Pre-School II

After reading MG’s post on kindergarden, I have more to update (in fact I have written quite alot about JS’s at school – here, here, here)

1) When did you register? (ie how many months in advance?)
We have decided in year 2005 that JS should start schooling in the year of 2006. Since we shifted to Senawang in Jan 2005, I spent a year looking for a suitable school for JS. Registered her in Oct 2005 after decided that this is the school we wanted to sent her and that the registration fees is waived hence never wait until Dec 2005 to register her. (Usually at year end, alot of school will run a promo to attract students, they will either give door gifts or discount, more advertisement on newspaper as well, so can get to know more choice – this is only for Klang Valley on newspaper advertisement. S’ban hardly see any advertisement on kindy)

2) How old was your kid?
JS was only 3 yrs old when school term started in Jan 2006. But because she’s born in year 2002, the school consider her as age 4 and treated her like a 4 year old kid.

3) How did you choose the kindy?
Base on the criteria listed here . The initial plan was that the 1st year, let her join a montessori one to play and enjoy , 2nd year to a proper academic one to prepare for primary school. (It has to be english or chinese medium – at least 1 year needs to be chinese medium so that she can catch up when we sent her to chinese primary school). 3rd year, a proper kindy back in Subang. So that she can catch up with the school pace and learning environment in Klang Valley (hubby said Klang Valley schooling more competative so no matter what we will have to move back to Subang when JS started proper schooling, going to enrol her to Li Xing in SS19)

4)What kind of preparation beforehand?
Talk to JS alot about school. Show her pictures, tv’s programe on kids attending school. When we just moved into our house in Senawang, there is this kindy just right behind our house (back to back), the teacher would bring the kids out to the school compound to do PE, I will bring the kids out to watch. When I scout around for kindy, I brought JS along, show her how school is like, what the other kids do and ask her opinion about the school. Apparently she would say she wants to join every school we visited, she likes everyone of it, provided that mummy will stay with her. So end up it’s more of my choice than her because she can’t really tell her preference. When she was 2 1/2 yrs old, I sent JS to my mum’s school for a week as a trial and for her to get the feel of what school is really like. She enjoyed it there but also because mum is there so she feel more secure. But the travelling from Puchong to Jalan Gasing during the morning peak hour is killing us.

5)What is your child’s personality and how long did he/she take to settle down?
JS is very very attached to me. She needs time to warm up and can feel insecure and anxiety when I’m not around her. She’s also very fickled minded, one moment she likes 1 friend but the next moment she would not entertaint them. She’s fussy with her choice of friends. It has been 4 months now since she’s started school, and I cannot say she has entirely settle down. She’s giving me the confusing/contradicting indication of whether she likes school or not. Certain days she would be very excited, telling me what she wants to bring school, which bag to take, which hair clips to use, she never fuss in the morning when I wake her up, she talks about her teacher, friends in the car on the way to school, she does her busy bee and homework volunteerly. She plays teacher at home, she pretends to be one of the classmates and me another and pretend play. She always ask me “mummy, today need to go school or not?” she never show sign of resent if I say yes, but she’s happy when I say no. She still doesn’t have a particular close friend in school. The girls in her class are all malays. Since their mother tougue is malay I guess JS finds it abit hard to blend in with them, she seems to be a bit loner,That’s quite a sad part. She told me her best friend is Vase (Indian boy) , but alot of time I saw her pushing Vase away when the boy approach her. I think she still doesn’t find a belonging or a close attachment with her peer that makes her really excited to be around them.

6)Are you happy with your choice?
Not entirely. The school syllbus is pushing me more on my expectation on my kid. Upon making my decision on the school choice I know many of my criterias were not met, but I really don’t have a choice. I have actually found a true montesorri kindy with montessori tools and very impressive collection of story books near my house and they have excursion on Saturday morning, but the students are all malays, and they are not so well-groomed. The outside of the kindy looks run down and students are not segregated by their age, all 3 – 6yrs old join in 1 class and only got 1 teacher. So my hope of finding a montesorri school crashed after I visited the school.

The criterias that has been met by JS’s current school according to what I have expected
a) Caring teachers to all the students. I have spent quite alot of time at JS’s school to observe due to JS’s crying I usually stand aside to watch, that’s my finding on the teacher
b) Safety : Still OK. I’m actually looking for a kindy with a compound that the kids can run about with nice playground and even swimming pool like the school my mum taught at. But JS’s school is located at a shop lot, 1st floor. But the teacher’s will escort the students up to the school and when school dismissed the teacher will be around to guard the students downstair and won’t release the kids unless whoever designated to pick the kids shows up. 1st time I visited , I expected to see kid’s toilet and also sink at kid’s height, but there’s only the adult type toilet. (A little dissapointed with that). There’s a safety exist at the school.
c) location: The best I could find near my home. It’s so near and convinient. Though it’s located at the commercial area, but still the road is not busy and jam so that picking and dropping JS off is quite easy. The best of best is it takes about 7 minutes drive from home.
d) easy to talk to the teacher. Anytime I can approach the teacher and they can give me updates on my kids volunteerly. I like that because they are really paying attention to JS and they know JS’s well, her behaviours, her characteristics.
e) montesorri method. Very dissapointed in this because I can’t find any suitable one here.
f) Students and teacher ratio. JS’s class only 8 students. The max the school allow is 12 students in a class. I like that very much. That means more attention JS will get from teacher.
g) writting. Initially was quite please with the writing. Which is mainly tracing. Now it’s getting more tough. I’m getting more dissapointed. It also make me more stress to coach JS. My initial aim when sending JS to school is for her to mix around. But now with the school works she brought home, I tend to be pressurized by it. She can write most of the alphabets but sometimes she just can’t write properly on the margin or in the box which makes me very frustrated. The pace of teaching writing at school is very fast and I don’t think they teach them in a proper way /stroke.
h) Homework. Still in an acceptable amount.
i) No need to stay back at school which is good
j) I actually wanted JS to attend a school with more Chinese, but again dissapointed cannot find one near home that meet most my criterias. So have to make do with this one with only 3 chinese.

7)Any horror/happy stories to share?
Besides the being kissed incident and seeing a black birdie, there isn’t much horror story. Happy one , so far have not really encountered one.

Since I’m not entirely happy with my choice and JS also hasn’t developed an attach feeling for her school, and now without a car to ferry her to school and she has been quarantine, I am really thinking if I should stop her for good. Mixed feeling. 三心两意.

Weaning JS From Bottle

I have started to wean JS from the bottle since Tuesday. Too fed up with her falling asleep with the milk bottle in her mouth and vomitted due to not drinking it properly. Ever since we have taken off her pacifier when she was 26 months old, she somehow have use the milk bottle as the pacifier subsitute. She needs her bottle to fall asleep and it’s very hard for me to take the bottle out unless she’s already in deep slumber. I know it’s not good to fall asleep with the milk bottle in the mouth, as it would cause cavities and also ear infection. She’s sucking in more air than milk which causes stomach ache and also so often because she didn’t suckle properly, the milk actually flows into her airway cause her to cough and vomitted on the bed after she’s fallen asleep.

If I’m persistent enough, I would have wean her long long time ago. I’ve tried, but I guess I’ve been too lenient with her. For my own convinience, so that the brother won’t be disturbed by her cries, I gave in to her and continue let her use the bottle. And also because she’s such a fussy eater, I thought that if she drinks more milk, it will supply whatever nutrient she’s missed out from the food.

I got so fed up on monday night when she threw up again, instantly I packed away all the milk bottles included WH’s and “attempted” to throw it away. ( I managed to hide it somewhere but told her the garbage man has collected it) She cried alot, very pitiful cry, as if loosing something very precious, she cried for almost 20minutes, which is quite heartbreaking but I have to be strong willed this time. Make up lots of stories , white lies finally coach her to drink from the cup with straw. Rewarded her with sticker after that (don’t know what else to do to encourage her to keep going beside bribery, awards and treats).

For 3 days she has been drinking from the cup, but quite reluctanly. She’s now drinking about 3 – 4 cups of 6oz milk a day compared to last time, she was drinking 7 – 8 bottles of 6 oz milk per day. Her food intake remain the same, fussy, picky and small eater even she’s drinking less milk now. I’m worried if she will get enough nutrient and quite comtemplated to bring out the bottle. The good thing is I’ve also started to let WH drink milk from the cup instead of the bottle so that next time I won’t have such a difficult time to wean him as well.

So many changes the kids need to face. Now JS is going through getting rid of the bottle, my next target would be for WH to be off the breast then follow by them sleeping by themself without my pressent and later let them sleep in their own room.

Sickly Weekend

One sickly weekend extended to almost a full sickly week. Feeling real exhausted.

Saturday morning, drove back to KL, went straight to Berjaya Time Square for shopping. (Eventhough we have been living in KL most of the time, but this is the first time we visited the place, once is enough for us as we prefer MidValley and 1U), dinner with in-laws. Right after dinner when we were home, JS is down with slight flu and fever. WH also showing sign of not feeling well.

Sunday, JS recovered with a dose of chinese medicine. WH started to cough and having slight fever. Afternoon, hubby took us to visit his friend, didn’t know the friend’s family is also down with flu. Right after the visit, WH started to have runny nose. Temperature raise over the night.

Monday morning, WH’s fever subsided with bad cough and flu, JS still have a little runny nose and a irregular cough. Given them whatever medicine at home. WH refused medicine. Finding it so hard to feed him. A lot of crying, hanging on to me like a leech. I started to have stuffy nose and sleepless night due to WH’s crying at night, demand to nurse and struggling to feed medicine. WH’s fever return in the wee hours.

Tuesday, brought WH to see paed. He cried alot upon seeing the doctor. Brought JS and myself to see the TCM doctor.

Until today WH still refuse his medicine. Saw the syringe or medicine spoon already running away, seal up his lips, if I force feed him, he would spit it out. Mixed it in his food and he knows and refuse to eat. Good thing there is an extra pair of hand at home to help. I know I will surely lost my temper easily if left alone sick with 2 sickly cranky kids, plus vomitting and refusing food. It’s already Thursday, 3 of us still no sign of feeling better and now hubby also joining our troop and become sickly.