Skipping grades

One thing I haven't mentioned yet is the school "situation".

When we went on our first school visit, the secretary asked what grades the boys would be entering. I cheerfully stated: Kindergarten and First grade. First we learned that Kindergarten here is called Reception, and each grade is referred to as a "Form", and secondly she needed their birthdates to confirm. Sure. No problem.

Well, I didn't think there would be a problem. But, unfortunately what we hadn't learned before was that children enter the school system in England at 4, not 5 like in America.

Why was this a big deal? Well, this would mean Jacob - after only completing Kindergarten - would suddenly be entering second grade!! And Matty, my little pre-schooler, who could basically write his name (haha), would be entering FIRST GRADE!

In Kindergarten, children learn all the foundational tools to be successful as they advance: phonics, reading, writing, math basics, etc. ETC!!!

"Wait a minute, this isn't right." I thought. But it was, here. She confirmed it, and reassured me that it was better for the children to be with others the same age. I nodded, thinking in the back of my head, "we won't be choosing this school."

But then we visited the next school: same deal. And the next: same.

I wanted to cry. My head was spinning. How in the world is my 4 year old going to be ready for first grade in the fall? We viewed samples of the children's work. They were writing paragraphs. PARAGRAPHS, ya'll. Which meant they could actually write words. And put them together to form sentences. And read said sentences. And use periods - I mean, full stops (because that's what they are called in England).

How could we do this to the boys?! We would have enough stress with an international move, new baby, and adjustment to a new culture (with different dialect!!) I didn't want school curriculum to be an issue. So I struggled. I worried. I cried (I was pregnant, remember? :) How would they be ready? How could I possibly help them get where they needed to be in time for school? We would have a newborn in less than a few months.. I was so overwhelmed.

Was I trusting God in this moment? No. I needed to. And I knew that. So we accepted this as a non-negotiable and prayed about our options.

Our chosen school assured us that the boys would adapt, adjust and be just fine - they had seen it before and confirmed success, but they suggested that if it made us feel better, we could seek help with a tutor - in the states and after our move. And they would help with that on their end.

Again, another amazing answer to prayer here: It just so happened that a retired school teacher lived two minutes from our house - and she had first grade curriculum to use with Jacob! And Jake's Kindergarten teacher, who we absolutely loved and did a fantastic job with Jacob, agreed to tutor Matty! And around that time Wilmslow Prep came back to me with a new of someone at their school who would be able to help the boys after our move.

The boys started tutoring and I was amazed at how well they did in only the first few weeks. Our teachers were fantastic! And even though this was still a bit of an inconvenience, it all seemed to be working out.