Batgung

This time last year we were taking MissB along to kindergarten interviews. She’s just finishing her first term, and I'm pleased to report it's turned out really well. But though we're happy with our choice, it seems noone else is!

Why do we like it?

The simple fact that MissB looks forward to kindergarten each day is probably the best reason. Also, the teachers' attitudes were what we liked most at interview time, and fortunately they have continued through to the actual schooling.

It’s a local (ie not international) kindergarten, so the big change is how MissB’s spoken Cantonese has blossomed in the last three months. She never had a problem understanding it, but used to be happier speaking English. Now she’s equally confident in either language, and possibly more chatty in Cantonese. It took a while, as for the first few weeks she’d still speak English at school. The teachers would repeat each of her answers in Cantonese, and it didn’t take long for her to make the switch.

Then although she only attends morning classes, she stays on for school lunch. The happy benefit there is that she’s now eating a wider variety of food than when she just ate at home.

So the teachers are doing a great job, and take a lot of effort to tailor teaching to support the child. Little things like sitting MissB next to the chattiest two girls, so she’s always hearing lots of Cantonese. Or sending her home with a book to read that relates to a concern we’d raised in the parent-teacher meeting.

Other little touches I like include telling parents that getting clothes ready for the Christmas party (some creative use of recycled articles required) shouldn’t take more than two hours max. I’ve heard that these home projects can easily escalate into full-on quests for perfection, so some simple guidelines help keep the priorities clear.

We’ve also been pleased with the two school outings we’ve made, one to the zoological gardens, and one to the Lions Nature Education Centre. Now Hong Kong only has a limited selection of outing-friendly destinations, so in true Hong Kong-style you’ll be looking at the animal / plant / picture crowded in with several other groups of children. It’s a good chance to see some of the other schools’ teachers in action. They looked efficient, but just didn’t seem to be having as much fun.

What's not to like?

Well if there were prizes for high-volume snot-production, our house would be a winner. I think her kindergarten must be like a viral buffet, with MissB bringing home a different sample each week to share with friends and family. She’s also brought home another common Hong Kong viral infection – she now makes that ‘V’ hand signal if you point a camera at her. Oh, and whining. MissB seems to have learned some new ways to whinge and whine when she’s trying to get her own way. I picture the children all sitting together and trading tips – “Try this, it really drives my dad mad…”

I can’t really blame the kindergarten for any of those problems, they are just part of the fun of having a three-year old in the house. So it’s all working well, and yet we recently found out an odd thing. The local mums we know think we’re sending MissB to the wrong place!

They don’t say anything direct to MrsB, but grumble to our daily helper instead. I couldn’t understand it at first, because I know at least two of them complain about their children being unhappy at their chosen kindergartens. MrsB explained their reasoning as a combination of:

- It’s a shame MissB goes to a local school when as a mixed child she could be going to an international school. The perception being that international schools are somehow more fun to attend, there’s less homework, but somehow the kids still come out the other end having learned something! Also,

- It’s a shame she goes to that kindergarten when she could have gone to one of the big names. This one is a bit more complex. First there’s the feeling that since she’s mixed, she gets the novelty pass to gain easy access to the “Saint …” kindergartens that are usually difficult to find a place at. Then there seems to be a feeling that since MissB’s kindergarten is run by Caritas it’s seen as a sort of charity, somewhere you’d only go to if you couldn’t find somewhere better.

I suppose they might be right, but so far we’re all happy with our choice. I’ll let you know if that changes, but we’re keeping fingers crossed that the school's good work this first term will continue for the full three years.

Regards, MrB