we arrive in england on august 21st, still without a school assignment for joe. september 8th, the first official day, we find ourselves allotted to a school 2 1/2 miles away, though there are two schools within 1/2 mile of our house. we are first on the waiting list for one of them. we decide to wait. taking the bus to school seems a bit too much effort. on september 10th, joe's number is called. phew.
privated schools in england are called public schools, to, as christopher hitchens says, "soften" the connotation. public schools are called state schools. joe attends st. mary's church of england state school, the most oversubscribed state school in the united kingdom. he leapfrogged over forty children on the waiting list, based upon our location within twickenham. he is in a class with 29 other children, with one teacher and one teacher's assistant. his school has no playground, but his classroom opens up onto a shaded blacktop area that serves as an extension to the classroom.
we couldn't be happier with this situation.
even after growing up in the field of education and serving all of my professional life in it, knowing hundreds of teachers and schools, policy, curricula, etc., i have yet to feel as comfortable about a school as this one. the school community is welcoming and unerringly positive. joe's teacher, mrs. uprichard, is one of the best i've ever known. he loves school. we love school. and he's just so darn cute in his uniform.
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