The end of the school year is getting nearer and I'm busy being a mother (for a change?). Eldest is forever at rehearsals for the end of year show they are putting on. To help fund it, they opened a kiosk in school in recess on Fridays. A fortnight ago I went to help, expecting the worst. It wasn't half as bad as I feared. Actually it was sweet. The little ones were very cute. One first grader tried to buy a candy that cost 1 shekel with 10 agorot (The equivalent would be trying to buy something that costs one dollar with ten cents).

Eldest moves to middle school next year. She had to give in some curriculum preferences this week, and I was pleased to see that my attempted brainwashing with regard to languages was a success. She chose Arabic over French (phew).

We have to make some choices with regard to Youngest, as well, this year. On Thursday and Friday we are to visit a school that houses a special class Youngest has been invited to join. A difficult decision. Should we take her out of her "natural environment" and a pleasant, friendly, and quite adequate academically, community school that I can see from my window, in favor of a more challenging option that she will have to be bused to? Hopefully we'll be wiser at the end of the week.

My basic belief is that school's main function is as a place where you learn to live in society; therefore I'm not really in favor of "special" schools that separate between kids on the basis of their abilities (although I must say we all sighed with relief when two boys with sever behavioral problems were taken out of Eldest's class after first grade and sent somewhere else). This is also why I find home schooling problematic as a concept. However, we often find that Youngest is the exception to the rule, in more ways than one.

Apparently, more boys than girls are accepted to these programs (There are various theories to explain this. Some more PC than others) and, as a result, few of the girls accepted wish to participate. I rang to see why I hadn't been contacted and the secretary initially missed a letter in Youngest's name, giving her a boy's name. When I corrected her, and she understood Youngest was a girl, her whole attitude changed completely ("Would it be okay if I kissed your feet?") and ever since, in ensuing conversations with the school counsellor, I have had the distinct feeling we are being wooed. Teehee. I wonder what Youngest will make of the pitch we will probably be served up with on Thursday and Friday.