When Nicole was born, I told myself, I’m not going to be one of those many kiasu parents who wants their child to be the top in class by enrolling him or her into the best childcare or kindergarten. When she turned close to two, I started ’shopping’ around for a childcare centre for her.
My criteria was:
- It should be Montesorri Method.
- Be in the east, near where I live.
- Price should be reasonable.
- Half day school for her until she reaches 5 years old, then I shall change her to full day.
I did my research and chose about 5 to 8 schools to visit. First choice was near Fort Road area, where there are a handful of schools with a good inter-racial mix, and a number of them are Montessori. Unfortunately, I was not satisfied with the schools! The fees were exorbitant, the service was not impressive enough, I just didn’t feel comfortable enough there, so I know that Nicole would feel the same too.
Next, I chose mid range schools closer to home, even the cheapest, being the YWCA. But all were a great disappointment! My last choice was the second closest to home, just a five minute walk. The outlook was not so fantastic, the paint was peeling off the walls and the grilles, the playground was so small, really nothing impressive. It was my last hope, though part of me wished this wasn’t the school for her. I was very surprised when I stepped in, the feeling of the interior was homely and cosy, the teachers were very welcoming, even the principal had no airs. I felt at ease at once. The principal had also guide me through the education process, how they taught, etc… I signed up immediately! I was thinking, what a waste of time for me visiting the other schools! Do you know what’s the best thing about it? It suited 2 out of my 4 criterias. I did get my Montessori school, neither did I let Nicole go to half day school. I realise that the Montessori method doesn’t suit out Singapore Education System, and not many schools teach the REAL method, its more of a mix and match. So why should I pay loads of money to a school which ‘claims’ that they teach full Montessori Method?
It is not about choosing the school you ‘think’ is good, or that someone tells you that ‘That school is good’. Its up to YOU yourself to decided what is right or wrong. There are people who have the mentality that ‘expensive schools = good’, how wrong they can be. I’m not saying that those school are not good, it is the same thought as when I go shopping, what is the use of buying a branded item, and once the item is out of fashion, its a white elephant. I’d rather buy something of reasonable pricing, and when I am sick of the item, I just give it away.
I’ve heard of kaisu parents spending most of their income on their child’s education, only to be deceived later, and then changing schools. Well, I’d have to say, it could be a good way to lose weight too, cos if you spent all your money on school fees, then you’d hardly have any money left to eat, thus you start eating bread, or vegetables, and then TA DAH! You lose weight!
