People often ask me what is school like for the boys. Our boys are the only non Chinese kids in the entire school. They also happen to be Caucasian. So they really stick out next to all of their Asian classmates. It has meant a lot of attention for them. The children at the school are so incredibly friendly to the boys. Everyone whether in their classes or in another class are shouting “HELLO!” to them as they walk around the school. Both of the boys are enjoying that attention. They are trying to make sense of why they are getting so much of it. I hear Gavin saying things like – does everyone like us because we are so beautiful, Mom…..or are we the only beautiful kids in the whole school, Mom? Every day as we walk down the street people oh and ah over them. 20 something girls run to the stroller like my boys are rock stars. The other day after they left Gavin said, “Mom, those girls were cute, cute, CUTE!” I wonder how the boys will adjust when they return back to the US and aren’t so unique and they are no longer the center of attention. It might be a tough transition.
The morning begins each day with a mandatory health inspection. You line up and the school nurse checks your mouth/throat and your hands. I can tell you that they do not keep kids with colds out of school, and there is probably a whole host of other contagious things that you can know about looking into someone’s mouth. They do not wash their hands between kids, and it just makes you wonder if what they are doing makes kids safer or spreads more disease.
School lasts from 7:30-5:15. I usually drop the boys off around 8 so that I can feed them breakfast at home; although the school feeds breakfast to the kids at school. The school day is much the same. The differences are mainly that it is in Mandarin, and that they have a 2 ½ hour mandatory nap. I found out recently that they make the kids strip down to their underwear to sleep. Each child has their own bed. It is kind of sad to look at, and my boys really do not like the naps. We will probably hire a tutor and take them out of school for that time every day. It will make it easier to get the kids to bed at night.
Much of what kids learn in kindergarten is the same as in the U.S. The big differences between U.S. and Asian education start in the 1st grade when Chinese kids start memorizing everything. They accelerate to 5 grade level math quickly. Then they spend the rest of their time doing story problems. For example, if you want to make 5 triangles what is the smallest amount of sticks that you can use?
My boys love school. It doesn't seem as interactive and there aren't as many group/individual hands on projects as schools in the US have, but I think they are developing socially in ways they wouldn't in the U.S. just because they get so much attention. I see their self confidence growing in their social ability. It has been great for both Gavin and Sam: Gavin because he always wants to be the leader and now he gets to practice those skills and Sam because he is growing out of his shyness.
Both boys now look forward to going to school each day, and they seem to have accepted both the naps and the long hours.
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