Return to home schooling.

So....having thought I was giving my kids a wonderful opportunity by enrolling them at the French school in Florence instead I buggered up their education.

Firstly, we were lied to from start to finish about the education my son would receive. We were promised that in September 2012 the school would have set up an IB course in English. All he had to do was drop down a year in 2011 and learn French that year. September came...No course. He had 5 or 6 hours a week, if that of lessons...I was constantly asking what was happening. By November I was up to confronting the headmaster at the inauguration of the new premises...which I did! More promises were made and the next week my son finally started his English lessons!!!! Two weeks later school finished for Christmas. On his return in January he was called to the director of studies office where he was told his course had been officially cancelled by Paris due to lack of funds.. After many fruitless meetings my son left the school. He is now two years behind his British peers and just starting his A levels online... This is cutting the whole debacle very short...

We decided not to sue because this is a French school in Italy and because our daughter was happy there and we wanted her to stay...how naive of us!!! There were many arguments with the school over what we felt we should pay for our son's aborted education. To make the point we stopped paying for our daughter. They threatened to bar her from school so we made an arrangement with them that would ensure she could stay, or so we thought. I was stopped from re-enrolling her for this September unless I paid what we owed, in full, by the end of August. This wasn't what we'd agreed so this was not going to happen. Again they had lied and the lies didn't stop there. Three days later I was told the class list had been closed by a parent...so even if we had paid in full by August there would have been no place for her anyway! It was their attempt at blackmail! In my daughter's year over 50% had left and gone elsewhere so they had reduced the year to one class from two. She was never going to be allowed to return in the September. We were not the only English speaking family to leave either. The promise of a new international school was all a lie. The only good things to come out of it were a few new, good friends for me and Antonia and that she can speak 3 languages..

So, as of now we are embarking on homeschool...It's been tough as we are starting from scratch in some areas but I'm hoping it will all work out! It will be an experience, that I do know!!!

All things French...

Since writing the last post on here Antonia has changed schools! She is now at a French school where she will study for the IB. Her brother, Alex, has also started at the school and will do his last 3 years there. It's much tougher for him than her. He already had iGCSE French when he started but learning how to order a drink is very different to studying Moliere in the original....by the time of writing this they have already completed most of the year there. Antonia is pretty much fluent in French which is a good thing as 2/3rds of the lessons are completely in French! They also have English and Italian, plus Spanish as they get older, so currently Alex is studying 4 languages!! Not sure this would even be possible in an English speaking school...

The change has been great for Antonia! Now she can speak in both English and Italian with her school friends so a lot of pressure has been taken off her everyday communications. She is fluent in Italian but the need to constantly talk in it all day was too much for her. On top of that going to a Catholic school was too much in terms of the things they were told and expected to swallow without question. We aren't Catholic so I had to sift through a lot of stuff for her. Also they were very strict but to the point that she didn't want to go into school anymore. In Prima she took 45 days off sick....now she wants to go into school.

Alex is here also because we didn't feel boarding school was a good fit for him anymore. He sat his exams at 16 then we brought him over here. He did well but not well enough for that school anyway so it was just as well we had made other arrangements. He is finding it tough but seems to have made some friends and is getting to grips with the languages! He's been pretty sick too though for various reasons (nothing serious but it all adds up) so he is missing out a lot. I'm hoping this will now be behind us for the rest of the summer term.

Anyway all good stuff I think and I will try to keep up with regular posts on here! :)

Stuff...

I honestly couldn't think of a title as I want to write about everything we've been doing that involves Antonia!!

Christmas she went into ski school in Chamonix for the first time. Up until now she has had one-to-one lessons which have given her confidence. This time she went into a group. French ski school is tougher than Italian it turns out so she struggled at little at the level she was put into. According to the French she could only pass their first badge, not the second, which was where she should've been in Italy. So we learnt from that, disappointed as we were....We also learnt that 5 mornings is not enough and she needs to do the full day. Hopefully we are going again at the end of the season and she'll do better.

We also stopped ballet for this term. She might go back after Easter, but she is really bored in gioco danza or literally play dance (pretend, if you prefer!). This is her second year and it is really simple and very repetitive. So for now, she is doing Karate!! Here in Italy this is not that unusual but unusual enough that people take a breath when I tell them! There are alot of teenage girls doing it in the class above but not so many in Antonia's age group. She is doing it with a friend so they aren't the only girls at least. Not that Antonia cares about that anyway. She likes boys just as much as girls! If this were a more ancient era she would already be betrothed to several boys in her class at school!! I find it very amusing as her brother was nothing like this at all....

I think she is looking forward to elementare. She certainly seems to be and is getting bored with nursery now. In the UK she would have been in "school" a year already, so for there she is way behind. Her English reading and writing is coming along well though, probably because of the lack of learning at Materna! Already she can very slowly read some simple reading books, it is tough but I know she is thrilled at being able to do this!

Anyway, back with more soon...:)

Just to let you know.....

I've already blogged about this on my main blog, but basically this is going to become a much more gentral blog about Antonia. I can't only do it about school or related activities. School at the moment most particularly is "played, drew, ate, played, watched a video", so until she starts elementare next September I'm just going to chat about her life in general and what makes Antonia, Antonia!

Watch this space! :D

Halloween!

And the winner is!!!

I think the photos tell this story well enough! :) Btw, she's a fairy cat witch, if you were wondering....Which I'm sure you weren't!

The glasses were her prize! Unfortunately the string for the price had been left dangling as you can see! And, yes, she is still wearing her mask under them!!

Sunday School

A new vicar started at St. James's Church in Florence this Sunday. So the Sunday school and choir sang for him!

Year 3 - Final year in Materna!

School started again on Monday. New trainers but same everything else! Started well, half-day Monday while the comune got its act together re meals. Antonia bounced in to see her special friend Oliwa - prounounced Olivia but this is the Polish spelling as that is where she is from. Big hugs all around!

She came home with a lovely song all about the school rules! It was very well done and included one about how everyone is the same even if they speak two languages. I thought that was a good way to put it! Not you aren't Italian but you speak another language as well as Italian!

Ballet started again. I thought she would be in Grado 1 this year but it seems she has another year of Gioco danza. She seems fine with it but as there is only 1 other child there from last year and all the rest are new and much younger I think she will get bored repeating everything all over again. Or is this normal with ballet?? Em?!! Suppose you do have to keep practicing over and over but I thought she was ready for grade 1... We will see.

Anyway, this morning all went awry! As I was combing Antonia's hair I touched her forehead and realised she was burning up!! She seems fine but her temperature is around 38 so no school today! Consequently, I'm updating Facebook and my blog while watching "The Sound of Music" with Antonia! I wanted her to see the singing Nuns. Seems to be enjoying it so far!

Things We Can Do Now...

Since my last post Antonia has learnt to ride her bike without training wheels. It's amazing how far a little bribery will go! She learnt and her reward was a Transformer named Bumblebee....yes, she has an older brother! Currently she is obsessed with his old Transformers, of which he has many!

Her counting and adding abilities are really good considering she has only really done stuff at home with me. School, such as it is here at this age, has just started teaching her a few common words to write, like Mamma, Babbo, Sole etc. which she really enjoys doing. My task is to get her reading in English. We are finding her remembering the patterns that go with the names of the alphabet the biggest challenge - it is coming but slowly!

She got roller blades for her birthday, although not fast she can now get up without help and is slowly moving further and faster. Next I would like her swimming but that is more of a challenge without transport here - I was going to get a seat for my bike but when I looked at it it is way too low and she is too big!! My excuse anyway.

On Saturday she had a nasty fall in the Cascine. She looks like she has been in a car accident. She fell and nearly righted herself twice before completely going onto her face! Her nose took most of the impact, luckily it isn't broken, but then I think it is almost impossible to break at this age, but she did take a chunk out of the bridge and severely scrape the rest and below her lip, as well as biting her top lip - no pictures of this one! I have taken some but mainly so I can see how she is improving! We doused her in water thoroughly and disinfectant from one of the snack stands and then got in a taxi home. There we put here in a bath with the shower running - now I am applying Streptosil to try to reduce the scarring. There was no skin to stitch and we got all the grit out, so as she was hysterical at the thought of going to the hospital we didn't. Having gone through a few of these falls with Alex I know that all the hospital does is keep you sitting around for too long and then sends you off with instructions to do exactly what we did, so I have no concerns about not going, I have to be honest! Anyway, hopefully all will be well and she will be okay!

Ski photos

Epiphany

I realise this is a little late, but how cool is this! Dancing before the traditional parade in Piazza Pitti. Antonia is the one in the bright pink, stripey, peru-type hat and the dark green coat!!

Compleanno Italiano!

Now Antonia is making good friends with the children in her class at school I am finding a side effect of this is that we are getting invited to their birthday parties. Antonia is the only totally English child in her class. Everyone else is either Italian or has one parent that is Italian. Consequently parties are, shall we say, Italian style! Culturally they follow a similar pattern to British ones - games, entertainer, food, birthday cake. Where they differ, unfortunately, are not, to me, in ways that are better or even just different. 

The  main difference is that many parties start at 4.00 p.m. In the UK this would be fine, as it would also have a finish time, normally no later than 6.00 p.m. Here some guests, quite literally, are only just turning up then!! Also it isn't that unusual for the party to be on a Sunday, with school the next day. There is no way I can let Antonia stay at a party until gone 8.00 p.m. on a Sunday and expect her to get up for school with a smile on her face the following morning!! How everyone else's children do I have no idea. Why this is acceptable, I honestly cannot fathom. Answers on a postcard. Remember these are for 5 year olds not teens!

The other difference is that here children are given their presents and then open them straight away. In the UK normally presents are opened at home when all the guests have left and then "thank you" notes are written. I prefer this. It's what I am used to but also it means stuff doesn't get lost or broken, little friends don't abscond with things ( it happens!) and if you have bought the party child the wrong thing, you don't know about it! One party we attended the little boy was given some lovely clothes by one friend, he looked at them, then just ran off, with the friend's mother calling after him for his opinion! She looked pretty gutted by his reaction!

I am really happy Antonia is being included and I am getting to know other parents this way but I am also starting to realise I can't go to all of them and when we do, I have to be firm about when we leave!

As to Antonia having one this year......30 odd kids in the garden....really not sure. I just know they would all turn up too!

Christmas Pictures.

Not all of these relate to school, but they do give you an idea of what we got up to before and during the school holiday!

Being a star, literally, in the school nativity play. This lasted 2 hours with an hour beforehand for them all to arrive and get ready! I've put the video of her bit on my Facebook page (Alyson Joy Long - I think I'm the only one!!) if you are interested.

End of term ballet recital. The hardest part for her was having to have a proper bun. As soon as she finished I had to remove all the pins holding it in place, it was hurting her that much! She was very enthusiastic though!

The AILO's Christmas Bazaar at the old stables near Porta Romana. Being an American event we ate burgers and hot dogs! They were very good though. There was also proper US crisps (chips) by Lays, which I've never had before. They were almost like Britain's Walkers, so they were good. I find most Italian crisps far too salty or highly flavoured! I tend to stick to Pringles or Kettle Chips because of this! It was a good bazaar and we came home with loads of bargains! The best was buying back a baby toy I had donated that nobody wanted, except Antonia of course who recognised it and hadn't realised I had given it away! As it had come from a fair in the first place I ended up paying more to buy it back than I paid for it in the first place! 

We went to see an Italian musical production of Pippi Longstocking, hence the pigtails! Antonia thought it was great. It was just the right length at an hour long. Also, for once, it was in the afternoon rather than the evening so we were out before tea. We went and had a Chinese as a treat. Unfortunately it was the Sunday the heavens opened and we had an enormous hail storm! We eventually got home about 8.00 p.m. having had to stay in the restaurant until it all calmed down!

Finally, Christmas Day! Antonia has been having golf lessons with a friend on and off since September. She decided she wanted a set of clubs from Father Christmas. Here she is practising with them on Christmas day!

Christmas is a coming!

One for Courtney - the Christmas play at school is looming large!!!

This year Antonia is a Star! Just how many seconds will she be on stage I wonder! We didn't make last years play as she was really sick on the day, but I got hear all about it from Courtney! This year she can have the pleasure of hearing about it from us!

We have to pay to have the costumes tailored - only in Italy! Then it is in a theatre about 30 mins or more bus ride from where we live, we also have to pay for the theatre! Last year it was about 3hours long, but we missed it, I can't wait! The summer play was 2 hours. This is only the Asilo kiddies, not the whole school! I dread to think how long the Media productions must be! Oh well, it's all in a good cause! My darling husband is managing to miss it by being in the UK, but Alex will be able to accompany us, tee, hee! I love watching my kids in their shows, but 3 hours for a nativity, please! 

I also have Antonia's end of term Ballet Recital. This is less than an hour, much more like it! If nothing else expecting little ones to last for hours is unreasonable, but never mind. Looking forward to the ballet! 

The Dinosaur Park and Golf....

!

The first picture is of Antonia's first golf lesson, but it didn't seem to fit in anywhere else so I thought here was as good as anywhere!

The dino park is in Peccioli - I hope I have spelt that right! The name is somewhere in one of the pictures. The huge dino is one the biggest full scale models in the world and took 4 years for the brothers that own the park to make! It is dedicated to their dad. Not sure what the implication of that is, but hey ho! It is a great park for young kids. Not much for any above 8 I would say, unless they are obsessed dino fans that is! It was a lovely day, as you can see and the surrounding area was pure Tuscan countryside, really beautiful. A good day out.

Broken Record!

Well, we almost got through a whole month without an absence, but it wasn't to be! So far this week Antonia hasn't been in school at all. Monday she woke up hot and tired. Her temperature was over 39c! I dosed her up and sent her back to bed. I don't have a regular doctor here - I have to go private because of all the weird and wonderful constraints the various Italian governments have put on EU immigrants trying to live in their wonderful country. They are aimed at stopping people who can't support themselves sponging off the state here, but it impinges on all of us who are trying to live here. Consequently I have to have expensive medical insurance in order to have a doctor. Or pay as I go. At the moment, because of the minefield involved in finding the right insurer etc. I pay as I go. Luckily, having had all this with my 13 year old it takes a lot for me to dash to the doctor anyway. If I'd called for an appointment in the UK they would have told me to do exactly what I did - give her fever reducing medicine and then check if that was taking the temperature down. Well it came down a little, so I dosed her back up and she slept most of the day. When she was awake I was checking her for rashes, making sure she could put her chin to her chest and touch her toes! She was the one going around turning lights on so I knew she didn't have light aversion!!

All the sleep in the day then threw out her night time, so she was waking at midnight expecting me to get drinks and food! Cool, huh! By Tuesday her temperature had gone down to about 37c, so still borderline, and then the cough started!! That night was the worse, as soon as she lay down, cough, cough, cough. But rarely heard during the day. So another bad night Tuesday! Wednesday we managed a little trip out to a new bakery and the weather was warm, but when we came back she started coughing again. That night I was making warm milk and honey at midnight and stacking up the cushions (why I didn't do this earlier, I don't know!). Finally, peace! But then I woke at 5.00 a.m. with my head full of stuff, so when I finally got back to sleep at 7.00 a.m. it meant another school day had bitten the dust!!

So, of all the things that are definitely wrong with Italy is easy access to its healthcare programme. I can just take her to the A&E and if I had thought meningitis had been a serious risk I would have done, no question. But how many out there are seriously endangering their kids by not even considering this?

Happy School Days!

Antonia finally returned to school with a smile on her face and a spring in her step! From the tears and hysteria of last year this was such a relief! She has had one cold already, but when she realised it would mean staying in bed and no school or ballet, she soon decided she was well enough to go!

This year she is being taught by one of the nuns at the convent where the school is based. Sister Virginia. She is new to the school, but not to teaching. I think she lives at the convent, but I may be wrong. Antonia likes her and that is what matters.

The most interesting thing that happened in the first few days was that she made friends with the boy she hated last year! Luckily this has petered out by the second week, as she was still complaining about him even though she was playing with him. One of her little friends goes to the same ballet class, so they have now become firm friends! I was hoping to fit in a few other activities this year, but with ballet and the fact I want to start teaching her to read English a bit more formally this year, I'm not sure I will fit it in!

One thing I am letting her do is pick her home time. She can come out after lunch or at 4.00 p.m. Most of the time she picks 4.00 p.m. but I've noticed that mid-week she picks after lunch. All that learning, walking and ballet taking its toll!

One thing she did at home this week was copy her name when I wrote it down for her! I was thrilled. They don't start this until next year I think here, but in the UK she would be starting to practice, so I was relieved when she did it. Plus she wants to write and read and pretends to when she can. She is also counting and grouping things really well in English and seems to enjoy it. I'm hopeful for the reading!!

Intervallo

Hope that's spelt correctly! See you all again in September!

The Summer Play!!

Well, we made this one! No sickness or other obstacles to stop us getting there.

The theme was the 4 seasons. Antonia was in the summer part. She wore a pretty summer frock and danced to limbo music and other latin-american tunes and pretended she was at the beach! Very cute! The older children in her season were girls dressed in swimwear who danced the macarena with boys dressed as Mexicans!! I just can't imagine it being allowed, never mind thought of, in the UK!

Other memorable moments were children dancing to Singin' in the Rain, complete with brollies, swifts and butterflies, mushrooms and snow queens!

It was all really well done but tooo long, 2 hours in all! It didn't start until 6.00 p.m. so everyone was hungry and tired by the finish. There was no interval or refreshments which would have made a difference and not enough seats for everyone. Plus the Nonna's who were seated kept standing up anyway, so we couldn't see all the time! Just for once I know it would have been better organised in the UK or more to the point the parents would have been better organised by the teachers and there would have been drinks and biscuits at least!

Birthday Girl!

Antonia finally turned 4 on the 29th of March. We had a few friends over for the afternoon. As the weather was good we were all able to stay out in the garden and let the kids run riot!

I had her cake made at a local Patisserie - I only ordered it the night before! It was really good. Sometimes cakes here look great and don't taste it. This one was as good as it looked!

Learning Italian...Fast!

Finally, Antonia is starting to attend school consistently - fingers crossed and all that!

The upshot of this is that her Italian is coming on leaps and bounds. To say she is streets ahead of me would be an understatement! Luckily, so far, I can still understand what she is saying, as, yes, she does switch from one language to the other and doesn't seem to be aware that she is doing it. Her accent also sounds spot on to me. People in shops talk to her in Italian and aren't initially aware she is English. In the TIM shop today, where they must get 100's of tourists and students who speak English and badly accented Italian (myself included!) they chatted away to her in Italian. It was only when I opened my mouth that they looked surprised! In fact the first question wasn't "Oh, you are English" but "Oh, do you speak English" in Italian, to Antonia!! It also throws people because she just happens to have an Italian name, which is pure coincidence as she was born 2 years before we thought of moving here.

The joke is always, and I do mean "always", that she is going to be "insegnante della mama". Unfortunately it probably isn't such a joke!