In search of a school

April 1st - Happy April Fool's Day!

What a great day to look for a school or so I thought. School has been on my mind since my daughter, Dana, turned 3. I knew kids as young as 1 were already put in preschool/day care/nursery or whatever you call it. Though I didn't put her in school, I did teach her at home and by 2 she already knew her alphabet, her numbers, her colors and shapes. She can even express herself in clear, concise sentences. Though that's probably normal for other kids :)

Well, now that she's 5, I thought that's the right time to put a child in school. So we, my aunt and I and the 2 kids, went to nearby schools to check for their admission requirements and to check whether Dana liked the school.

The first school we went to don't admit kids her age if they haven't been to a preschool. They preferred that the children who are enrolling in their school are already adjusted to the school scenario.. well hooray for them (and I mean this sarcastically) Just because a kid didn't go to school yet doesn't mean he can't adjust to school life.. and if he can't yet, then shouldn't the school do everything in its power to help him adjust???!!!

And the funny thing was when they said that if Dana hasn't been to school maybe she'll have a hard time with the mode of instruction, which was English! Well helloooo.. news flash!! my kid speaks English because it's her first language!!! To cut may rant short.. that school was out!!

Next school. They accepted kids without having previous school experience. Great!! but there was a catch. She'll be demoted !!! I was like, you're not even going to test her? No. They said. They placed kids based on age and not intelligence.. well, needless to say, that school was out...

Talk about frustration!!Where have all the good schools gone? I remember it was just Kinder and then Grade 1 when I was young. When Den went to school, she had to go through Kinder 1 and Kinder 2 before Grade 1. Now, it's becoming a requirement to go through all 3 stages - Nursery, Kinder, Preparatory, before you reach Grade 1. Imagine the cost of education for parents!! We're talking P15K at the least and some even go as high as P60K for these preschool years. Won't kids get tired of all this schooling??? I wonder..

Now, I'm looking at schools that will test your child and then make the determination for which grade level she should be in. They may cost a little more than other schools but it's better to start right, right?