Last week was a busy week for me. Many things happened. The happiest one is when my boy past his enrollment test to the elementary school for the next semester. The sadness one when he got cough and flu again because of the weather, too much rain and windy. Thanks God, he'll get better this morning.
About the enrollment test, yes we have it here even when your kids want to go to the elementary for the first time. I don't think it's a best way for kids doing this test, but we-parents can't do much. All schools here have their own systems and seems the government is agree or at least doing nothing and don't have fix regulation about enrollment test for young child.
After waiting outside for about 1 1/2 hours when my boy took the test, I was curious about what the teacher asked or gave him for the test. As an almost 6 years old kid anywhere, he seemed not taking seriously about what just had happened to him (I was a little worried waiting him outside). He just told me he can do the test and he can write and answer teacher's questions in interview session. "What else?", I asked. "I forgot, mom.". Oh my....
Since I choose an English speaking school for him, so there's an interview in English.
Why I didn't choose a regular school for him?
Because for the mainly reason, at regular school teacher is a centered in class not the kids. Kids don't have enough space for explaining what their feelings or what his/her opinion. Young kids' different opinion is not too respected by the teacher. If teacher say this or that, kids should follow...I don't like that kind of environment for studying, because I ever had once when I was kid. For almost 3 months I have been doing some research about this school from other parents that already had their kids there and I've got plenty of positive results, from the working sheets, books and teachers and many more. I trust parents more than the administrative officer of the school.
The other reasons are I want my boy speaks in 2 languages and the school gives more spaces for kids in exploring their writing skill without too much interfering in grammar or shape of the letter in their early years of school. Very different with the regular public school, kids who want to enter the elementary school should have had writing and reading skill very well.
Yesterday afternoon I visit a book store with the kids and found a small interesting books "Children's letters to God" by Stuart Hample. Many beautiful letters there with kid's versions of thinking about God with their own styles handwriting. No editing from the publisher at all because they said "we don't need to edit their writing or grammar because it's already beautifully that way...represent kids own way of thinking". Beautiful....
