He turns 5 at the end of the year, so we will need to register him for primary school. That to me, is such a big decision fraught with uncertainty. That seems so premature because, I haven't even decided which kindergarten to put him in (I'm unhappy with the current place).
Basically these are the following school systems to choose from:
- our neighbourhood government primary school
- private school following the local syllabus
- private school following an international syllabus (leading up to O levels for e.g.)
- Chinese medium school
- homeschooling centres
- homeschooling
I can safely rule out the Chinese medium school (I'm not Chinese literate amongst other reason) and homeschooling centres.
Govt school
The one in our neighburhood is a "high performance" school, which is likely to mean that the teachers are comparatively better than other govt schools. Or it might also mean that there is some sort of "natural selection" going on because kids going there might have very involved parents who send them for many enrichment centres/tuitions (due to demographics).
Financially, that would be the least expensive option.
My concerns are:
- large class sizes (40-50 kids) mean teacher has no time for my son (unless they accept shadow aides, but we dont want him relying on one, nor make him an easy target for bullying)
- Malay medium: I'll have to put in even more effort helping him at home cos we use English at home and because my resources (books and internet stuff) are in English
- focus on academic performance: while that's good to some extent, I'm concerned that the school may put too much pressure on my son to perform, in order to maintain their reputation as a "high performance" school. Alternatiely, they may "give up" on my son simply because he has a speech delay and will be slow to copy things from the board, etc. Teachers are likely to put that effort instead on other kids that are easier to help.
- no longer a favoured choice by those who can afford other options. There are many many reasons that parents no longer send their kids to govt schools. For me, one of my biggest grouses is that I think it is ridiculous that kids have to go for tuition after school. To me, kids should be taught whatever they need to know (syllabus wise) in school, full stop. Tuition should not be the norm for majority of the kids. When then will I have time to do gross motor, fine motor activities with him? When will we have time to learn about the world outside of books?
- there's too much rote-learning. That just not good enough anymore for the future (or even for the present day!). Kids need to learn to think for themselves, to be creative etc.
Private schools
Similar to the points on govt schools except that the class sizes are smaller, hopefully less likely to need tuition, but far more expensive. Some private schools might be more sympathetic to special needs kids, though those I've heard of tend to be international schools.
International schools
Similar to the points on private schools, except that some I know of have accepted special needs kids with shadow aide, but kids may find it a bit hard to relate to (e.g. we don't have 4 seasons here) and it's even more expensive. Cost is an important factor because he may still require various therapies.
Homeschooling
It's appealing cos kids learn more at their own pace. It's a form of "individualised education plan" (IEP). For e.g., in US, special needs kids get IEP for free, at public schools. Parents are very much involved in the IEP, together with the kids' educators (not just teachers, but educators).
I feel they learn more about the world through practical experiences (e.g. how many kids have seen a real cotton tree with the cotton strewn around it? Well, my son has).
Parents can instill the right values (e.g. sports should not be just about winning!).
It's less likely that the love for learning would not be killed (it most likely would with a govt school syllabus). Ditto that for creativity. See this video by an internationally respected educationist and thinker about schools killing creativity....
Kids can still choose to go down the academic path, to university overseas, by sitting as private candidates for 'O' Levels or 'A' Levels. Check out this Malaysia parent's blog on homeschooling. There are 2 articles where the kids sat for those (or perhaps SAT for one of the boys) : http://homeschoolhomefrontier.com/
But I seriously worry that I might not have the energy, skills, and patience to do homeschooling. It's a huge long term commitment. It's very appealing but oh so very daunting.
Conclusion
I do not have a conclusion! Decision has not been made. What I know is that it's the end of the first quarter of 2010. Time flies. I've to talk to more mothers, especially those with young (5-10 year olds) special needs kids whose disabilities are mild, and to teachers who chose teaching as their first choice of a career (ie an educationist, not just a teacher). If you know of any, please let me know! If you are one, I look forward to hearing your advice! My circle of such persons is tiny!
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