Mama Malone
Malone keeps the faith in her decision making
Anyone know a dodgy priest? I need one to sign a form to prove I’ve been attending church for a year (so the toddler can attend church school). I thought I had ‘til September to start going, but apparently it’s a year of church attendance by the time of application, not admission… whoops.
It’s that time of year when parents of three year olds have to apply for schools. I have the choice of sending my child to three schools. The first is the church school; the second is a massive school with an eerie feel about it, but the Ofsted report is ‘outstanding’: the children seemed engrossed in their class and well behaved, yet my instinct is saying no. The third school I am considering has a light, happy feel about it, but the kids looked hectic during class, and I couldn’t imagine them actually learning well. I heard one teacher say as I entered: “How many times have I told you, Tarquin, it’s spelt E–R, not R at the end of the word!” She seemed to actually be annoyed at him for not learning!
I feel like it’s my head versus my heart about this decision. I still don’t know which schools to put as my choices on this blummin’ form. I’m not ‘into God’, so we probably won’t get the first choice school. So it means I have to consider that my second and third choices are my real preferences. Yet neither of them seem right.
It’s interesting that I like the church school so much. All the children were so well behaved, the head teacher so passionate about the school, and the school grounds were so well loved and looked after. Maybe I should get ‘into God’. Thing is, I do believe in the sentiment of ‘God’ preferring to believe that it means ‘good’. I believe ‘good’ will save us from all. I don’t think that would go down well at school if the little one started spouting that thought: “My mummy doesn’t believe in a higher power, she believes there is ‘God/good’ within us all”.
“I feel like it’s my head versus my heart about this decision, and I don’t know which schools to put as my choices”
I feel like I am making a huge decision. After all, won’t the first school she goes to set the foundation for her capacity to learn and grow, and even her emotional wellbeing forever more? School moulds us; our first impressions of anything are so important. I want her to feel safe and happy at school as well as enjoy learning and not just art… (Personally I’d rather she wanted to be a doctor than an artist, as all art gave me was a lifetime of working in call centres.)
As a first time mum I have never had such responsibility before. I seem unable to make a decision and have not filled out the form… I myself have not changed since school. I still leave my homework ‘til the last minute! Better start praying.
