Starting School

The libretto is very important
and has to go with the students
to school each day.

The school's policies and procedures
are listed in the libretto, including
emergency drills. It also has pages for
field trip permission and excusing
absences.

The boys' first day of school here was a Wednesday. We took the city bus to the school and arrived later than we'd planned, about two minutes before the bell. The boys' teachers were waiting to meet us in the hall, greeting the boys in Italian and telling them to join the line. Both kids shrunk into us, squeezing our hands. Dave walked with Ben up to his class, and I walked with Ethan. I had hoped to give the kids a pep talk and an extra hug, but it all moved so quickly... Before I knew it, they were following the other students into their classrooms. Luckily their classes were next to each other, and I got to wave goodbye to both before instruction began. I peeked in on Ethan, who was starting to tear up, and his class was getting ready to meet in a circle in the middle of the room. Ben looked at me from his desk with wide eyes. We smiled and waved.

And left. It was hard.



As an EL teacher, I help students and parents through this transition. I think I "know" how things will go for Ben and Ethan, what they will need, what will help them. On top of that, I am an education junkie. I've taught for 16+ years in a wide variety of buildings and positions. I volunteer at my kids' school. I have a Master's degree in education. I am a nerd about schools and schooling.

This is why it's so weird to understand NOTHING about where my kids go to school now. That first morning was the only time I've seen their classrooms.

Ben's teacher wrote out the English
translation for the reading he had to
do. He's also getting better at using
Google Translate to help himself out.

During the couple of hours we were at San Camillo to register the boys, I got a feeling for the school. Kids in the hallways looked generally happy. The staff appeared friendly and caring. Teachers wanted to know if our kids had any medical needs. All of these things were 'normal', and made me feel more at ease about where we would be leaving the boys. 

Since that time, the main window I've had into their life at school has been what the boys tell me. And as is common to many parents, I usually get a one-word answer to my questions. (I spend the ten minutes we wait for the city bus peppering them with questions, though.) 

When they do report back, I hear that school is similar to school in the U.S. They talk about having the same subjects. They write. They do math. Ben has a variety of specials classes, but Ethan has been disappointed that his only special class is gym on Fridays. They have a recess or break time to play games, which sometimes happens inside depending on the weather.

Ben brought home his school schedule.
It still took two weeks for me to figure
out that he had two different teachers.

There seem to be a few differences, too. When I ask about whether there is time for reading, both boys say no. I sent a few English books with them for the first week, in case they needed something to do, but they haven't touched them.

Both boys report that their classrooms are very loud. The students and teachers all speak with big voices. Ethan has said that it's hard to think, and there were a few days that he told us on the way to school that he didn't want to go because of the noise.

Working on Ethan's
syllable pages has helped
all of us with our Italian.

The school schedule has been a big adjustment for the boys. Historically, traditional elementary schools in Italy ran from morning through lunchtime, Monday-Saturday. Parents would pick their kids up to eat lunch at home and have siesta time. Many schools have now transitioned to a longer day five days a week, similar to the schedule in the U.S. Our school, San Camillo, still operates on a more traditional schedule. School starts at 8:00 a.m. and finishes at 1:30 Monday-Thursday (1:00 on Fridays). Kids go home for lunch, which means it's after 1:30 before Ben and Ethan get to eat- MUCH later than at home. Every day I pack PB&J for them, forcing them to wait until we are at least outside the fence before they devour them. We stop at the neighborhood bar (cafe) to get pizzette or treats several times a week, too.

Ben's social studies books. I'm excited
that he is studying Egypt! He also will
learn a lot about the geography of Europe.

My experience here has been that I am able to take in a lot more as the days go on. I expect it will be similar with the boys. As they learn the daily patterns and pick up the Italian language, they will be more aware of what is happening and how it is similar and different from school life in the United States.

For now, I'm relieved that they leave school smiling every day. Ethan gets bombarded with friends giving him hugs, and Ben replies with a head nod when his classmates say 'Ciao!' Even that first afternoon when we picked them up, both kids were happy. Their teachers reported that they had done well. The boys agreed to return the next day- as long as I brought more PB&J.