The school hunt officially began yesterday and continued today. JS skipped school and joined me for the hunt. (I even go to the extend to bring along a notebook to jot down points of each school)
We drove through many Taman (housing areas), passing many many kindies along the way, some were just too unappealing for me to even stop by and have a look. Perhaps to my standard it’s TOO “kampung” style.
First Day
1) 1st School ( Seri Suria) Single storey corner house
Got to know about this school from the internet. Apparently this kindy has incorporated a system/programme call “Ednoland” (what the hell is that?? seems like something to do with IT/computer)
Pro:
- very experience principle in the age of about 50++ (from the conversation, the questions i posted and my view on early chilhood education)
- no homework. All will be done in school closely monitored by the teachers
- Ednoland computer programme
- Smart reader english
- 中华字经
- Chinese medium
- obviously majority chinese students
- Fees about RM113 per month (ok ok, fees is the last on my list as I’m currently paying RM250 per month for JS’s current school)
- art class by professional art teacher from art school on top of the normal NPC
Con
- Small, run down, messy place
- max 20 students in a class
- no refreshement provided (have to bring own food)
- distant (abt 20 min drive)
2) 2nd school (Methodist) Double storey corner house
Pro
- JS already got friends there (one neighbour and another pair for twins from the music school)
- RM120
- Chinese medium
- principle said it wont have much homework
- 中华字经
Con
- distant (same area as first school)
- principle too young and look unconvincing
- max 20 per class
- school building spacious, but a little old and no emergency exit for the top floor
- Mandarin teacher (old like my mum’s age) cannot pronounce proper Mandarin. I observed and heard this 吃 (eat) suppose to sounds chi1 (first tone) but the teacher pronouce as chi4 (4th tone) 喝 (drink) he1 but teacher said he4 读 (read) du1 not du4. As a mandarin teacher, one suppose to self correct on this PIYIN before teaching the kids. It’s one turn off to listen to this mis pronounced words. My mum, a mandarin teacher will always make sure that her pronounciation is correct.
3) 3rd school (Nemo) Double storey corner house
Pro
- got excursion
- drawing lesson from art school teacher
- chinese medium
- longer hour (8.30am to 12pm) usually kindy only 3 hours
- chinese medium
Con
- distant (same area as first 2 school)
- the principle very money face, I’m only doing enquiry but already pressing me to pay deposit.
- books – a set of book cost RM100 over from local publisher…which means the principle will get alot of commision and she never exactly show me all the books
- too academic, principle doesn’t share my view on early childhood education and believes in drilling and giving a lot of homework
- odd design of the building interior..alot of stairs , a little old
- no emergency exit from the upper level floor
4) 4th school (krista) double storey corner house – upon seeing the name.. I recall the same HQ in KL…
Pro
- very near home (5 min drive)
- Montessori integrated
Con
- Teacher not well inform, giving me irrelevant answer. (didn’t manage to go in the school and speak to the principle as it was school dismiss time and the kids are already queing outside to go home)
- All malay students
- English Medium
- Not even Mandarin classes
- JS really dislike this school, saw the Indian teacher already cried.
First day hunt ended (only 1/2 day search as most school finishes at noon), I can only say that none is impressive.
Today, we headed for our hunt again to another Taman (another highly Chinese populated area but much further than the day before, about 30 min drive from home)
1) 1st school (Satria) single storey corner lot
It’s actually the branch of the first school we visited the day before and it’s also very shabby looking
2) 2nd school (Silver bells) 3 double storey houses including one corner lot
Boy….I’m truly impressed with the school building…so huge and so new and brightly clean and with a very nice office, friendly and well informed teachers (sadly that I didn’t get to talk to the principle), the playground is nice, the table and chairs in the classrooms are nice
Pro
- S’pore syllabus (workbooks)
- Got a little swimming pool (ha! that really looks like the school my mum teaches in in KL)
- Many chinese students but there’s also mixture of malays and indian and the teachers also a mixtures of all races)
- A english medium school, but chinese medium class is available (and the chinese teacher impressed me)
- Got yearly excursion
Con
- very far from home
- no refreshement ( have to bring own food)
3) 3rd school (3QJunior) small little single storey corner lot
Pro
- Syllabus ok. Using Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligent, Mozart effect
- Nice layout (a little montessori style with designated area for music, toys, library)
- Abacus arithmetic (the 5 beads one 五珠算)
- Chinese medium
- I like the parent note book , each day the note book is handed to the parent on what has been taught to the kids at school hence the parents can do revision with kids
- HQ in KL with branches in SEA
Con
- distant
- don’t like the school buidling, a little small and shabby even the kids (though in uniform) also looks shabby but the fees is the most expensive of all the school I surveyed but still cheaper than JS’s school but according to the assistant principle the are planning to move…so hopefully I will like the new school buidling
- smelly toilet…only 1 toilet ( and I realize all the school I visited, they dont have kid’s friendly toilet and some of it even using the squat type toilet…such dissapointment)
4) 4th School (Utama Jaya) 2 double storey house one at corner lot ..this one got emergency exit
Pro
- long hour (8.30 to 12.15pm)
- I observed very dedicate teachers
Con
- principle cannot pronouce Mandarin in proper Pinyin
- Not so outstanding curiculum, very ordinary
- distant
I have basically short listed 2 and I think most likely my hunt will stop. Will go visit the 2 short listed one again for further observation and enquiry. One think I realize is during enquiry session or open school day or from brochure and pamplets, one really cannot know much about the school. The pictures on the brochure will show the most interesting part of the school and summing up the curriculum by making it so impressive but the truth is always never the same as advertise. This is my experience I’ve made last year. JS’s attending SRK, though I already know is very academic but i was drawn to the fact that they said they have classes like “kinder cooking” but the fact it that’s only done once in a blue moon and the teacher are teaching in haze to finish off the syllabus and JS is not taught the correct stroke of writing alphabets. I just feel that this school JS’s attending is moving in a very fast pace and not according to the kid’s development.
Out of the 8 school I visited, all has the maximum class size of 20 students (some will have 1 teacher with a assitant but some only 1:20). Currently JS’s school max class size is 12 (that’s why pay more la..but pay more also doesn’t mean that she’s given full attention).
Out of 8 school, 7 school said that it’s inevitable that the school has to drill on the kids to prepare them for primary one, especially for those that wants to attend a Chinese primary school, they need to prepare the kids for the pressure that they will face in the future…the learn through play relaxing mode just doesn’t work in our education system. The principle from School 1 day 1 said that parents guidance after school is crucial even in kindy level (no wonder so many tuition centers sprouting out as many parents just couldn’t afford the time to guide their kids after school)
I also realize my mistake of wanting to put her in different kindies b4 she enters primary one. Before I moved to this small town, I actually thought of sending JS to a play school first and then later only to a more academic focus one (english medium) and the third year to academic focus one (chinese medium)…after moving here, I failed to find a play school or montessori school, so I just put her in this SRK (the one in the m’sia book of record and claim to have the most franchiase in m’sia) and I just want her to go socialize and did not press very hard on hera ademically…but sadly due to our education system, many schools already started drilling the kids at 4…it’s preferably that the kid can continue at one same kindy so that the teacher can know the kids progress. And each new school, poor JS will have to take time to learn to adapt to the environment.
6 out of the 8 school I visited, they expected the kids that enter age 5 class to know the basic writing of a-z and 1-10 and they expect the kids to have attended a year of kindy before if not some sort of homeschooling has been carried out. They will not go through the basic teaching of writing the alphabets already.
So far..this are my search result….tonight I will check out with the mummies from JS’s music class if they know of any other better kindy around my area or any area that I can consider…..but at least I have short listed 2 at this moment .
Some useful links
- www.q-dees.com
- www.ednoland.com
- www.cec.edu.my
- www.krista.com.my
- www.mymrc.com.my
- www.schoolmalaysia.com
- http://www.geocities.com/malaysiakindergarten/
- http://www.kindergartenmalaysia.com/en/
- http://www.kindergarten2u.com/
Updates
Glad that the hunt is finally over. Brought hubby to check out the place I have short listed on Sunday. The one with the most impressive building, the principle actually stayed next door, though they are not opened but we are warmly welcome during our visit on Sunday. The way she spoken was also well knowleadgable about early childhood education, we paid for the registration on that visit itself.
Posted by dragonmummy 
Posted by dragonmummy 
