My daughter taught me a long time ago that she has a mind of her own. She wasn't but a wisp of a thing, prancing about the playground in her first pair of shoes when she led her grandparents by the hand. "Come. Come with me," she would say in her sing-song voice. And they did.
Not much has changed in the nine years since. She is courageous, willful, and mightily confident. As we toured the various secondary schools where she will spend the rest of her education before heading to college (or Lord knows what), she quickly decided which schools she did not like. Looking at the grey walls of the music school, she remarked, "I didn't work four long years for this!" My eyes widened as I bit my tongue. "A little respect," I whispered, hoping no one else heard me...or her for that matter!
At the natural sciences school, she relaxed. She perked up at the chemistry and physics labs, the swimming pool and computer lab.
"I want to go here!" she nearly shouted. Then, a day later, I dragged her to the final school, the closest one, which is offering a pilot program in which she gets to learn a string instrument along with math, science, languages, etc. She would be in a music-oriented class for the first two years after which she could decide which track she really wants to pursue. One of the teachers studied at the University of Vienna and has played for the Philharmonic there as well as in Hamburg. I mean it doesn't get much better than that!! It seemed the best of all worlds we had seen. She would get to decide her concentration later, unlike in the other schools that had a pre-determined focus. And she'd be with her same friends.
I could see how conflicted she was. And I felt a sense of remorse for having taken her to all these places, facing her with choices she was ill-equipped to make. She reluctantly agreed it would be the best choice to attend the closest, yet largest Gymnasium, but I could sense she wasn't completely convinced after breakfast this morning.
Chances are her excitment will grow as she shares it with her friends. It is my deepest hope that we have made the right choice. It is ultimately her life, not ours. The whole process has felt like searching for the right college. It impacts the rest of the child's path.
And this is just the beginning...
