Continual education

Been caught up with all the festivities and did not have a chance to write in the past couple of weeks.  During our visiting to our relatives (not a lot now since I had severed all ties with my late father's big group of relatives since his passing away; now that's another story) - Yen's relatives and mother, I had found out that Rachel's Chinese teacher at her play-school had been teaching them some New Year greetings.  Impressive!  Now, if only all my children could converse well in the language too...

Our elder two gems have been progressing at a fair speed in reading, I guess.  Yen and I attended their play-school's curriculum session with their teachers and some parents, a class at a time, and have received some invaluable feedback from the educators.  For Rachel and Felix, both have been learning rather well in school, having no notable problems in phonics learning.  In fact, we have been told that they are always the first to respond when their classes are asked questions to do with phonics.  It seems like what I have been painstakingly doing with them is bearing a little fruit.

But before you think I am going to rest on my laurels, fret not: I am not stopping here!  I have long been telling Yen how much I hope to send the two of them for classes at the tuition agency that I work at.  Wait; I can hear you say, "Kiasu Singaporean-extraordinaire!"  I am perhaps a little guilty of that...  I am really really afriad of them not being able to read and write!  To be illiterate in our society this day is not acceptable, I feel.  It would spell the end to their education, their jobs, their chances, their future, everything!

Not only that learning is important; I want them to come in touch more types of children / peers, to know how to react in different situations, to get to know more 'significant others' (teachers, in this case)...  basically, to be more 'worldly'-wise.  It will definitely help them to experience more good things, I know.

Yen finally relented and let me bring them for a 'test' to see which 'level' they belonged to.  And I had to pick the 'best' teacher for them too!  I checked with the staff of my agency which teacher seemed to be the 'best', and the one at Yew Tee gave me a name, "Mrs Bathma".  I had to coincide my time with her lessons so that I could bring them for the assessment before the Lunar New Year break.

Thankfully, Rachel and Felix took to Mrs Bathma quite well, and in a 'closed-door' assessment, performed reasonably well for their ages.  She shared with me after the assessment that both my children performed well, but more notably, Felix was confident in his answers and seemed to know most of what was being asked.  Having said that, Mrs Bathma recommended for both of them to attend an 'intermediate' level of phonics class, which falls after my lessons at Yew Tee on Sundays, and I can pick them up after their lesson.

Yesterday, they had their first phonics lesson with Mrs Bathma.  Yen and I were worried.  The usual parental worries - Will they be able to learn?  To blend in?  Will they feel too cold/hot?  Will they have enough food?  Do we have to provide them with stationary?  The jitters....  Ha.

But like in most cases - everything is going to work out fine.  They went in empty handed, and re-emerged each with a few worksheets in hand after the lesson had ended one-and-a-half hours later.  I was proud to see Rachel had written her name (even date!) on hers.  At the bottom, Mrs Bathma wrote "Confident and clear!"  I had done a little writing practise with Rachel when she had taken ill at home recently but I had not done writing of dates.  Commendable, I thought!

I was as proud to see Felix's worksheet.  Though he had not written his name as well as his sister, I was equally happy to have heard from Mrs Bathma after the lesson that they had no problems at all in the class and Felix was a fast learner.  I was more than happy to see the word "Great!" on the worksheet.

I asked them if they had enjoyed the lesson after that.  "Yes yes yes!" went Rachel in her usual cheery mode.  Felix liked it as well.  I was also pleased that he was able to converse more with me after that, "I made Mrs Bathma angry..."

"Why?  What did you do?" I queried, concerned.

"Mrs Bathma said, 'Sit down!' but I stand up.  So she angry with me..." Felix was a little sorry now, head rested on my shoulder.

"Then you cannot be so naughty.  You have to listen to her, okay?  Say sorry to her next week," I instructed my boy tenderly.

"I said sorry already," Felix shot quickly.

"You have to be a good boy next week, okay?  Listen to the teacher," I told Felix softly.

"Okay..." his voice trailed off, his attention now elsewhere.  Oh, the boy!