school views
I received a nice email today from The Bun's playschool, informing the parents about the success of their Christmas charity fund-raising drive. One of the activities organised was the Charity Art Sale, where parents were offered the opportunity to 'purchase' one of their child's (framed) art pieces by making a donation. There was also a Christmas Open House party where ticket sales were also channeled to the fund-raising drive. We didn't go to the Christmas party, but we did purchase one of The Bun's art pieces that he did in class, where it is now on display in his bedroom.
The team raised almost $7,000 through these two events, and that isn't counting the proceeds from their corporate outreach, where the teachers are sponsored to sing carols at offices. The money will be used throughout 2013 to support various child-related charities and volunteer work. One of the upcoming events will include a play session hosted by the teachers at KK Hospital's Children Cancer ward and they don't forget the nurses too - they receive a nice hamper of goodies for some pampering during their break time.
It's times like this when I am very glad we found this playschool and that we had the opportunity to be part of this warm and friendly family and child-centered community. This is not the first fund-raiser that they have done; previously there was another initiative to help the family of one of the kids who had a pool accident and was critically brain-injured. The child did survive and ended up being one of The Bun's classmates and it has been heartening to see how far he has come.
Right now, J and I are working on The Bun's application to international school in Geneva. If all goes well, he will enter what is called Reception year next fall, and it will probably be one of the milestones of his childhood. It has been interesting to read the school prospectus because the emphases are so different from Singapore pre-schools, which tend to be more academically-oriented. There is a strong focus on social skills, how everyone has a role to play in the community, and life skills. I had a chat with another parent whom I met when I was in Geneva in August, and he told me how surprised he was to find that the children only started to learn the alphabet in Reception, when in Singapore or in India (where he is from) the kids would probably be expected to not only know the alphabet, but be able to spell and read simple words at age four.
It'll be interesting to see what this new school has to offer, and the lessons that both The Bun (and I) will learn. I chose our present playschool precisely because it has no academic focus, but I have found that the pressure from other parents or relatives who have kids in 'regular' Singapore pre-schools a bit unnerving. How can I ensure that The Bun will be ready for primary school if he isn't learning anything when all of his peers are? How far will I protect this happy childhood bubble in lieu of his future academic success?
When we eventually return from Geneva, The Bun will probably be seven or so, and I know that unless I coach him at home, he will probably not be ready for Primary One in the same way his peers will be. Especially in Chinese - this particularly worries me because even if J and I speak Chinese to him and make sure that he is familiar with the language, we can only go so far with it. He will not have a clue what is tingxie, if he can even recognise the characters at all. My friends have advised stocking up on flashcards, DVDs, and workbooks, and as much as I don't want to do the Tiger Mom thing, I understand that this is something we probably will have to do for his own good, or it would be like throwing him into the deep end in Primary One and expecting him to tread water on his own. If he goes to my alma mater, the academic environment will also be quite a culture shock to him.
Maybe I'm thinking too far ahead. I didn't intend to go off on a tangent and write an essay about school systems and academic pressure. Bao's all-night milk buffet is about to start, and I best get to bed and steal a couple of hours of sleep while I still can.
The team raised almost $7,000 through these two events, and that isn't counting the proceeds from their corporate outreach, where the teachers are sponsored to sing carols at offices. The money will be used throughout 2013 to support various child-related charities and volunteer work. One of the upcoming events will include a play session hosted by the teachers at KK Hospital's Children Cancer ward and they don't forget the nurses too - they receive a nice hamper of goodies for some pampering during their break time.
It's times like this when I am very glad we found this playschool and that we had the opportunity to be part of this warm and friendly family and child-centered community. This is not the first fund-raiser that they have done; previously there was another initiative to help the family of one of the kids who had a pool accident and was critically brain-injured. The child did survive and ended up being one of The Bun's classmates and it has been heartening to see how far he has come.
Right now, J and I are working on The Bun's application to international school in Geneva. If all goes well, he will enter what is called Reception year next fall, and it will probably be one of the milestones of his childhood. It has been interesting to read the school prospectus because the emphases are so different from Singapore pre-schools, which tend to be more academically-oriented. There is a strong focus on social skills, how everyone has a role to play in the community, and life skills. I had a chat with another parent whom I met when I was in Geneva in August, and he told me how surprised he was to find that the children only started to learn the alphabet in Reception, when in Singapore or in India (where he is from) the kids would probably be expected to not only know the alphabet, but be able to spell and read simple words at age four.
It'll be interesting to see what this new school has to offer, and the lessons that both The Bun (and I) will learn. I chose our present playschool precisely because it has no academic focus, but I have found that the pressure from other parents or relatives who have kids in 'regular' Singapore pre-schools a bit unnerving. How can I ensure that The Bun will be ready for primary school if he isn't learning anything when all of his peers are? How far will I protect this happy childhood bubble in lieu of his future academic success?
When we eventually return from Geneva, The Bun will probably be seven or so, and I know that unless I coach him at home, he will probably not be ready for Primary One in the same way his peers will be. Especially in Chinese - this particularly worries me because even if J and I speak Chinese to him and make sure that he is familiar with the language, we can only go so far with it. He will not have a clue what is tingxie, if he can even recognise the characters at all. My friends have advised stocking up on flashcards, DVDs, and workbooks, and as much as I don't want to do the Tiger Mom thing, I understand that this is something we probably will have to do for his own good, or it would be like throwing him into the deep end in Primary One and expecting him to tread water on his own. If he goes to my alma mater, the academic environment will also be quite a culture shock to him.
Maybe I'm thinking too far ahead. I didn't intend to go off on a tangent and write an essay about school systems and academic pressure. Bao's all-night milk buffet is about to start, and I best get to bed and steal a couple of hours of sleep while I still can.