Àireamhan

Primary 1

My little boy started school this week! He has been literally counting down the days for weeks so he was beyond excited and up extra early on his first day. There were no tears from either of us. By Thursday I didn't even get a cuddle or a goodbye, he ran off to play with his new friends and his assigned buddy. The buddy is a primary 7 who helps them find there way around for the first few weeks. My son loves school, loves his teachers, loves his two friends who went into the same class from nursery, and was very much devastated that there is no school at the weekend.

Gaelic isn't new to him especially as he was in the Gaelic nursery but he is already very enthusiastic about it. Just after the last week and he's been actively asking to watch Gaelic programs and asking for Gaelic books.

Bring on the adventure into Gaelic medium education!

Successful placing request

I'm absolutely delighted that the placing request has been accepted. The nursery teacher assured me my son would be accepted and not to worry about it but it's always good having it officially confirmed.

Placing request

An update on the placing request. I received a letter today from the council to acknowledge they'd received my request and I'll hear by the 30th April. I want to know now. The nursery and school have said there won't be an issue because Gaelic medium is exempt from the normal placing request rules but I'd really like to have it confirmed. I need to find some patience!

Still moving forward toward GME

With registration looming I spoke to the nursery today. There are absolutely no concerns about my son going into Gaelic medium education. I knew this because of how well he converses in either language at home but it was nice to have the reassurance.

The last couple of days my son has been actively asking to watch the children's programmes on BBC Alba around 5pm. It's very refreshing!

I'm onto week two of "Scottish Gaelic in Twelve Weeks" and I feel already having some knowledge of the language has made following it much easier. It's one of these things where the more I learn, the more I want to learn.

Currently listening to..

Learn Scottish Gaelic in Twelve Weeks

Deciding on a Gaelic Medium Education (GME) for my son is also a commitment for me too. I'm committed to learning Gàidhlig to ensure I can fully support my son in his education. I've been learning a lot about the language through the Learn Gaelic website. There are lots of inspiring resources online. I've also made good use of the nursery vocabulary handouts. I sit with my son to read books online using the audio available on the Gaelic4Parents website. I expose us both to Gàidhlig at home with music, stories, and BBC Alba. In the car we occasionally listen to the Gàidhlig radio station.

I've done some studying of the grammar and how Gàidhlig is translated but I've decided to take a more structured approach and follow the Learn Scottish Gaelic in Twelve Weeks work book with the accompanying CDs. I started this on the 4th January so the twelve weeks is up on the 29th March. 

Once I've completed this course I'm going to enrol for a class or a distance learning course. I'm also going to look into the Saturday club that the Glasgow Gàidhlig school offer. 

I was going to make a separate blog to share how I get on but I decided do I made this to share my experience with GME and learning myself is also a big part of that.