Still hunting schools

This is from the week before we left for Turkey:
We got called by both schools we are looking for the kids. Tuesday before we left, we had an appointment with the regular private school. They said F will meet the teachers and will spend an half hour in the class with the other kids. It sounded very nice and F was very excited. We arrived almost on time. The admission second person met us at the door. She was super friendly as before and she knew all about our first visit. Quite impressive.

She took us to the school psychologist and she started testing F. I mean really testing. She did quite fine if you ask me. I translated basically the questions and she answered them. There were questions like 'which ones are like each other. On the paper there is are four pictures: a house, a plane, a tree and a bird.' The answer is plane and bird because both can fly. She had to show that she can make a necklace with beads. When the lady asked her to do it fast to time her she simply looked up and said 'why?'. She didn't have to do it.

After a while the test ended and we were brought to a class. The kids were just going outside to play. F stayed in the class with the teacher, a nice young lady. She looked around and painted a while. Thereafter, we went outside to the playground. F and A went playing right away. They did their own stuff, there was not a chance to do things with other kids. Three girls were quite interested in F and when she went swinging, they went swinging too. F can swing herself, the other kids cannot. I had the feeling they were younger than F.

I talked to the teacher for a while. The teacher said that her group would be 3-4 year old's. I asked about the curriculum. She explained that they follow some special program based on studying different countries. I had heard about that before. It is supposed to be very good and special.

The class went inside to have fruit and F didn't want to stay anymore. I also understood that they had more visitors that day. We left. In the car, I asked F if she liked this school. She said 'I didn't like it. I only liked one of the girls by the swings, she has a very cute face'. I couldn't get more out of her, but she was quite resolute, she didn't like the school.

Next day, exactly at 2:40 pm, we had the next appointment with the Montessori school. I had called the day before to ask if F may join a class for a very short time. I wanted her to have an experience as by the other school to be able to compare both. The answer was no, it was too soon. I was a little bit disappointed.

We arrived nice on time. This time the setting was a little different. F left with a teacher while I went to the class for 2-3 years with A. school was already out. While A was trying the material they had in the class, I had the chance to talk to the teacher. She has 2 boys, around 12 and 14. One goes to this Montessori school, the other one not. He started the Montessori but it didn't work out for him. She explained me that with the setting of that day, the teachers were observing how A and F are reacting to the Montessori setting.- I thought A was doing fine. She was enthusiastically trying all the special toys. I could now understand why we were there.

20 minutes later, F came back with the other teacher and she was... her eyes were shining, she looked so happy. It was difficult to get the kids leave with me. I asked F şf she liked this school. She had no doubt, she liked it. 'everything was real' she said, 'all the dishes, real carrots and apples...'.

I promised myself to call the school next morning to say how happy F was. The head of the school was just before me. F and A reacted good to the material, they were really polite and nice. The teachers were positive about them. I told how F was happy.

Now, please don't think that we have a school. The headmaster still didn't know if they have a spot for the girls. We will contact her after our vacation, we will meet and discuss again, and afterwards, maybe the girls will have a school. Obviously, it is more difficult to get your kids to a school in the states than get a job; well I suppose, I didn't actually apply for a job here!!