The Sink and the School

Two days ago, our kitchen sink stopped draining. If we turned on the garbage disposer, the water from one sink would erupt from the other in a spectacular geyser of gunk. We realized we had to call a plumber, so we did, and while he was here, we asked him to look at the upstairs toilet that wasn’t filling properly.

He finished everything in about 20 minutes. He had to plunge the sink and replace 1 part on the toilet.

And we paid him the $150.

I should have been a plumber.

It was the second time today that I felt like I had missed my calling.

The first was when we went to visit the Montessori school down the street where we hoped to enroll Eamon this Fall, which you may remember from this blog entry. The Montessori process is this: first, you express interest. Then, you go and observe to be sure that it would be a good fit for YOU. Then, they meet with you and your child to make sure you would be a good fit for THEM.

Unbeknownst to us, we did this out of order. Eamon has already had his interview, and it consisted of him chasing bubbles and looking darling at the Montessori Spring Fair. Apparently, the Head of School was watching him much of the time and has already decided that he is a sweetheart. She is not wrong, in my completely biased opinion.

So when we observed today, it was really more to make sure that we were really sure that we were really interested. (Huh. I wrote that sentence and I’m still not sure I understand it.) Aaron and I both took the day off work and observed 2 of the ages 3-5 classrooms for about 30 minutes each.

And all I could think was: Hey! This is how I always tried to teach in my classroom! I should have been a Montessori teacher. I love the idea of giving kids choice and working with them at their own pace. I love the emphasis on consistency and respect and manners and the way the kids treated one another. Aaron also agreed that it would be perfect for our curious but active little man, who is bright but wants to work on what interests him at his own pace. The Head of School shared a few more of the Montessori philosophies with us, and all we could think was: Yup, that sounds like how we look at it. I guess we were always Montessori people without knowing it.

During this debrief, I finally broke down and asked, “Okay, we love it here, but when will you make the decision? You’re only taking 12 kids…do you need to meet with Eamon?”

The Head of School looked amazed. “Well, I’ve met Eamon. He’s delightful. He’s already on the list for the program, and definitely has a place here in August.”



So on August 29, Eamon Wolfe will attend his first day of pre-school.