Going to Pre-school

Finally, Ian will be going to preschool coming Monday. Mummy and daddy is more "kun cheong" (excited) than him. We've been telling him and preparing him to school by saying things like "Daddy will fetch you to school, then teacher will come and get you. Daddy will leave you in school and you will follow teacher into the school and you will have fun with other children. You will learn to write, draw and sing with the others. Then Mummy will come and pick you up and we will go home for lunch".

I was quite surprise that preschool nowadays are quite (not to mention expensive) but quite academic as well. This is definitely due to the standards of education that is being set where it is compulsory for all children to attend kindergarten for the minimum attendance(hours) spent for each subject. Glancing through his books, it's much more academic compared to mummy and daddy's time of preschool/kindergarten.

This is also why, tuition centres are mushrooming so fast and it's everywhere, practically everywhere. 2 years back when Ian is still very young, I was telling myself I do not understand why parents are sending their children to tuition classes from as young as 4 years old. I guess I am beginning to understand this much better. It is not so much of the kiasu syndrome that parents wants their kids to be no.1 in school or they just want to push their responsibilities to the tuition teachers, but i would think it's the syllabus that is driving everyone to do it.

This is the first time that I hear/learn that parents have to attend school orientation(maybe I am ULU and not wary about the current trend). Anyway, the orientation for parents was held before Christmas to ensure that parents are ready. We were being briefed of the school subjects, management and also ground rules for the preschool.

I was actually quite impressed with the session as it demonstrates to me the school's commitment in teaching the children well with compliments/cooperation with the parents. To me, the school's management had demonstrated that they have a very structured way of managing every single thing from coming/leaving school, things to bring, and things not to bring, and also parents commitment to spend 15-20minutes at home with a CD for phonics revision. Maybe this is the first preschool and also the first time sending my own kid to school, that I was "shocked" in a good way ... that the school means business .... no play play.

I have done my homework and that is to get all the books wrapped, with names written on each and every book, pencil, eraser, ruler,water bottle and bag.

Let's hope Ian will have a fun way of learning.