Furious on my son's 1st Local KG Interview

B

bruhildda

Registered User
I'm rather disappointed, actually really furious on my son's local kg interview today. We are really keen on sending our son to a local kg for one reason..... for him to learn to speak Cantonese and read/write Chinese. We are permanent residents and would probably stay here for a loooooong time, well I've been here for 15 years.

Anyways, according to the Education Bureau website..... "Non-Chinese speaking children are encouraged to study in kindergartens which adopt Chinese as the medium of instruction so that they can integrate into the local community and master the Chinese language as early as possible".

So imagine our horror, when we were told by this KG in Hung Hom that they could not take our son as he doesn't speak Cantonese, will not fit in with his local classmates and the teachers will have more difficulty in teaching him. They even said that he performed badly during the interview.

I personally think it's simply silly interviewing kids for KG but c'mon... put a 2year old on a room full of toys..... and what will he do? Play of course..... Just because he didnt say "apple" when you point on the picture doesnt mean he didnt understand you. He was distracted of course but we were told that his comprehension in English is not even good so what more in Cantonese.

Well, this KG has a local and international stream and they were pushing for us to enroll him in the international stream and the only reason that we could think of is......The school fee on the intl. side is almost 3x compared to the local one.

It's not about the fee in the 1st place.... it's about language immersion.

So... here we are.... back to square one.
Have you ever experienced something similar?
Any suggestion? we live in Hung Hom area so TST, Yaumatei, Jordan, Kowloon Tong area will all be considered.
 
Try Learning Habitat. They are much friendlier when we approached them. There was no difference in cost between the streams. Has a good reputation. What about PIPS at Elements?
 
i'm sorry for your terrible encounter. i HATE the idea of interviewing at this age. it is completely ridiculous.

but, just to let you know there are MANY local kindergartens that are NOT like the one you attended today.
 
Thanks for all the replies.
I am really disheartened, this is our 1st interview and I cant even describe how I feel now. 1st interview, 1st rejection.

I am a working mom and even took a day off and hubby extended break for this interview.

Haay... I'm sure my son doesnt care and doesnt even know what is going on but I dont even know if want to go through this again.
Well I guess someone saying that your 2-year old only child "performed" badly is not very easy to take.
 
my sister's son interviewed for K3 and they said he "failed" the interview because had "behavioral problems" because he was playing with a sausage and pretending it was a sword (as in one from star wars)...when she told my mom she laughed because it was just so ridiculous, and my sister burst out in tears! her sons now at another school who doesn't see such behavior so negatively but rather as things that children do...so, i wouldn't worry too much! there's always a school out there for your kid!
 
@lisainhk
Yeah, it was really tough. I do not know really what they are looking for on kids that they accept.

They have a book and they point on pictures of apples, cars, shoes, etc and asked my son what it is. They have asked him to identify shapes, animals, parts of his body, play with blocks, etc. My son was able to answer some questions but he was just too distracted with all the colourful toys around him. And when it was time to leave and give back the toy car that he was holding, he cried.
I guess normal behaviour of a 2-year old, well correct if I am wrong.

@lesliefu
I totally understand why your sister cried... I want to cry too. It even made me doubt my mommy/parenting skills and question my son's behaviour too.... Totally wrong, I know but this horrible experience somehow it made me feel that way.
 
Just wonder sometimes if the people behind the desk interviewing have kids of their own.
Bruhildda don't be upset about this incident, kindergarten interviews are just a cover up. I feel the school already has a list of favourable candidates they want to take in. I am sure your son will find another nicer kindergarden to go to. You can always complain about this to education bureau if you like, but don't think much will come out of it.
 
I`ve just had the loudest, most colourful laugh of the week, thank you, Lesliefu and Bruhildda, for your stories. The pictures in my mind are priceless against the ridiculous backdrop of the HK interview system. What a load of crap it all is. Behavioural problems sure, but not from your normal kids. My son would fail all interviews in about a minute, or at least when it came time to take the toys from him at the end.
Sorry to make light of all of this and your anguish, but in such ridiculousness, I cannot help myself. They are TWO YEARS OLD, the poor things.
This is one big reason I am leaving HK when my kid has to go to school. Can`t afford the international ones and we`d also probably be rejected for the local ones.
 
I think that the "name brand" kindergartens in HK, whether they are local or international play by a set of rules that they make up themselves and that are very subjective. Of course, not in all cases but because they will have customers no matter what they do, sometimes they have no incentive to be gracious or considerate.

Bruhildda, if I were you, I would simply say, "Their loss." If they are looking for docile, compliant kids who will sit and follow commands in a monkey-see, monkey-do fashion (as a lot of HK kids are trained to do) then they are missing out on the active kids (who in my experience are usually the more creative, more intelligent ones) who want to explore and actually LEARN by experience.

But, I want you to know that local kindergartens are not all the same. In our experience, we were not impressed by the spendy "famous" schools but more by the unknown schools that have staff that are dedicated and care. You really don't want to be forcing your 2 or 3-year-old into a situation where they are stifled and disciplined for being a curious child. Curiosity and activity should be rewarded, I think.

So, my suggestion is to ask the local mothers in your area where they send their kindergartners and what they think of the school. I would rather send my son to a small school that maybe doesn't have all the bells and whistles and frills where the teachers care and are patient and are ready for different learning styles than a "chain school" where my kid is just another number--eventually that's how it ends up in HK but kindergarten is too soon to start in my opinion.

But yes, it's their loss, truly.
 
we took our son (almost two years) to Learning Habitat for an interview. We expected a little one on one time with the principal but were instead met by a production line interview process with what appeared to be upward of 100 children.

All interviews were done according to a set process (name this, use that, etc) and when our son deviated (wanted to play in what was a very stimulating play environment, named different objects in the rooM, etc) the interviewer was visibly disappointed.

Such a rigid system is not what I expect for a two year old and even if we "get in" to this school, we will turn it down and prefer for him to stay at PIPS (the only reason we were considering changing in that LH is closer to our home). my wife has a montessori background and was very shocked by what she saw at LH. We both left the interview, looked at each other and agreed there was no way we would want our son at that KG.
 
I know for a fact that kindergartens hold interviews to gain revenue. An application fee of $30 x by around 4,000 applicants is a considerable income for a school. Don't get me wrong, this absolutely appalls me - especially when the school knows that they have already allocated the majority of the places to family members (sisters/brothers) of those already at the school.
 
I know now why they are doing interviews... I've always wondered what was the point of doing this. How can they decide whether a 2 yo child will be a good student or not after seeing him 5 minutes out of his usual environment ?? also, isn't the school job to help the kids socialise with each others, teach them the basics ? what's the point of teatching kids if they already know how to do all this before to get in school ??
Each time there is a subject about interviews, everyone seems to react the same way, thinking it is absolutely ridiculous, but how/why is it still going on ? is there anyway to raise our voices against this ??
 
shenwen said:
we took our son (almost two years) to Learning Habitat for an interview. We expected a little one on one time with the principal but were instead met by a production line interview process with what appeared to be upward of 100 children.

All interviews were done according to a set process (name this, use that, etc) and when our son deviated (wanted to play in what was a very stimulating play environment, named different objects in the rooM, etc) the interviewer was visibly disappointed.

Such a rigid system is not what I expect for a two year old and even if we "get in" to this school, we will turn it down and prefer for him to stay at PIPS (the only reason we were considering changing in that LH is closer to our home). my wife has a montessori background and was very shocked by what she saw at LH. We both left the interview, looked at each other and agreed there was no way we would want our son at that KG.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that. It might be difficult for the school to arrange individual interview for many than few hundred of applicants. :haha:
 
My non-Cantonese speaking daughter got in to Creative Primary School's Kindergarten in Kowloon Tong (Oxford Road). We requested the interview to be conducted in English and they accomodated that. Her teachers translated instructions from Cantonese to English to her during the first term and by the end of the term, she was coping well. The only problem is the school notices are all in chinese and the assignments too. My daughter loves going to school and this means a lot as it is a totally foreign environment to her.
 
Thank you everyone for all your kind words and sharing your experiences. I totally agree... what is the point of doing all these interviews, its really appalling! How could they possibly assess our kids abilities, knowledge, personality and behaviour in a span of few minutes.

And I cant believe we, parents have to go through this massive amount of stress!

I am so annoyed and furious that I am thinking of a heading a "Petition to ban schools from interviewing our 2year olds"
I dont care if I have need to collect thousands of signature.... something needs to be done!

What to you think? Will this go somewhere?
Are you with me?

Girl Power!
Woman Power!
Mommy Power!!!!
 
TheQuasimother said:
Try Learning Habitat. They are much friendlier when we approached them. There was no difference in cost between the streams. Has a good reputation. What about PIPS at Elements?
Click to expand...

Any feedback on PIPS Kowloon (Elements)?

Rightly or wrongly, I am currently of the opinion that I would like my daughter to attend a pre-school that is closest to home (PIPS Kowloon is literally downstairs from where we live). I imagine kids at these ages mostly play, sing, learn arts & crafts, so I don't know if one school is all that different from another, and I am not sure it makes sense for her to spend hours on the road traveling to and from schools far away.

Experienced mothers, what's your thoughts?
 
Bruhildda, you'll have my signature for sure! I'm fine with a casual meet and greet session with the school staff, but to think our 2 year olds' "performance" and behaviour are accessed in that couple of minutes for entry into kindy is ridiculous.

But on the frank side, I don't think the petition would head somewhere anytime soon. I'm not in the education sector, and my daughter is only 11 months old, so the following is just my 2 cents' worth.

# Many schools are private owned (correct me if I'm wrong) and they do as they please.

# Interviews generate profit and schools get to choose who they accept. (it's a demand & supply thing).

# Also, on a perverse psychological point of view, quite a lot of parents would assume that a kindie not requiring interviews are unpopular (nobody wants to go to them, so they take whoever signs up!) and probably end up applying to those requiring interviews.

# Parents these days are way more worked up about kids' academic performance than before, so in turn, it gets teachers and principals worked up about the academic curriculum, even at a kindergarten level. They want to make sure they accept students whom they think are easy students (easy to teach, can sit down and take instructions bla bla bla...)

Do all kindys conduct entry interviews, or is it just the popular hard-to-get-into ones? I don't see why i should put my child and myself through all the hassle and stress, was thinking of going to a kindie which does not require interviews, am I just being naive to assume such exists?
 
Agree with kyojee's points, some of these kindies are businesses (not all) and most are usually pandering to parents' expectations and a selection process such as an interview increases the perceived "quality" of the kindy/kids accepted (important for HK's competitive mums).

If there was no interview - what selection process would take place then for the popular/oversubscribed places? I don't condone 'interviews' but registration based on first come or lucky draw would probably draw equal criticism...

To kyojee, from experience i think all kindies conduct some kind of interview (play observations/group/one to one) as unassessed registration doesn't seem to be the norm... Some tell you on the spot if you got in and some say wait for the letter (the popular ones)...
 
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