by not allowing guardians to accompany the students inside the classroom. Gabby used to cry come dismissal time because the teacher would not allow her to go home if she didn’t finish her school work. That got her disciplined a little.

We moved houses the next year so Gabby transferred to Mother Succor School in South Fairway. This was only three blocks from our house so Gabby was able to walk to and from school without a chaperon. This school, owned and operated by my high school journalism adviser, gave Gabby a chance to enjoy extracurricular activities. She won her first class declamation contest and competed in the school level. She had her first Cub Scout camping in the school grounds. She also took part in her school’s theatrical production as a thundercat. Academic wise, she started reading a little.

But Gabby learned to read fast in Divine Marie School. She transferred here after a year in Mother Succor because we moved to Camella Homes South. Located in Camella Homes Milan, this school is owned and operated by Teacher Sol out of the first floor of her home. There’s always less than 10 students and the teacher is able to focus on the kids. Children from three different levels all learned in one class so Gabby learned to interact with kids her age and those younger than her. She reveled in excelling in the class and this boosted her self esteem a lot. She also skipped a level, preparatory, because she passed the Grade 1 readiness test at 6.

This year, however, Gabby is starting on a new school and a public one at that. She will be attending San Pedro Central Elementary School as a Grade 2 student. At first, I wanted her to attend either Amazing Grace School or Liceo de San Pedro but financial difficulties made me decide to enroll her in a public school. Most of my relatives are against it but I did assure them that it would only be for a year.

So what are my reasons for enrolling Gabby in a public school? Here are they:

1. It would be a good way to save some money and pay off debts.
2. It will allow me to gauge Gabby’s adaptive and coping skills since it will be her first time to attend a public school and larger class size.
3. I believe Gabby will learn a lot in terms of experience since she will be staying in school for 9 hours, with 2 hour break.

.

I wish Gabby will do good in this school. Or else I might be tempted to transfer her in a private school in the middle of a school year.