First Day of School- Josie Part 2

While Josie was at school Marty, Benjamin and I checked out our local, public, elementary school.  It is about 350 meters away from our house so even closer to us than JFK.  We wanted to find out more information as we are now debating on just sending him here if he doesn't get into JFK.  It isn't even about the money.  Marty and I have both been very pro public schools and somehow BBIS seems so much like a "private school" that we aren't overly comfortable with that choice either. We were curious about what they would do with a student who knows virtually no German.
The kids have called this school "Hogwarts" since we arrived in Germany and say it looks like what they imagine the school to look like in the Harry Potter books.   When we enter we are mesmerized by the historic building and the amazing job they did on preserving it.  It was bright and cheery on the inside and so very well maintained.   (OK, just Marty and I were mesmerized by the historical building, Benjamin was more fascinated by the piles of dirt that the custodian must have swept in piles to come back and clean up later)

We walk around a lot of the school because we can't find the secretary's office.  We smell lunch and it smells really good- even Benjamin says "what is that good smell."  Apparently the school is in summer school session right now for just a handful of kids but even still a full, home/school cooked meal.  Pretty impressive.

I notice that there are class photos on the front of each closed classroom door.  I count the students in the photos.  Not one has over 18 students.  Most only had 15 students.  There is something so much cozier about 15 students and one teacher.  Even if you know nothing about how much class size impacts your experience and your education (A TON!!), you can tell that 15 to one is a much more reasonable ratio.
We finally find someone, a very nice woman who is running the summer school program.  She is uncharacteristically nice.  She leads us to the secretary's office and asks if we have an appointment.  Of course we don't.  And we think we will be scolded for this but that wasn't the case at all.
The secretary walks out with a very warm smile.  Again, very uncharacteristically kind.  Marty speaks to her in German.  I pick up quite a bit of the conversation but clarify with him afterward to make sure I heard it all correctly.
She says that because of the number of immigrants and especially refugees that are coming to Germany the school always has a couple of classes for students with no or very limited German.  Benjamin would start in one of these classes but would join his regular class for Sports (P.E.) Music, Math and recess and lunch.  She said that with kids this age they learn the language so quickly that it wouldn't be long before we has in the mainstream classroom all day.
She gives us a few more pieces of information about registering, tells us that school begins on Monday, September 4th and wishes us luck with JFK but tells us that they would be excited to have him if it came to that.
Wow!!  What a different feeling from this experience compared to the one at JFK.  I get it.  JFK is in incredibly high demand.  Everyone wants to go there and with that demand must come a sense of no one student is all that important as their is a LONG list of children who would readily take their place.
Then, I have to confront my prejudices and stereotypes and am completely embarrassed to admit that my first reaction to thinking of Benjamin in a class of refugees is a very racist and privileged one.  I first think: 1) oh, I wonder if the refugees will be a tough bunch? If they will be mean to Benjamin or hurt him.  2) I wonder if they will be less educated, less able to learn and bring him down, educationally 3) I am curious what type of emotional baggage they will be bringing and how that will affect him.  And then I realize how awful and how wrong all of those things are to think.  I was an ELL - English Language Learners teacher for many years myself for crying out loud! (formerly called ESL - English as a Second Language, which was changed after ethnocentric Americans realized that most of these students were not learning English as their second language but as their third or fourth or sometimes fifth!)  Anyway, how could I be so awful to think these things?  The very first things that came to my head were negative about a population I know nothing about!  I'm ashamed of myself, honestly.
Anyway, we leave the school with a lot to think about.  Benjamin now says that this local, public school is his second choice behind JFK.  I think it is ours, too.  I worry about him not knowing the language and how starting a new school is scary enough let alone surrounded by a world of people who don't speak what you speak. I worry about him making friends without the language to communicate.  But I do believe that if he wears a Minecraft t-shirt or something similar, hopefully that is universal and he could bond with some friends without the language.  I believe most of the teachers would know enough English if it were an emergency situation. As any mom, I want to make it easier for my kids not harder.  I don't want to see him suffer.  Hoping, in the end, he doesn't.

I have always said that JFK would be our softest landing educationally and emotionally.  And it would be but maybe this would be for the best?  Without a doubt he would learn German quicker and better than any of us.  So.. we shall see.  We plan to go to the office at JFK on Tuesday to check in on his status and see if there were any no shows from the first day.  After the local school visit we decide that a bike ride to buy Benjamin some ice cream is in order.

I thought I would really live it up with just Benjamin home for his final days of summer but honestly the ambiguity of his schooling has brought me down and robbed me of energy.  I hate the not knowing.  I would like a plan, a firm one.  I feel like I could embrace any of our options but since we are still in limbo with JFK I feel like I'm flailing in the wind while waiting.  I wish I were better at this!

Josie, had a GREAT day on her first day.  I don't think I have ever missed her more than I missed her for those 7 hours!  I could not wait for her to come home and tell us all about it.  My heart is honestly bursting with pride for this girl!   She rode her bike home all by herself just fine and was quite proud about it.  She came bounding in with a tired, satisfied smile on her face.  She was excited about the jelly doughnut that Marty and Benjamin had bought her.  They are called "berliners" and because she is attending JFK Marty found it fitting to get her this since JFK said "Ich bin ein Berliner" back in the 60's when he was wanting to say I am a Berliner, he was actually saying "I am a jelly doughnut"

Anyway, the reason didn't matter to her, she was excited to have some sugar.
She met a new friend, also named Josephine, who is American but has lived in Berlin nearly her entire life.  She has attended JFK since Kindergarten and showed our Josie around the entire day.  What a find!!  I asked Josie who she ate lunch with - "oh, Josephine" I asked Josie who she hung out with at recess "Oh, Josephine" I asked Josie who she walked out of school with at the end of the day "Josephine" I have no idea who this Josephine is but I am BEYOND grateful that she took my Josie under her wing yesterday.  I'm so thankful for nice kids!!
Josie said that at recess they could play anywhere - front or back of school.  And "there were no adults anywhere.  No recess monitors, no teachers.  Kids just behaved themselves"
She was so excited to buy hot lunch as their options and quality seem much superior to ours.  She unfortunately misread the sign and got pasta with bolognese and since she is a vegetarian she didn't eat much.
She likes her teachers, she likes the school and she has made a friend.  I really can't ask for anything more.  And she was excited about going to school on day #2.  Which in my opinion is actually more important than day #1.
Here is her schedule.  MT is Mother Tongue (English) PT is Partner Tongue (German) HR is Homeroom. Math Diff is for students who perform higher than the average in math.