That Place Called "School"

The first time I tried to put A. in a preschool back in NJ, I gave up after about a week. He would scream loudly, clutch my shirt and lash out wildly at the teachers who emerged to transport him inside. I would hover near the door for a few seconds as the sound of his wailing drifted up to me. But then some other teacher would gently but firmly push me outside and the door would close behind me, blocking out the sound. By the time I went to pick him up, he seemed happy enough. But there was just too much physical and emotional currency spent in readying him for it every morning. And he seemed unable to forgive his teacher transgressions such as asking him to "calm down" when he was bawling his lungs out.
So I decided to forgo the non-refundable deposit I had already paid and wait until we were in India when I could channel all my energy into the task of sending A. to school.
Once the girls were somewhat settled in in their own school, I started looking around for a small, cozy, friendly place where A. could embark on his educational journey. I thought I found it in a newly opened playschool close to our house run by a young woman with a wide smile and a child-friendly personality. Like a lot of new preschools in Bangalore, it attempts to cover all the bases when it comes to early childhood development, offering a "scientific curriculum" that borrows elements from the "Montessori, play way, theme-based, and multiple intelligence" teaching models. In between all of this, we hoped, A. might have a little bit of fun too.
But after about a week, B. and I started having our doubts about the place. A. and his classmates were closeted in a tiny room during much of their time there while the teacher ran them through a litany of activities. The teacher seemed inexperienced and insisted on political correctness from a three-year old. "Your son says that girls can only play with dolls while boys have to play with trucks and trains," she informed me in a disapproving tone one day. "Maybe you should talk to him." I wondered if it was appropriate to tell her then about his fascination with unclad Barbies.
So we started preschool shopping again even though again I had already written a large check to this school! We considered starting an "Attempts to Send A. to School" fund. Finally after weighing a few options, we decided that the girls' school might be worth a shot. It's not the small and cozy place we had aimed for originally. It's large and sprawling and possibly intimidating for a preschooler. But the classrooms are bright, the teachers are pleasant, and there's a new playground coming up to replace the existing one with the rusty equipment. And on their website, they don't waste time on abstract child developmental theories, citing training children to be "disciplined" and "to memorize" as some of the main objectives of their program.
Maybe this one will work.