Last Day of Preschool (You Er Yuan) for Reister

Reister has been going to the local preschool across from our home in the Hazy City since the spring of 2009. Actually he went to another one briefly that summer and then of course didn't go while we were back in the States from November 2009-May 2010. But pretty much the rest of the time he has gone half days 5 days a week at the preschool. It has really been a great school for him. We are really SO grateful that our biggest goal for him in going has been fulfilled - he has learned Chinese.  He can really speak pretty fluently about simple every day things. In September our plan is for him to to be in a Kindergarten class at a local Primary (Elementary) School near our home - still for half days.  Then I will be homeschooling him for the other half of the day.  We have actually already started homeschool and are well into a Phonics program and have started Math as well.
Here are some great pictures of Reister and his friends on his last day at preschool - May 31st

Now I should also offer a disclaimer that local preschool hasn't been without it's challenges. Not anything that the school or teachers have done wrong, it's just been that when Reister has a bad day and doesn't feel like going, he can be pretty stubborn with his attitude about it.  And he would still always choose his English speaking American friends (there are PLENTY in our city) to play with over his local friends. But we have pressed on and it has really paid off.  Although sometimes it has taken him a while to make new friends when the older kids that he liked graduated and moved on to the primary school, or when we've come back from being gone for a while, he has always been able to find a few boys to be buddies with.  Mason will continue on at this school in the Fall and we are very thankful to our Father for the blessing of this school - it is close, has caring teachers and a Montesorri teaching style.