A New Village Family

A Q&A with Melissa B., Parent of Dancing Bird Tayla and Future Villager Desmond

Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
Our family moved to San Jose from Portland, Oregon in 2014 when my husband Micah had to relocate for work in the tech industry. I am a stay-at-home-mom, but long ago I did lighting design for theatre and also was a computer technician for a time. As a family, we love to explore the outdoors when we can — hiking, searching for bugs and playing in the rain, when it is available! We love swimming and we’re certain our kids would be happy being in a swimming pool every day for hours at a time. We also enjoy playing board games and Mario/Nintendo games together.

How did you find your way to Village?
It’s actually somewhat of long story. I was visiting Portland not long after we’d moved to San Jose and, while I was shopping in a children’s clothing store, I overheard a woman talking about San Jose so I chimed in and said I’d just moved there. She said she had moved from San Jose to Portland and must’ve asked if my kids were in school down there. Then she mentioned that all of her kids had gone to this AMAZING school called the Village School in Campbell. I wasn’t even thinking about Kindergarten yet, but it left an impression on me. We didn’t even realize that we were in the Campbell School District boundaries yet. Later, when we looked up what district we were in, we knew we wanted to (really, had to) apply to Village. I looked at a few other charter schools but Village was certainly our first choice. We were very fortunate to get in. I just wish I could remember the name of the woman I talked to in Portland to tell her we got in!

How prepared were you for the transition to Kindergarten?
I’d say we were very well prepared socially and academically. Tayla had been in Montessori school for three years (one year in Portland, two years in San Jose) and she was well versed in the way of a Montessori education. So, though it was quite different for her here, she transitioned very easily. She has always been social and independent and we were not surprised at all by how she eased into things at Village.

How would you describe the first month at Village?
I think the first month was more overwhelming for us than for our kindergartener. Trying to learn all the names of children and parents — which we still continue to learn — is always a struggle in any new setting. The other parents have been very kind and welcoming to us newcomers. I feel hopeful when I see them relaxed and chatting with all of the other parents and kids that they’ve clearly known for a while through Village, and I’m comforted in knowing that we will get there too. The training in Positive Discipline and No Bully was really eye-opening and it’s really wonderful knowing that Village embraces these theories and speaks a common language. We are thrilled to have our daughter in that “bubble” with other parents, teachers and children who will treat her with respect and care.

Tayla’s experience in Gretchen’s class has been wonderful. She loves to tell us about her day, projects she worked on, art and music, Go Noodle, and how funny teacher Gretchen is. She loves coming to school!

What have you been most surprised by so far?
How much Village School can do with such a small space! How fortunate all of us are to have all the programs that are available to our children with limited space and a creative staff and community of parents! Also, as new parents we were really shocked at how many family jobs there are. It’s mind-boggling how many things there are to do. How do schools run without parents?!

What has been your biggest challenge/adjustment so far?
A much longer commute and getting to school on time with enough time to park and walk in has been a big adjustment for our family, especially when our son is at another school with a different schedule. After that, it is the regular stuff of adjusting to many new faces, new schedules, trying to keep up with the e-mails, forms and events and being as involved as we can without getting too overwhelmed!

What are you most looking forward to about being part of the Village community?
Knowing that our children will be part of a community that will teach them how to deal with conflict, how to treat others with respect, and value everyone’s individuality. Sending them to a place that will encourage them to love learning, not be afraid to take risks and try new things. We also look forward to that familiarity of a close-knit community and we can’t wait to see and be a part of all the field trips and events that will take place throughout the year.