How was your kid first day of school?

[temajie]

Mine was a bit depressing: the priorities of the teachers and staff in my daughter's kindergarten were to make sure that she had changed her shoes to a new clean pair when she entered the premises and that she has a box for her damped towel... Is it just this school or the HK society that tends to give importance to insignificant details which, by the way, makes the whole system inefficient? My daughter has spent one year in a Montessori school in the US and she was thriving there, so I am wondering if this is just the cultural shock or the difference between Montessori and classical curricula. I hope my daughter will feel happy in this school besides being part of a herd in uniforms

 

[carang]

a lot of her attitude will depend on your attitude. if you go into it with a negative one, she will very quickly pick up on that...yes, things are different here. that's part of the "fun" of it.

both of my kids love going to their local kindergarten. it has taken me a little while to get used to the differences between local kindergartens and how we did it "back home"...

if you try to put a smile on and let the teachers get on with it, i'm sure your little one will enjoy it. if she still doesn't like it, you can always switch her to one that is more your style. there's nothing wrong with changing your mind. parents do it all the time.

good luck!

ps> my #2 cried up a storm on her first day, even though she's taken her big brother to school everyday for the past 2 years. she hasn't cried since. and just to let you know, the damp cloth is for hygeine reasons. every child brings their own and only uses that. helps stop the spread of germs, supposedly.

 

[temajie]

Oh don't worry about that, my daughter is so eager to go to school that she would like any school! She is very happy to go, of course does not cry because she now knows that I will come pick her up a few hours later (she did cry for her very first time at school when she was 2).
But I personally find the management too bureaucratic. I never used a damped cloth for my kids, even outdoor. I prefer to wash them when we come back home, for even more hygiene, and I don't think they really need it in air conditioned rooms. So that is far from being a priority. They make a card for the student for when the parents come pick up the kid. They said it was a temporary card because the name had to be typed, not handwritten... please... I don't mind!!! Instead I was expecting you could remember I was the mother of my daughter without requesting me to show an ID card! My daughter's teacher who brought her to the gate only has 10 to 15 students after all.
By the way, do you really think there are schools "more my style" here? Even in Anfield, which is a renowned international school, supposedly high quality etc. I was told I was not allowed to come with my 1 yr son (which I carry in the Ergo) for the adaptation period. Not a sign of open mind and adaptability with a mother of two who has no help here... Everything has to go under a rule and that drives me crazy because it complexifies the system a lot but does not even improve it.
Well, as long as my daughter is happy, it is fine with me but I have the strange and negative feeling that after a while she will feel so controlled at school that she will misbehave at home as a way to gain freedom, you know what I mean? We'll see, but I truly hope all will be fine for her (and me )

 

[carang]

the thing is, that they are sticklers for the hygeine (which i find totally ironic considering the states of the public toilets here!). infectious diseases spread extremely rapidly here and they really want to keep a handle on it. that said, locals are terrified of getting dirty. you should see the reactions of some of the kids that come to my playgroup when we do things like finger painting!LOL!

as for the card, it's more to make sure that no one except the authorised person collects the child. when my kids go to school, until the teachers get to know all of the parents it goes like this: 1) we have to sign a form stating who is authorised to pick up the kids; 2) when the parent gets to the door, we must show the card; 3) the child is then asked who the person is...

i've found local kids to be among some of the most well-behaved children, but also among the worst....so there is everything in between, too.

good luck!

 

[temajie]

thanks cara