At 28 months of age, Adri has been at school for 3 months.
How is she coping?
She loves school!
She loves her teachers and friends so much that she prays for them every night before she turns in and she even asked to go to school on weekends!
Mummy & Daddy are delighted that Adri's taking school so well. Initially, we were worried that she might not get used to the long hours.
Adri is now attending a full-day childcare programme at Shekinah Montessori @ Old Punggol Road.
~Adri Setting off for School~
How did Mart and I decide on where to enrol Adri?
It wasn't an easy process.
We started way back in June 2009 because we didn't want our decision to be a rash and rushed one and we didn't want to be late, to be left without a placing when we were ready with a decision on where to enrol Adri.
Brand was definitely not one of our priorities.
When we first started scouting, we were very prepared to put Adri at the childcare centre located at one of the blocks of flats just across the road from my parents' place so that Mum could pick Adri home after a few hours or as and when necessary. Proximity and convenience were all we wanted. We did not want to put Adri in a full-day programme; we had planned for a half-day programme just to let her have some fun learning and interacting with friends.
Knowing how it was like in schools, the teacher in me decided to "gatecrash" instead of calling up to fix an appointment to check out the particular childcare.
What greeted me was way below what I had expected.
Right at the gate, I heard teachers screaming at the kids, "You sit down! You sit down quietly and play! Right now!"
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I certainly didn't expect the teachers to be addressing the kids with such a harsh tone. Discipline was inevitable; it was alright to be firm with the little ones but I didn't think it was necessary to be yelling at them.
My view was blocked by the gate and the partitions and I secretly hoped that that teacher would not be the teacher in-charge of Adri's age group!
But alas, when I entered the childcare, I learnt that the very teacher who had screamed was the teacher in-charge of the little ones close to Adri in age.
My view was blocked by the gate and the partitions and I secretly hoped that that teacher would not be the teacher in-charge of Adri's age group!
But alas, when I entered the childcare, I learnt that the very teacher who had screamed was the teacher in-charge of the little ones close to Adri in age.
"Nevermind, such is a common scene, isn't it? Esp when kids get naughty." I tried to be objective.
When the teacher noticed that there was a visitor, she immediately quietened down and ordered the kids around in a quieter fashion.
The kids were each given a (yes, only one) building block.
The teacher-aide was there, but seated quietly and watching the kids.
Both teachers ordered the kids to play but did not engage them in any way. The poor 18 month olds did not even know how to play; they stared blankly at the ONLY block that they had been given and did not know what to do with it!
Perhaps, the teachers had previously exposed them to that toy but I firmly believed that if the teachers had wanted to, the kids could have taken away something different from each play session even though the toy used were to be the same!
That carried on the whole time I was there.
"I think my helper can do a better job at engaging the kids," I thought.
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You see, Adri had a whole bag of blocks back at home and she played with them daily, talking about the colours and forming different objects and structures with them. How creative could the kids possibly get when there wasn't any guidance from the teachers and when they were only given one miserable block?
Other than how the kids were "engaged", I was also disappointed with the space that the kids were assigned to.
There were 12 kids in all (that made the teacher-student ratio to be 1:6) and the kids were confined to a rather small area where they ate, slept and played.
Most importantly, the kids did not have the "spark" in their eyes and they looked rather bored to me.
The whole learning environment did not look very appealing to me.
The conversation that I had next with the centre director was the major deciding factor.
Through the short 10min conversation I had with her, I learnt that the centre did not have a structured curriculum and the teachers were free to teach whatever they wanted.
When asked if the parents would be kept informed of the kids' learning and progress on a regular basis, the answer was a balant "no".
Other than how the kids were "engaged", I was also disappointed with the space that the kids were assigned to.
There were 12 kids in all (that made the teacher-student ratio to be 1:6) and the kids were confined to a rather small area where they ate, slept and played.
Most importantly, the kids did not have the "spark" in their eyes and they looked rather bored to me.
The whole learning environment did not look very appealing to me.
The conversation that I had next with the centre director was the major deciding factor.
Through the short 10min conversation I had with her, I learnt that the centre did not have a structured curriculum and the teachers were free to teach whatever they wanted.
When asked if the parents would be kept informed of the kids' learning and progress on a regular basis, the answer was a balant "no".
The centre director was rather casual when she spoke with me and appeared to be in a rush.
I later learnt the reason - there was no need for my deal. If I was interested to put Adri at her centre, I would have to wait for a good 4 months!
I didn't like the idea that I would possibly be paying something close to $400 for what seemed like a baby-sitting service that might possibly kill my child's inquisitive nature and hence her love for learning.
If I were to compare the two, I seriously thought my helper might have been a better play-mate.
I didn't like the idea that I would possibly be paying something close to $400 for what seemed like a baby-sitting service that might possibly kill my child's inquisitive nature and hence her love for learning.
If I were to compare the two, I seriously thought my helper might have been a better play-mate.
When I left the centre, I was quite resolute that that would not be Adri's school.
We wanted a place where Adri would be in good hands, where she would be loved and encouraged to learn, where she would feel psychologically safe and where she would grow with confidence instead of an environment where she would be put-down.
I wanted Adri to be H-A-P-P-Y.
Mart and I then decided to explore the stretch of schools along Old Punggol Road.
One of the most outstanding along that stretch was the Modern Montessori (MMI) and we decided to check it out.
We loved the structured curriculum based on Multiple-intelligences (MI) theory they had in place and the huge physical space. The pupils learnt in their own classroom (liken to that in a primary school) and there was even a swimming pool within the school premise. The 4 year olds actually get to learn how to swim right within the school!
Other than the curriculum and the facilities, the SOP they had in place when it came to children who were ill totally impressed us.
The teacher whom we spoke to didn't fail to win us over within a short twenty minutes but Mart and I didn't enrol Adri immediately.
Mart and I then decided to explore the stretch of schools along Old Punggol Road.
One of the most outstanding along that stretch was the Modern Montessori (MMI) and we decided to check it out.
We loved the structured curriculum based on Multiple-intelligences (MI) theory they had in place and the huge physical space. The pupils learnt in their own classroom (liken to that in a primary school) and there was even a swimming pool within the school premise. The 4 year olds actually get to learn how to swim right within the school!
Other than the curriculum and the facilities, the SOP they had in place when it came to children who were ill totally impressed us.
The teacher whom we spoke to didn't fail to win us over within a short twenty minutes but Mart and I didn't enrol Adri immediately.
Two reasons:
1) That was our first stop. We had yet to check out the other schools.
2) Adri's school fees would be $890 per month (after the working mother subsidy)!
We couldnt afford to be rash although we were very tempted to stretch ourselves just to provide a good learning environment for Adri.
Mart and I were so impressed by the Montessori curriculum that we went on to explore two other Montessories and some other schools along the same road.
We did what we had done - we didn't call up and we gate-crashed.
While we did not manage to watch how the kids at MMI learnt (because the information counter was far from the classrooms), we witnessed how lively the learning environment at Shekinah Montessori was.
Throughout the one hour we were there, we observed how caring and yet firm the teachers were and that while the kids buzzed around, there was discipline. The kids were confident and spoke well. They clearly loved their teachers and they were bold when they approached the teachers. A few kids even came over to peer at what the centre director was showing us and came to hug the centre director.
1) That was our first stop. We had yet to check out the other schools.
2) Adri's school fees would be $890 per month (after the working mother subsidy)!
We couldnt afford to be rash although we were very tempted to stretch ourselves just to provide a good learning environment for Adri.
Mart and I were so impressed by the Montessori curriculum that we went on to explore two other Montessories and some other schools along the same road.
We did what we had done - we didn't call up and we gate-crashed.
While we did not manage to watch how the kids at MMI learnt (because the information counter was far from the classrooms), we witnessed how lively the learning environment at Shekinah Montessori was.
Throughout the one hour we were there, we observed how caring and yet firm the teachers were and that while the kids buzzed around, there was discipline. The kids were confident and spoke well. They clearly loved their teachers and they were bold when they approached the teachers. A few kids even came over to peer at what the centre director was showing us and came to hug the centre director.
Contrary to the negative experience we had, the kids at Shekinah were lively and bubbly, constantly exuding energy and lots of joy.
On top of all that, Shekinah had something that we were looking for - Shekinah was a Christian-based school and hence inevitably, they do impart certain Christian values.
The space the kids learnt in wasn't really huge but reasonable. While it was common for most childcare centres to have the kids eat, sleep and play at the same area, the kids at Shekinah ate at a separate area, the dining area. They also had a computer lab area for their ICT lessons.
All that tied in to wat we wanted - a learning environment that would edify and encourage our little Adri.
Of course, we did not forget to check on the SOP Shekinah had wrt children who were ill.
Shekinah passed the test with flying colours even though I pretended that at times, we really might not have alternative childcare arrangement because of our busy work schedule.
The teacher-student ratio was good, 1:4, and Shekinah had trained teachers instead of a mix of teachers and teacher-assistants.
By the time we left Shekinah, we were 98% pleased.
The remaining 2%?
Shekinah wasn't as big as MMI.
Price?
A lot more affordable.
Fees would be $650 per month after subsidy.
Mart and I didn't enrol Adri on the spot. We didn't want to be rash and clouded by what we had seen. We needed time to discuss and consider factors such as:
1)Duration of school
Would we want to enrol Adri in a full- or half-day programme?
2)Distance from Mum's home
Either Mum or Help would be the one to send Adri to and fetch Adri from school daily. Shekinah is rather far from Mum's place. How would Mum be able to pick Adri home? It would also be quite a walk for Adri. Our helper was quite a "sotong". Would she be able to ferry and fetch Adri daily safely? That would be a good 20min walk to and another 20min walk from school daily.
After much deliberation and working out the details, Mart and I returned to Shekinah a week after, sometime in June 2009, to place a deposit to secure a place for Adri for Year 2010.
We left our decision as it was and did not explore any other schools til somewhere in October.
The teacher-student ratio was good, 1:4, and Shekinah had trained teachers instead of a mix of teachers and teacher-assistants.
By the time we left Shekinah, we were 98% pleased.
The remaining 2%?
Shekinah wasn't as big as MMI.
Price?
A lot more affordable.
Fees would be $650 per month after subsidy.
Mart and I didn't enrol Adri on the spot. We didn't want to be rash and clouded by what we had seen. We needed time to discuss and consider factors such as:
1)Duration of school
Would we want to enrol Adri in a full- or half-day programme?
2)Distance from Mum's home
Either Mum or Help would be the one to send Adri to and fetch Adri from school daily. Shekinah is rather far from Mum's place. How would Mum be able to pick Adri home? It would also be quite a walk for Adri. Our helper was quite a "sotong". Would she be able to ferry and fetch Adri daily safely? That would be a good 20min walk to and another 20min walk from school daily.
After much deliberation and working out the details, Mart and I returned to Shekinah a week after, sometime in June 2009, to place a deposit to secure a place for Adri for Year 2010.
We left our decision as it was and did not explore any other schools til somewhere in October.
Why so?
After a good "browsing" and "shopping" for than 1.5 years, Mart and I eventually settled on our new place. Things happened pretty fast and the whole process of browsing and sealing the decision to purchase our new place took a mere slightly more than a month, from mid May to July, and that was when we realised perhaps, we ought to review our decision of putting Adri way at Old Punggol Road (which was near our Sengkang flat) when we would be residing at Upper Paya Road.
We had two main considerations:
1) I had planned to go on no-pay leave til end of 2010 after my Maternity Leave and ferrying Adri to and fro might be a toil. Somewhere closer to our new place might be a better choice in terms of proximity.
1) I had planned to go on no-pay leave til end of 2010 after my Maternity Leave and ferrying Adri to and fro might be a toil. Somewhere closer to our new place might be a better choice in terms of proximity.
2) Our helper got into series of trouble with us and we decided to let her go for good in Aug and we were serious about not having another and hence, it would have to be Mum who would be sending Adri to and fetching Adri from school on a daily basis in the long run if we were to put Adri at Shekinah. I am not too sure if Mum would be able to take the long walk.
That started our "school shopping" process again.
We surfed the net and there weren't many childcare centres within 1km and 1.5km from our new place.
The few we identified, we visited.
Mart and I repeated the process and focused on three key areas when we visited the childcare centres:
1)Learning environment - quality of learning & engagement
2)Physical space and facilities within the school premise
3)SOP wrt children who were ill
Only one met our requirement.
We were pleased. I still preferred the Montessori curriculum but this particular childcare had a structured thematic approach. When I enquired, the teacher whom I interacted with was even able to fish out one thick file that consisted of the whole year's lesson plans and learning sheets and talk to me about the different ways in which they engaged the kids. Further probing revealed that she was likely to be Adri's teacher! She was full and energy and she was able to engage me.
That started our "school shopping" process again.
We surfed the net and there weren't many childcare centres within 1km and 1.5km from our new place.
The few we identified, we visited.
Mart and I repeated the process and focused on three key areas when we visited the childcare centres:
1)Learning environment - quality of learning & engagement
2)Physical space and facilities within the school premise
3)SOP wrt children who were ill
Only one met our requirement.
We were pleased. I still preferred the Montessori curriculum but this particular childcare had a structured thematic approach. When I enquired, the teacher whom I interacted with was even able to fish out one thick file that consisted of the whole year's lesson plans and learning sheets and talk to me about the different ways in which they engaged the kids. Further probing revealed that she was likely to be Adri's teacher! She was full and energy and she was able to engage me.
Although i still preferred the Montessori Curriculum, we thought the thematic approach had its advantages too. Infact, as long as the learning was structured instead of the incidental ones that relied largely on the teacher's whims and fancies, Mart and I were alright. To add, this particular childcare was only 5 mins from home and that meant that sending Adri to and fetching her from school would be a breeze. I certainly didn't mind the idea of added bonding time from those daily walks.
Mart and I did not take long to decide.
We enrolled Adri within the week and paid the deposit, the school and miscellaneous fees. Mart and I were rather pleased with our decision; enrolling Adri in this school brought abt a saving of $150 as compared to Shekinah Montessori!
~ January 2010 - Day 1 ~
Mummy didn't accompany Adri to school simply because as a teacher, Mummy herself had a new class to handle. Mart took leave and accompanied Adri to school for the first two days.
At the end of Day 1:
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Me: How was it? How was Adri at school? Did she enjoy school?
Mart: Ok...they had activities lined up for the kids. Adri cried a little but soon settled down and joined the kids.
Me: How was the class size and how were the teachers?
Mart: There were two teachers to 7 pupils. Teacher G (the centre director) was there too.
I went on to ask a couple of questions. Mart's responses seemed alright but i knew something was amiss..
Mart: I am wondering if we had made the right choice. I think Adri deserves something better than this...
Me: Why?
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Mart couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong. He just didn't feel that that was the ideal learning environment for Adri. After a short discussion, we decided to hang on for at least a week before we made further decisions.
Mart continued to be with Adri on the second day. Despite Adri's positive response, that she was participating in the activities and that she did not reject school, Mart still felt that something was amiss. However, he was quick to dismiss it as him being too critical and again we decided to wait for the end of the week.
The 3rd day was the test. Adri was to attend school alone.
Mummy was anxious. Although I was in school, I couldn't help wonder about Adri being alone in school all the time. I had trains of questions and my anxiety was lessened when i received an unexpected SMS from G, the centre director. She informed that Adri was doing fine and was interacting well with her friends. She did, however, cried just a little.
I felt relieved upon hearing that and i couldn't wait to pick my little darling from school.
That day, i made it a point to end work early so that i could take Adri home at the earliest possible time. I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her all alone (without Daddy) in school for a whole day! I wondered if she felt frightened or worse, lost.
I didn't tell G when I was going to pick Adri.
I arrived at the school gate.
Boy, i was pretty taken aback by the person who greeted me!
A typical ah-lian look-a-like welcomed me.
This lady was clad in low-cut spagetti strap tank top and a very short mini skirt! I didn't think that that code of dressing was suitable for school!
Appearance aside, she literally spoke like an ah-lian!
"A teacher-aide?" I thought.
When she introduced herself, I couldn't believe what i heard.
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"Eh, hello, Julia! Ya, I am G," she said with zest.
I "fainted".
This is the centre director???!!!
It was obviously a GREAT mismatch from the image of a typical centre director i had in my mind.
We chatted for a while before G took me to Adri.
Instead of offering more on Adri's progress, G actually initiated topics on my hp, my bag and my car!
*Faint!*
I didn't think that was what she should be talking to me about, esp when that was the first time we met. Perhaps she was trying to get to know me but i seriously thought she missed the whole point; i was obviously more concerned about my child. That was the first day Adri attended school on her own and i wished she had offered me more information on Adri's progress!
Throughout the whole conversation, she had a lot of pragmatic items in her speech and i am not joking, she really spoke like a typical ah-lian. She had such a desposition too.
After our superficial conversation, I finally got to see Adri.
We sneaked up the stairs and stood outside Adri's classroom for quite a while. Both the teacher and the class didn't notice us.
I totally didn't like what i saw.
Instead of the promised two teachers at all times, i saw a very old (lifeless) grandma seated with the kids. The kids were drinking water from their water bottles. Nothing wrong right? The whole time that went on, there was zero interaction between the teacher and the kids.
To the layman, it might have seemed like the teacher managed the class well, that there weren't kids running around. I was, however, looking beyond that. To me, to be able to manage the class well was a given, it was a must so that was not even a concern; it was an expectation every teacher must meet.
What disturbed me was, there was zero interaction between the teacher and the kids and even amongst the kids. The whole environment was "dead" and lifeless.
The teacher looked really tired and was obviously resting.
She looked like a retired grandma who had little energy left for the job. When we interacted, she sounded equally lifeless.
Checked with G and i soon realised that yes, the grandma was Adri's teacher. I was hoping that she would be a substitute teacher for the day or even the teacher assistant.
Mart had taken pics and videos the day before and the two teachers in the pics and videos were lots younger and a lot more energetic.
Dun get me wrong, i am not discriminating teachers who are senior in age but i felt really strongly that perhaps these little energetic toddlers should be put under the care of slightly younger and energetic teachers who would be able to sustain and infuse in the kids, a love for learning.
Instead of the promised two teachers at any one point of time, the teacher-student ratio became 1:7. I totally didn't like the idea of Adri being in such a "dead" environment. I thought there was something wrong with the deployment of teachers.
When I left the centre, I was still deeply disturbed.
I thought I was being too critical.
Spoke with Mart and I realised that Mart had picked up such signs thoughout the two days he was with Adri and thought that was all "normal". To me, such was probably common, but definitely not normal.
A quick check with Mart revealed that the centre director's code of dressing was similar for the past two days - too low and too short.
We didn't take long.
You guessed it.
I came up with an excuse and withdrew Adri from that childcare centre.
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Our main reasons:
1) If such was the standard the centre director had set for herself, it would be rather impossible to expect quality stemming from her teachers. The followers model after the leader!
2) I did not want Adri to model after G's code of conduct (disposition) and speech. We all know how important the formative years of a child are.
3) I felt that the centre director had over-promised and under-delivered in many aspects.
4) I did not think i should be paying $500 per month for such a service; I was paying probably more for the "brand" than for the quality of service.
Immediately after I had withdrawn Adri, I called up Shekinah and enquired if they still had a place for Adri. They did and since Day 4, Adri has been with Shekinah.
In retrospect, I have to admit that a sudden change of environment wasn't a very wise thing to do. Perhaps, I should have given Adri a few days' break before putting her in a new school. I thought since Adri was already used to the school routine, I might as well not break it.
Thankfully, Adri coped with the change well.
Mart was with her for half a day on Day 4 and he noticed that she was kept engaged all the time and she took great interest in most of the activities. The only problem we had to grapple with was that Adri was asking for the teachers and friends from her first school and it took us a few days to ingrain in her that she would not be returning to that school and would not be seeing those teachers again; she would be making new friends and would be learning from new teachers.
~Snippets of what Adri did on Day 1 @ Shekinah~
Given that Mart was only with her for a mere 3 hours, i was rather pleased with the amount of learning and fun Adri had at Shekinah.
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Strangely, but Mart and I felt a lot more at peace after we had transferred Adri to Shekinah. We felt that she was, in many aspects, in safer hands.
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Adri has been on her own since Day 5 and she's been good.
She didn't cry much and the teachers at Shekinah just had their ways of handling her.
There was weekly progress report and the teachers deemed Adri to be a girl with few words and refused to believe us when we mentioned that Adri could actually speak in complete sentences and would chatter non-stop the moment she was back home with us. One teacher was so intrigued with the idea that she casually asked us to tape Adri's chatty nature down!
For two whole months, Adri refused to speak with her teachers and friends but communicated with her body language and facial expression. She was funny in her own ways. Recall the Cabrury advertisement where the two kids shifted and furrowed their eyebrows in accordance to the rhythm of the music? Adri did just that! She communicated with her eyes and eyebrow! =p
There were also several occassions where she would observe from a distance instead of participating in the mass activities. When it came to individual learning through play however, the teachers commented that she was alright. She was even observed to be mumbling to herself.
I was concerned when I heard that feedback.
I knew all along that Adri was shy and would prefer to keep quiet in front of a crowd but to remain quiet for a good two months appeared a little too long.
I expressed my concern to a colleague and she mentioned that her daughter also exhibited a similar behaviour when she first attended school and infact, her daughter took a longer time to warm up. Her daughter is now pass 4 and is able to read, speak and write well.
That soothed my nerves a great deal.
I learnt to accept that perhaps, Adri was one who learnt through observation.
I learnt to accept that perhaps, Adri was one who learnt through observation.
Thankfully, I did not have to worry for long. Shortly after two months, Adri started spouting non-stop in school and she amused the teachers in school.
Just last week, one teacher commented that Adri could speak clearly and loudly!
I am just so relieved that Adri coped with the change well and she is enjoying school. She never fails to be excited at the mention of school, friends and teachers!
As parents, Mart and I wanted a learning environment that would infuse joy in learning.
Mart and I wanted Adri's school experience to be positive and safe.
We just wanted her to be HAPPY.
And we are glad she is. =)
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