Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

[breezy]

Song22:

I think many parents who are thinking between IB and A level might be concerned about the comment underlined above. Hope to hear more about this from existing ACSI parents, thanks!
:thankyou:

Hi all, my experience to share:
Both my sons are in ACSI, both in IP - year 4 and yr 1.
5 years ago during DSA for my elder son, we had to make a decision on the schools to go for.

My boys were from a neighborhood school, and my elder son is highly introverted- serious, a quiet observer, awkward when put in the limelight, enjoys math and science, okay with English but not really a fan of Chinese. :oops: He walks on the dotted line and is happier with routines.

In selecting a secondary school for him, we put great consideration into how the school can prepare him for adulthood challenges (national service, being more vocal, more sociable, acquiring analytical skills and able to relate to issues around him, etc.) While we figured that he would definitely thrive in schools which allows him to dwell deep in books in his areas of interest, but a nagging thought in us reminded us that that would be too myopic. We'd prefer him to lighten up, learn a little something in different areas, regardless of whether he excels in them.

Of course at the back of our minds, we were concerned about whether he could cope with language arts (literature, poem analysis, expository essays...), giving presentations......etc. but we figured that if we don't give him a chance to pick up these skills now just to keep in him in the comfort zone for the time being, then when? After all, learning is about the journey you take, not solely on the outcome.

So, ACSI was our natural choice, besides the IB programme, the 2 CCAs policy (uniform group being the compulsory CCA), the not too \"mugger\", more light-hearted culture, also closer to home.

I am not going to paint a rosy picture here. In year 1, he did struggle with literary analysis on unseen poems and literature text, afterall, language arts is a big leap from primary school english. And history topics (with an in-house curriculum) always have to be related with current affairs. 4 yrs down the road, I am glad i can see maturity in his written work, in his ability to relate to the world at large. Project work is aplenty here and finding a common time to meet is a challenge when most boys hold 2 or more CCAs and some even doing 3rd language. But they still chugged along...

Still very much an introvert my elder boy is today, I am heartened to say that he has learned to get along with friends from both IP n \"O-level\" tracks thru CCAs, though he still suffers from \"people exhaustion\" and needs \"alone time to recuperate. The boys in ACSI are given opportunities in the areas they excel in, may it be Sports, uniform groups, academic competitions, etc. and my son is kept suitably challenged for the last 4 years and has learnt the art of time management.

I wont dare to dream that he'll get a perfect score come year 6 but the learning journey and type of exposure he's been given in this school thus far is undoubtedly the one I've hoped for when we accepted the DSA offer - the building of \"ah boy to man\".

[Snow Crystal]

Breezy - that was good sharing!

I salute you for your long term view and supportive mentality of wanting to build your DS' soft skills. :celebrate:

[autolycus]

Wow, Breezy... wonderful story. Hope to hear many more!

[Song22]

Thanks Breezy, great sharing from a parent’s point of view!


thanks Autolycus too, for your great insights as always! Yes, hope to hear from more parents, thank you!

[deep]

Any idea when acsi results r out… 2010, 2011 and 2012 were 15, 16 andc17 respectively. The results were mostly on a wednesday and co given on friday…

[blessedmommy]

Wow breezy… thats certainly very encouraging! My boys are a little somewhat like yours. They enjoy math, science and CL! Do relatively well in English but dun exactly enjoy writing too many essays. Hence im always concern if they do take up IB prog. They also thrive with routines, are sociable but have anxieties doing oral presentations. So your testimony has really encouraged me! Looking fwd to hear from more parents pls …

[Song22]

blessedmommy:

Wow breezy... thats certainly very encouraging! My boys are a little somewhat like yours. They enjoy math, science and CL! Do relatively well in English but dun exactly enjoy writing too many essays. Hence im always concern if they do take up IB prog. They also thrive with routines, are sociable but have anxieties doing oral presentations. So your testimony has really encouraged me! Looking fwd to hear from more parents pls ....

Same same, ds is also more inclined to maths, doesn't really enjoy writing so much yet

[zeemimi]

thanks breezy! great sharing!

[breezy]

autolycus:

By the time students enter university, they already know how to plan research, write a paper, annotate a text, assemble a bibliography.

Ahh, autolycus,

The extensive annotation, the variety of project work, the \"fuss\" over building an extensive bibilography even with a small piece of research work, etc. is all making good sense now.

Thanx for the enlightenment!

Snow crystal, Song22, blessedmommy and zeemimi: Thanx for your kind words, most happy to share our thought process and the kids' experience with fellow parents

Gd day, everyone!

[UncleLim]

:goodpost:


Thank you, breezy, for sharing your journey, especially with your elder son. It is food for thought for parents who hope their children can grow from primary school math & science geeks into truly educated and thinking young adults.

breezy:

Hi all, my experience to share:
Both my sons are in ACSI, both in IP - year 4 and yr 1.
5 years ago during DSA for my elder son, we had to make a decision on the schools to go for.

...

Still very much an introvert my elder boy is today, I am heartened to say that he has learned to get along with friends from both IP n \"O-level\" tracks thru CCAs, though he still suffers from \"people exhaustion\" and needs \"alone time to recuperate. The boys in ACSI are given opportunities in the areas they excel in, may it be Sports, uniform groups, academic competitions, etc. and my son is kept suitably challenged for the last 4 years and has learnt the art of time management.

I wont dare to dream that he'll get a perfect score come year 6 but the learning journey and type of exposure he's been given in this school thus far is undoubtedly the one I've hoped for when we accepted the DSA offer - the building of \"ah boy to man\".