CDNIS v Victoria

I am having a dilemma as to what to do with my child's studies. He is currently studying at CDNIS and we have been considering switching him to Victoria kindergarten so that he can learn Chinese in a more rigid atmosphere. We have found that the academics at CDNIS are very basic to begin with and we are quite confused as to what he is actually learning in school.


As for Victoria (where he has a place pending), it is a more structured academic setting and it is obvious that there is less time for messing about during the short 3 hours per day at school. They are teaching things much earlier than he would be taught at CDNIS.


The dilemma that we face is that we are non-Chinese and are told that our son's spot at Victoria will be in a class with only chinese kids. I have no problem with that, but since my son does not speak the language as yet, I am afraid that he will not be included in "break time" activities and the like, pushing down his self-confidence. And he will be singled out.


I am aware that this is probably going to happen at most schools, but on the social side we find CDNIS quite a nice mix of nationalities so he blends in well. Academics are not what we expected though (and are told that the kids are not going to learn anything substantial for 2 more years).


Anyone have any advice as to what to do? Chinese is important to us but I want him to be happy as well. Some people have said to stick with CDNIS and supplement with Mandarin playgroup after school. Others have said the only way to learn is by full immersion.


Has any CDNIS parent been faced with something like this? CONFUSED!

Kids have many years to learn to read, write and become fluent in another language. It isn't essential that they know everything RIGHT NOW. So what if they learn to write at age six instead of five or are fluent in mandarin by ten or seven?


A severe dent to confidence is very hard to make right and learning to make friends at a young age is something that sets a child up for happiness later in life.


What do you really want for your kid in the long run???

Your post contains two issues:

(1) the academic nature of the teaching

(2) social side and coping with being possibly the only foreigner in the class


We have faced both the dilemmas with our son who is currently enrolled in K1, we are at home English / French speakers, but also wanted our child to speak chinese (putonghua being our preference over cantonese). For my 2 cents worth:


(1) I completely agree with Cara on not pushing the academics at this age, not sure of your original background but there was an interesting article on the BBC web site today. A recent study has indicated that the British government is now mulling over delaying formal based education until the age of 6 and extending play based learning to that age, to bring Britain in line with most Europen coutnries policies. We know a lot of Europeans across many nationalities and I would agree with Cara not one of them seem to have been hindered by taking up a formal style education a year later than I did (or any of my peers) as a British person.


(2) If you are putting your child into a Mandarin speaking school don't forget that the majority of the children in the class are also not going to be fluent in Mandarin, so are also "learning the language. I have friends whose children go to Victoria (non chinese) and the kids have adapted to being in classrooms where they are the minority and are picking up good levels of Mandarin. However, they also find the school very much run as a business and are considering alternatives for their younger children. Luckily for us Victoria did not offer our son a place and he has ended up at the Kiangsu and Chekiang school - they have an international and a local stream, we are in the local stream. This means each day he has a 40min English lesson the rest is in Putonghua, pretty much immersion in my book. We had our reservations about sending him to the school both because it is quite traditional and being able to cope as being in the vast minority nationality wise. However, he literally runs up the slope to school which I can only conclude means he is enjoying it as he does not yet have the verbal skills to tell me what he gets up to on a daily basis! So going to a school where he looks different and speaks a different language at home from his classmates does not seem to have impacted him at all, of course all children are individuals and what works for one might not work so well for another. If your child is happy at CDNIS I personally would be leave him there and worry about the academic side when he is a little older.


Good luck with your decision ...it seems to cause all of us as parents lots of soul searching and plenty of headaches.

I believe Cara is a Canadian teacher like myself and as such, I find myself in total agreement with her. Children need to form social skills, great self-images, sing, dance, play and enjoy school. In many countries, children only begin reading when they are 7 or 9. I think they start at 9 in Denmark? Anyway, I've read that in a few months those kids will be reading like the other children who were stressed out too early and started at 4 years. However, the later learners will have better skills in other areas and will enjoy reading more. Pushing kids too early is not great. I don't have a child at CDNIS, but I know the academics in secondary are unbeatable and if you leave, you may not be able to get him/her back in. Every school has small areas which you could complain about. It might be better for a child to stay put and have the parents supplement where necessary. I wouldn't worry about your child being a minority either. Kids are generally blind to such things.

Very good answers above covering the main points of academics and social issues. RE the two schools? Having working knowledge of them both I'd say for me as a teacher, and a parent of young native English speaking children, there is absolutely no way I would remove my child from CDNIS to go to Victoria. CDNIS will provide a quality through train education, and while Victoria perhaps gets to some academics earlier and has a more 'rigid' style, I have seen first hand how that early years rigidity impacts on a lot of western (and Chinese) children negatively.


For me, CDNIS is a better school pretty much across the board...


Just my two cents.

Thanks for the replies. All very useful to us. Just wondering, what is this "impact" of early years rigidity later on in life? Sorry to sound ignorant, we just don't know first hand and are exposed only to people who have been through the local system who seem to have done pretty well in life. I think reading from the posts that we are pretty much sold on keeping him at CDNIS though...just being parents that want to have a full picture before deciding. Thanks again for all your advice.

Hi SanjKash,


The fact that your child is enjoying going to school is a major plus in most parents eyes. There are too many kids in schools around the world (and even HK) who don't enjoy school and as a result, don't feel motivated to learn.


Maybe you should look at it also from another perspective. With you being non chinese, and placing your son in a chinese environment would generally not be a problem. What may become a problem though, is when your son gets older and wants to socialise more with his 'friends'. I have been told several stories of non-chinese children feeling 'left out' and 'different' because they go to a chinese school After school, the chinese children will probably go onto extra classes or home for a nap, whereas non-chinese children tend to try to have playdates and go to bed earlier at night, hence no need for an afternoon nap. These differences in after school activities make it difficult for children to socialise after school.


You also must consider that although you want your son to be immersed in Chinese, the quality of English may not be as good as CDNIS, and if you want your son to do well in exams later on (IB, GCSE, SATs), then they really must be taught well and in good English. So he may well be fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese by the time he's a teenager, but it could be to the detriment of his English?


FYI, my son is also at CDNIS (Reception) - he is loving it, and although he is not being drilled and taught too much day in and day out, we do feel that he is still learning things, and most importntly, learning that school can be a great place to go to!

Hi SanjKash,


How is thing going? know this is an old thread, and since my son also applied CDNIS and received letter yesterday that it was declined.That I would like to see if your child is still wih CDNIS or move to Victoria?


One more thing I asked is because i heard from a teacher said I have to choose a kindergarten who teaches so my child has a higher chance to be admitted into good International school, like CIS, as they do take exam or text on the written skills or so... even for year 4 or 5, I am not sure if this is true, would like to see how your child is doing? and what is your comment?


These days, it is more competitive than 2-3 years ago, being parents is a big challenge in terms of selecting or preparing for the child's education roadmap..


Thanks


lolo32