Children of average ability
-
buds:
Honestly, I'm also not sure whether hv the centre teach him decimal system..I understand your point..I used to think that kids, no matter how advanced or smart, should b limited to their age to learn but after I hv my boy, I realised this is not the case..basically, the more I exposured him to the various subjects, the more he is able to learn. Actually, upon reading my boy's com book by his previous teacher, I'm really surprised that at N1, they r learning the life cycle of a kiwi! Think I only learn abt life cycle when I was in P3. Gosh! How advanced the learning is nowadays!
As for teaching your child at home, try to reinforce
what is done in your child's childcare. Especially for
the decimal system - thousand, hundreds, tens and
units.
Lessons we teach should preferably be age appropriate. -
Heyya shylyn,
For 3.5yrs, decimal system… ermmm, i dun think so.
Usually, formal Math introduction is introduced from
4yrs onwards.
The curriculum for MMI centres are designed by the
curriculum developers and why i say the children are
ready for P1? Its because their curriculum encompasses
all the 5 areas in Montessori, which is Practical Life,
Sensorial, Cultural, Language and Maths and all these
areas are done within a prepared environment. Meaning,
all materials required to teach the children all the 5 areas
are available in the centre. Montessori children tend to have
a wider knowledge of the outside world apart from academics.
The Cultural even covers Geography. Whatever that we find
beneficial for children’s knowledge that we can’t bring the
children out to show them, we bring the outside into the class-
room.
A good Montessori teacher will also cover Grace and
Courtesy with the children. There are specific ways to open the
door, sit on the floor, flip a page of a book, etc.
Can’t reali explain the extensive details of the entire Montessori
curriculum here. Too many to touch on… Coming from the
circular typed of kindergartens here that focus a lot on rote
learning, the Montessori Methodology was a very enlightening
journey of knowledge for me.
Touching on the staffing part, MMI can definitely afford the best
teachers, provided they are out there… Again, this is a people
problem. It’s not too bad finding good or efficient teachers, but
passionate ones (like me!) that all comes from the heart right?
Its something employers cannot enforce on the people they
recruit. Likewise for office setting…
As for teaching your child at home…
Please try to find out from your child’s teacher what will be covered.
Then, it’ll be better for you to reinforce with your own materials or
activities at home to test what your child has learnt. I normally already
prepare a draft of what’s being covered in a term and i give out monthly
newsletters to my parents.
As for the usual communication book replies…
we try as much as possible to attend to the queries with all the care that
has to be provided to the children ie. shower, snack, sleeping time, etc.
Cause i believe working parents cannot reali understand the cycle that
goes through the childcare centre so via our thoughts and observations
we can assure parents the child is more than well cared for. Thus,
resulting in gaining parents’ trust. This in turn will pave a great 2-way
communication relationship between parent and teacher. The plus is
the parents do not ask the teacher for updates every other day anymore
cause they already know everything’s covered nicely… -
kaitlynangelica:
Yes the boy went back to kindergarten. His mommy could have sent him to another primary school, but the boy refused to go back to primary school. He was too traumatised by his experience in P1 at West Grove, where he was neglected for a few months because he could not follow up. The boy wanted to go back to kindergarten. He is now in a church kindergarten in Jurong.
Tamarind,
YOu sure the boy got sent back to p1? How could that be? I am ssure that the MOE won't allow that. Besides, I have friends who also had kids that couldn't read when they entered p1 but they caught up by middle of the year.
Didn't the mother do anything to prepare the child for p1? I find it hard to believe that he couldn't do anything at all. Even if a little bit, I am sure they can catch up right?
His mommy thought that she could trust the the boy's first kindergarten, which is PCF (not the same one as my kids), to prepare him well for primary school. She did not check to make sure that he can read and write in sentences before entering P1. She told me that she really regretted and she is paying a lot more attention now to her youngest child.
That was about 2 years ago, when my boy still didn't know all the ABCs. I was really worried and so I started to teach him at home. Parents really cannot just leave everything to the teachers at kindergartens/CCs. -
tamarind:
Choosing a RIGHT school for the preschooler is a daunting task.
Parents really cannot just leave everything to the teachers at kindergartens/CCs.
I did not send my younger son to my older boy's previous preschool because of time constraint and inconvenience after sending the older son to school. Instead I put him in one of the NTUC CC nearby. My intention was to have someones babysit him and other children to play with him since he was in toddler group there.
Within a short period, he had picked up broken sentences e.g mummy where? Papa why? Everything why? This one and that one. Ending the speech with lor. Before enrolling, we had taught him to say the magic word \"Please\". Now he stop using and is always raising his voice when he talks. We had toilet trained him but they put him on diaper.
I remembered when my elder son was in PCF CC then LV before his transfer to a preschool at about 4, he did not pick up those habits.
Ai......ai.... Although we have pull him out for goodness sake. His habits are hard to kick off. -
kiasulang:
Choosing the RIGHT primary school is also very important. Perhaps it didn't occur to the mum to go for a more lower 'profile' primary school as perhaps West Grove is located near to their place.
Choosing a RIGHT school for the preschooler is a daunting task. -
kiasulang:
Choosing a RIGHT school for the preschooler is a daunting task.tamarind:
Parents really cannot just leave everything to the teachers at kindergartens/CCs.
I did not send my younger son to my older boy's previous preschool because of time constraint and inconvenience after sending the older son to school. Instead I put him in one of the NTUC CC nearby. My intention was to have someones babysit him and other children to play with him since he was in toddler group there.
Within a short period, he had picked up broken sentences e.g mummy where? Papa why? Everything why? This one and that one. Ending the speech with lor. Before enrolling, we had taught him to say the magic word \"Please\". Now he stop using and is always raising his voice when he talks. We had toilet trained him but they put him on diaper.
I remembered when my elder son was in PCF CC then LV before his transfer to a preschool at about 4, he did not pick up those habits.
Ai......ai.... Although we have pull him out for goodness sake. His habits are hard to kick off.
To many parents like myself, we may not be able to afford the best pre-school, or the best may be just too far away. My boy is now in a PCF kindergarten about 5 minutes walk from my place, only $100+ per month. It is under the same centre head as my girl's PCF kindergarten at another block, so I am sure that they prepare the kids very well for kindergarten. My girl has been writing in sentences since she was in K1. PCF kindergartens under different centres have very different standards.
Before K1, my girl used to pronounce all the \"t\"s when she reads. By the end of K1, I cannot hear her \"t\"s anymore
That's why I am thinking of putting her in Morris Allen at least once a week. I cannot find any good pre-schools with native speakers in my area. Even if I can find one, I cannot afford to send 2 kids to those pre-schools.jedamum:
I think it is unfortunate that the child's P1 teacher is not willing to put in the extra effort to teach him. It will help if he has a more sympathetic teacher.Choosing the RIGHT primary school is also very important. Perhaps it didn't occur to the mum to go for a more lower 'profile' primary school as perhaps West Grove is located near to their place.
-
tamarind:
Choosing a RIGHT school for the preschooler is a daunting task.kiasulang:
[quote=\"tamarind\"]
Parents really cannot just leave everything to the teachers at kindergartens/CCs.
I did not send my younger son to my older boy's previous preschool because of time constraint and inconvenience after sending the older son to school. Instead I put him in one of the NTUC CC nearby. My intention was to have someones babysit him and other children to play with him since he was in toddler group there.
Within a short period, he had picked up broken sentences e.g mummy where? Papa why? Everything why? This one and that one. Ending the speech with lor. Before enrolling, we had taught him to say the magic word \"Please\". Now he stop using and is always raising his voice when he talks. We had toilet trained him but they put him on diaper.
I remembered when my elder son was in PCF CC then LV before his transfer to a preschool at about 4, he did not pick up those habits.
Ai......ai.... Although we have pull him out for goodness sake. His habits are hard to kick off.
To many parents like myself, we may not be able to afford the best pre-school, or the best may be just too far away. My boy is now in a PCF kindergarten about 5 minutes walk from my place, only $100+ per month. It is under the same centre head as my girl's PCF kindergarten at another block, so I am sure that they prepare the kids very well for kindergarten. My girl has been writing in sentences since she was in K1. PCF kindergartens under different centres have very different standards.
Before K1, my girl used to pronounce all the \"t\"s when she reads. By the end of K1, I cannot hear her \"t\"s anymore That's why I am thinking of putting her in Morris Allen at least once a week. I cannot find any good pre-schools with native speakers in my area. Even if I can find one, I cannot afford to send 2 kids to those pre-schools.jedamum:
I think it is unfortunate that the child's P1 teacher is not willing to put in the extra effort to teach him. It will help if he has a more sympathetic teacher.[/quote]Hi Tamarind,Choosing the RIGHT primary school is also very important. Perhaps it didn't occur to the mum to go for a more lower 'profile' primary school as perhaps West Grove is located near to their place.
Not all private pre-schools and cc's are expensive. Some of the better church kindies are only about $250 a month and some of the Cc's after subsidy are as low as $200 a month. I personally like the idea of cc because I find my child is more disciplined after going to one for full-day. -
kaitlynangelica,
For 2 kids, it will be a lot of money. If the school is not within walking distance, we also have to add school bus fees. I do not want my kids to take school bus to school, I am a paranoid mommy.
For many people I know, there is a lot of difference between $100 and $250. My girl’s PCF kindergarten charges about $250 a month. Some of her classmates have moved to the cheaper PCF which costs only $100 a month.
I also do not believe that all private kindergartens are good. We still have to choose carefully. For those private kindergarten that charges $250, do they have native speakers as teachers ? So long as the teachers are locals, we cannot expect their English to be very good. -
tamarind:
Tamarind,kaitlynangelica,
For 2 kids, it will be a lot of money. If the school is not within walking distance, we also have to add school bus fees. I do not want my kids to take school bus to school, I am a paranoid mommy.
For many people I know, there is a lot of difference between $100 and $250. My girl's PCF kindergarten charges about $250 a month. Some of her classmates have moved to the cheaper PCF which costs only $100 a month.
I think schoolbus safer than letting your maid bring your kids to and fro. My gal has been on the schoolbus since she was 2.5 years old. I rather pay the exorbitant fee ( $80 for one way )than take the risk with my
maid. -
kaitlynangelica:
My mother brings them to and fro
Tamarind,
I think schoolbus safer than letting your maid bring your kids to and fro. My gal has been on the schoolbus since she was 2.5 years old. I rather pay the exorbitant fee ( $80 for one way )than take the risk with my
maid.
They walk to school which I think is safer than taking the bus. I would rather put them in good enrichment classes during the weekends when my hubby and I can bring them.
I live in the HDB heartland. I know there are many families which earn combined income of less than $2000 a month. They have no choice but to send their kids to the closest and cheapest kindergarten.
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