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You are starting to show your traits: You are compassionate. If you accidentally knock someone you immediately apologise without prompting from anyone. If jie-jie is hurt, you go to her asking if she is okay. And if she asks if … Continue reading
It’s coming the year end already.
Caitlin has completed her pre-school. How it only seemed like yesterday, when she started with them 3 years ago now; and she will be starting primary schooling- Standard (or year) 1 come January 2011.
She’s been attending their orientation for the last 3 weeks; at the good suggestion from the vernacular Mandarin-based school. I still chuckle at the suggestion-letter, stating that it has been their experience that kids these days are more well versed in non-Mandarin language (especially English for kids today, they said) and find starting school in Chinese medium very tough going. I have seen this myself even some 15 years ago now with my nieces and nephews, with their parents saying their teachers were commenting how their kids would space-out in class, due to non-comprehending what was going on and thus getting bored.
Lucky for us, we had enrolled Caitlin in Chinese medium at the last 2 years of this preschool, which has helped tremendously. From what I can tell she has handled this orientation quite well. I think she will do fine when school starts. It’s when they start getting serious that I worry if she can cope with the workload.
Caleb’s vocabulary has improved tremendously this year too. It’s only in the last few months that he has started articulating his words more audibly. That’s not to say it is as good as Caitlin’s when she was his age, but at least for me I can understand him better now. Only now that he has started sharing his thoughts, that we realised that he is actually also quite a keen observer- noting road directions and asking why we aren’t going to a known destination because it’s a different road we are on. His hand eye coordination is definitely way better than Caitlin’s, although both seem to do quite well when it comes to console-type games. On this last one, they are true synonyms of “What latest technology?” (I read about a report with the interviewer, in commenting on how fast tech is moving, asked what kids thought about the “latest technologies”.) The “oldest” tech that these guys are still using may well be the DVD player. No wait, Hot Mummee’s recording of anime still uses the old VCR; at least they are still exposed to “tapes” 
I suppose Caitlin demonstrates that girls do grow up (mature) faster. She’s been playing this game on managing a zoo quite well, with me giving some guidance (not that I am a finance / budget guru!) on saving for the future (of buying more land (zoo expansion), new animals and other zoo facilities. As compared to Caleb, Caleb still does not always comprehend the reasonings we give him on why he can / cannot do certain things. I also watched some doco about how or when kids start showing empathy…. Now that I think about it, he could just be cunning in pretending he doesn’t understand this and gets away with it “because he’s still little”!
One big thing that we are still grappling with is that they both must learn to share. Their constant arguments and almost-physical fights are a real worry and annoyance for all concerned. From what I hear and understand about maturity, this is something to “look forward to” for more years to come…
Caitlin has just turned 6, and Caleb will turn 3 in January 2011.
Posted in A father's POV, milestones, Parenting musing, The future
Yes, how time flies.
She’s finished pre-school, started primary school orientation, dropped like 4 (or 5?) milk teeth already with 2 adult bottom teeth in place, outgrown new-ish jeans that we had only bought about 6 months ago, the same with shoes, starting to tell funny jokes and can laugh at herself now instead of being too worried about being laughed at.
About 3 weeks ago, I had told it to her face “NO MORE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR YOU”. She had told a lie, and in the process got her brother into deep trouble. We had just come back from her school friend’s party at one of the kids’ gyms, and had almost put down a deposit for her’s.
I was very much looking forward to this good-time with and for her. She was really looking forward to having her current school friends as well as last year’s friends (who are now in standard 1, different school) at the party, to play with and catch up with them- she is still off-and-on telling me she misses one or two of them. However, at the abovementioned party I didn’t see them doing alot of catching up though…
I am hoping that this punishment is sticking to her head. So far I think she remembers; because she has been “compromising” by asking if we could still have some kinda party at home.
We will; and I had wanted to anyway. My mum just called saying we’ll do something this weekend See, it is also Caitlin’s 2 aunties’ birthdays too; 3 consecutive days for the girls (my sister, and my sister-inlaw).
Perhaps we will do something tomorrow itself first. Despite all that I would like to do for my kids, I am still feeling that it’s not enough for their childhood memories…
Posted in A father's POV, Caitlin the heiress, milestones, Short post
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Last Saturday was the orientation to the orientation for the 2011 batch of standard 1 kids. Yup that’s what I said. On Saturday when Caitlin and I were done and leaving for the day, I had made sure again that … Continue reading
That’s what the local schools are called for primary levels; in this case, level 1 or Year 1.
It is a little pity that immediately after Caitlin’s preschool ends that her enrolled primary school starts their “extra” classes.
I thought it was rather funny when I read the parent-teacher-linked newsletter months ago saying that it has been their experience that a lot of new school children who start standard 1 in Chinese schools would have trouble understanding everything being in Mandarin; that they are all too fluent in English instead. In my days, the “problem” was that everyone spoke too much Cantonese instead of the mandatory on-campus language of Mandarin. Then again this was already the case with my nieces and nephews. Had heard stories about nieces quickly finding new friends based hearing English being spoken nearby.
Pity: That as her preschool ends (like all other schools) this school had scheduled an orientation-like day on the next day, Saturday. This was also kinda fun for Caitlin to be all decked out in full primary school gear. I am glad she was finding this more exciting/nervous than with the feeling of dread. I just hope this euphoria lasts through the whole 3 weeks following this, and into school proper too.
These classes are designed for the newbies to get acquainted with Mandarin by the time the school terms starts properly in January 2011. Secretly, I am so glad that we had sent Caitlin to at least 2 years of Mandarin medium in preschool. Though she is not altogether that fluent, she more than gets by.
This was witnessed early on the Saturday. Upon finding out which class she belongs, we asked her to wait by the respective sign waiting for 9am to come by. In the meantime, as more parents and kids arrive and get into their own lines, Grandma and I sorted out the books and other administrative matters. At 9am, one of the teachers came on stage to make some instructive announcements, for the day; as well as those made by her class teacher later on inside her classroom. Caitlin understood what she had to do.
There were still some more-than-teary eyed kids in the midst. And, as even with adult groups, there were also some clowns
And again, it was good to see her self-confidence. When the teacher was checking if all students knew which class they belonged by asking them to raise their hands based on “Who’s in class ABC/DEF?” She had her hand to ear ready to stick ‘em up high upon her class name being announced. Very seldom did she have to look out for me whilst in line, and when the line started moving towards her classroom, for the first time, in this new environment.
The school designed these classes quite well in some extent. It is actually quite good that by the time school-proper starts, she and her peers would know what to do in terms of waiting areas before and after school, where everything is, had already made friends, and ready to get stuck into the syllabus.
This, is Chinese school. Regimented, disciplined, let’s-get-stuck-into-the-books-ness.
What I didn’t think they had thought through was that since there would be a lot of mainly newbie-parents, that most would not know the layout of the school and what to do once we got there. Though they had stations to sell the text books and last-minute school uniforms, with the former they should have already set aside packs of these, since all the new kids would be requiring the same books. There were already queues by 8:20am when we go there and was still there after noon when the classes ended.
I had to duck out sending Grandma home, and recess was nearly over when I got back to the school. I was half worried I’d not find her in the big campus before they had to be back in class. Walked past the canteen to her classroom and she wasn’t there, checked her bag and at least knew that she knew to bring her sandwich along for a snack. Walked back to the canteen and glad to spot her from afar. Caitlin had already quickly made a boy-friend. I suspect it was ‘cos he speaks English
Then again I would think that those who are (whose parents think) already fluent in Mandarin probably don’t need these prepatory classes.
Monday, is when her 3-weeks begins. I have a nagging suspicion that the school is using this time to evaluate them to then properly assign them to different classes based on the different levels.
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How time flies. Blink (of) an eye, as the Chinese saying goes, and it has already been 3 years since Caitlin started pre-school. And as with tradition with her school, the annual concert is also the graduation ceremony for the … Continue reading
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That’s a description I had heard my bothers describe of me earlier, when i was fooling around and followed them to the driving range one evening. They said I have a good swing, only it lacked the whip of the … Continue reading
