Old School, New School, New Life

My school girls are starting in their new school come June 15. It's in another city which is a two-hour drive from our current residence. It was not difficult for me to decide to transfer them. I even encouraged them to review for the entrance exams. And to think that one of them, Raia, is only in pre-school and the other, Trinity, is entering the third grade. I've long wanted to send them to this school but we were not prepared financially. But we have been blessed and plans are starting to materialize. I am excited to get them to study in this new school and am equally excited for the opportunity to expand our family business in this city.

Their former school was not bad at all. In fact, it was quite uneasy for me to tell the directress, who have become a friend, that we are transferring the girls. Since it was a small, close-knit school, the girls were able to develop their academic and creative potentials. Most memorable of which was their participation in the school's kiddie dance troupe.

My elder daughter was also given the chance to engage in different academic contests like the Science quizbee at the congressional (district 1) and provincial levels. She won first place in the former but was unsuccessful in the latter. She ended the schoolyear as 2nd honors for academic excellence with a difference of 0.02 from the first.

My younger daughter did not fare badly either. She may not have earned a seat in the honor roll (which I consider my fault because I have been concentrating on my elder girl) but she earned different citations as well. It was for her that joining the kiddie ballerinas have made the bigger difference. She dropped out from ballet class during the first months of training because she said her tummy aches during the bending exercises. She started to take interest again when she watched the ballerinas perform during their Christmas party. After that, she told me she wanted to attend the classes again. She was a revelation during the recitals. There she was, oozing with confidence on stage and showing grace and readiness in their performance. Well, of course, there were times when she missed some steps but no matter, she danced and we were entertained.

After realizing that she can actually dance and people loved it, she went on to volunteer to do an intermission number during their Nutrition Education summer class in Baguio City. My mom was surprised when she raised her hand when the teacher asked for volunteers but I know, she was as proud as I am that all the tuition fees for dance classes and the expenses for the costumes were not wasted.

Again, it was not a bad school. It's just that there are things that have to be prioritized now that the kids are growing and entering higher grade levels. I dream of sending them to the best university in the future (hopefully, it's still UP Diliman, by that time) and I believe that an investment in the present will earn rewards in the future.