too cool for skool
It's alarming how early kids are going to school these days. Back in my day, kids had only one year of kindergarten before they started school at the age of 7, and that was adequate.
I did one year at the Methodist Kindergarten of Taiping and look how well I turned out. Today I read and write in two languages and speak in three. I remember how to dissect a rat, calculate the value of inertia and determine the length of the hypotenuse in a right triangle. Of course none of these knowledge has come to any use in my life so far, but hey, you never know when you might need to dissect a vermin.
Which bring us to Jesse. Kids today are starting school at 3. By 4, they're bringing back homework. My God! Whatever happened to a normal childhood?
Don't get me wrong, I value education but sending kids to school at 3 must surely be pushing them a little. When I was 3, I was playing in the backyard discovering tadpoles, chasing dragonflies and watching dogs
But suddenly it's the year 2024. Jesse is applying to get into college. "What?!? Your parents never sent you to kindergarten? Everybody goes to kindergarten," the registrar would tell him, "Sorry kid, looks like your parents really screwed you over. We only accept students who has had an early childhood learning program."
Yeah. And so last week we took the boy kindie shopping. I sold out. I buckled under peer pressure. My only consolation is, this might be a normal childhood for his generation. Poor kid. *sigh*
Actually living life is part of education too. Like you said a lot of the things we learn in school are things we don't really use or even care for.
ReplyDeleteIt's being out there and innocently finding out what the world is about that teaches us the best lessons in life.
Maybe that's all it really takes.
LOL! you caved in!
ReplyDeleteluckily I am still holding till my son is at least 5 to send him off to school :P
Haih, childhood memories = doing homework. Damn kesian. I thought during my era was bad enough.
ReplyDeleteAngelus didn't have homework when he was 3 or 4.
ReplyDeleteThink the only homework he had was I had to read with him ... sigh, as according to teacher his reading wasn't too good ...
Yet Angelus loves to go to school rather be bored at home or playing with his educational computer games .. he has friends there ... which I'm glad he actually likes going to school ...
I think school is a very good avenue for him to play, talk and fight. Start now! Don't delay!..oh wait..school holidays starting leh!!!! The faster he learn abt bullies..the faster he learn to RUN!!!! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI will not cave in like you. I'm still holding on.Nyek! Nyek! :lol:
ReplyDeleteI went to kindergarten at 3 too, and spent 3 years there, although I never did most of the homework they gave me. Probably more like 3 years of playground. hah.
ReplyDeleteAt this age, it is more of a social thing than education, tat's my excuse.
ReplyDeleteYou DO know that school is where kids learn to hate their parents right? They spend time complaining about them among peers and exchange tips and other devious ideas on how to pull fast ones on the old fogies....muahaha. It's also there that they learn things that you have to teach them to 'unlearn'. Wahaha!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm evil, I know. My parents realised that since the fateful day that they sent me to kindy for the first time...Don't sell out James....NOOOO!!!! Think of the children!
PS. Don't tell me you learned about the birds and bees from watching dogs. o.O
we were deliberating too dats why boiboi didnt start till April this year haha... i guess we hv no choice since he would be watching telly wid granpa the whole morning may as well send him off to irritate his frens and teacher LOL
ReplyDeleteDear James, kindy wont be that bad, but a Montessori would prolly be better and much more fun. You might get a Froline Maria to sing "A B C"s and "Do Re Mi"s. Yeah, mental arithmatic or Kumon would be good, but hey, let the kid enjoy his time in Kindy. He can deal with fractions and times-table later when he's in School.
ReplyDeleteBtw, my sister was worried when she was 7-ish that she couldnt get a decent job just because she didn't graduate her kindy...
Kiasu habis.
ReplyDeleteThe two monsters at home started kindie at age 3 also. And now, Sasha hates school so much. I don't know what will happen next.
The kid looks creepy in this pix.
ReplyDeleteGeneration had change, what to do?? IF really send later than 5 years old and parents didnt teach them at home, they really cannot catch up.
ReplyDeleteStandard 1 already need to do building sentences by showing on the pic. Number 1 till 100 with plus and minus between i think is 50.
But then, Edrei, kids today are far too sheltered to have a real education!
ReplyDeleteCeh Eggy, you have it good mah. Your kid knows how to operate a camera at 2!
Jason, back in my day at the kindy, we didn't have homework. Times were good.
Good for Angelus. Better for you. :)
School of hard knocks, eh, MOTT?
You go, Mumsgather. Make us proud.
Err... Yuin, is that why your blog is called Brain Free Zone? Just checking. :lol:
Yessss MyBabyBay, god knows my son needs a social life.
Fanboy, I had plenty of education in sex. For some reasons, animals like to do it in my presence.
Babe: Kindy and TV, I suppose kindy is the lesser evil.
:lol: Amydoll, your sis my be a very intense girl now.
That's what I worry about Gina, that he might end up hating school.
Stevo: I know. Looks like Chucky or something.
I know 1+2Mom. I dun want my son to be the class dunce. Oh the pressure!
I am quoting this from another site....
ReplyDeleteBefore you decide on a kindy for your kid:
Visit
Do pay a ‘surprise’ visit (call up and visit same hour/morning) during morning session if possible bring your kid along, and not during afternoon or Saturdays or Open Days when there is no actual classes, this way you will see the actual situation/environment.
I was surprised to discover among others:
- principal who smoke (very heavy cigarette smoke in the room n her breath)
- toilets that are really dirty
- ‘fat’ mosquitoes in (even though fully air-conditioned) and outside (playground) – you may see some parents dressed their children in long pants/sleeve - tell-tale sign
- teachers who spanked ‘naughty’ children, real hard
- teachers who teach speak with broken English
- children hiding and crying under the table, all alone
- a sulking maid instead of teacher in classroom with more than 10 children
And, if the teacher or principal insists that you can’t visit when classes are in session, a tell-tale sign, you may want to skip that kindergarten, perhaps strike it off your list.
Different kindergarten
While searching for a suitable kindy, try not to pay fee for whole year, ie do not commit unless you are very sure that is the kindergarten you want, easier to try different kindergartens. All of them will not give refund.
i agree that going to kindy at age 3 is too early. to me, 2 yrs of kindy is enough. if kids start kindy early (like 3 years) by the time they get to real school (standard 1) they would be bored stiff... just as gina here had voiced out.
ReplyDeletebtw, i was never in kindy at all.
hi.. just found your blog by accident. I'm also from taiping, never go to kindergarten .. but still jadi 'orang'..
ReplyDeleteI remember going to kindie at 3.. i remember singing, dancing, running around and having parties.. my daughter just turned 4, and she is coming back with homeworks, exams, spellings, colouring inside the lines and stress... er... my cousin's kids are 5 and they are learning +, -, *, / ?????
ReplyDeleteWhich school is this?? Looks cool the apparatus they use.
ReplyDeleteI'm still thinking.. should I or should I not.
James, mind to share about your kindi shopping here? i.e. fees & etc. Am doing the same right now too. My princess will be 5 next year. Cannot drag anymore...
ReplyDeleteerm.. i started kindy at age 3.. 20 yrs ago.. prolly sent there to get me outa my moms hair i guess :P
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, Prissy. The kindies we have visited request for fees on a monthly basis but it's the initial registration fee that's the killer!
ReplyDelete:lol: I guess people of our generation didn't really need kindie, Lucia. I went for 1 year only. My cousin sis never even went and today she some highly paid IT Engineer at some international oil and gas company!
Good for you Dhill. And nice to meet other Tpg folk on the blogosphere.
Parents today are far too competitive, Chiwigal. Oh wait, that us! :lol:
Zara's Mama: This shot was taken in Mutiara Damansara. It's under the Fungates system. Tadika Pintar Ria.
Hi Annie, can't remember the price exactly but I think it's about RM1200 initially and about RM230 monthly. This is at Pintar Ria and Juara Cerdik in Taman Mayang.
Oh, Andrea, we don't need Jesse out of our hair... *ahem*