poor us ... hk kids and hk parents ...

GandL

I am a mother of two.  

Last year, I worked hard in securing a PN seat for my daughter

This year (and right now), i am over-stressed in trying to get her a K1 seat.

Next year, it will be my younger one's turn to apply for PN ...

The year after, K1 again

Another year later, start to prepare for the girl's P1

Yet another year later, my younger one's P1

..... ...   


The more I come to think about it, the more I couldn't understand since when our education system has become so distorted.  

We are talking about kids of 2 years old, and all the parents (including myself, sadly) focus on and struggle through is how to secure a PN / Kinder seat.  Most, if not all, kinders easily receive several thousands application fighting for the 100 +/- vacancies.  In recent months, parents act like crazy in lining up for hours just to SUBMIT an application form.  Kids are being brought to interviews every weekend, one after one after one after one ...  (for the most extreme cases, i heard that some applied to 30+ schools!!!!) and till now, their kids already attended over 15 interviews and with more to come !
For the less lucky parents, they then need to think about preparing letters in case the kids are placed on waiting lists, but turns out the schools receive like a thousand such letters every year....   So people then turn to preparing portfolio for the kids with the hope of impressing the schools (come on, portfolio??!!??  they can barely talk ~  what sorts of achievements are we expecting them from them??!!) ... ...  what sorts of life the kids are having, and what sorts of life the parents are having???!!???   and what sort of a society we are living in??  how come and since when HK become such a distorted place ... are there way-outs????  

Sorry, perhaps i have been a bit over-stressed by the entire thing ... just wanna voice out my worries a bit ... that's all.

Bean0602

好同意你既講法, 我本來都冇咩壓力, 以為呀女間pn一定會收番k1, 但原來要等到出年5月先會confirm我地, 攪到我又要報其他k1.  一開始interview撞啱呀女病到好嚴重, in左兩間表現都好差, 攪到本來冇壓力都變到好大壓力, 唉..........

vnghk0001

所以我唔會有力生多個。

梅媽媽

呢種教育制度,家長子女都辛苦

MiniCooperS

The high officials in the government just don't understand the actual condition. I am sure they can have better planning if they are planning the policy like they are planning the education plan for their own kids. But sadly, the officials themselves don't trust what they have planned. They just sent their kids to international school and study overseas.

We don't have a very good financal condition, we can only have our kids study in HK, under the education system that even its designers don't think it's good.

All we can do is try to start the planning early. Try to get a place in a sound, prestigous school as early as our kids turns 1-year-old. Then repeating the same hard work when our kids turn 2.

The government is not doing anything. The government is not care.
The government just ignore what is the needs from the citizens.
It's sad to live under such a government.

lumcmk

sigh ... especially when we turn to the primary school section in BK, you would also find lots of sad stories even though the child is well-equipped thoroughly and studying in those prestigious KG.

Though no guarantee is granted by those prestigious KG, we still need to strive for a place, to avoid regret in future.

that's the game.

pandabonita

its not easy but try to put a +ve spin.  your elder is studying in a pn now so doesnt this mean a place is already secured for k1 next year.  Unless the performance is v poor, usually the chance of the sibling getting into the same kg is pretty high.  dont put too much pressure on yourself, kids can sense it.

parents tend to hold on to multiple offers till the last min so often a lot of seats become available in aug/sep.

LaiMing1966

Can't agree more!!! As long as we live in HK, we need to play this game...Relax...don't put much pressure on yourself!

原帖由 GandL 於 11-11-11 11:48 發表
I am a mother of two.  

Last year, I worked hard in securing a PN seat for my daughter

This year (and right now), i am over-stressed in trying to get her a K1 seat.

Next year, it will be my younge ...

GandL

Ai ... I think the saddest part is whilst many of us feel that something is wrong, it seems like we don't have better options but to become part of it (which in turn makes the situation worse ... at least I admit I am one of the parents which makes the line for submitting application forms longer by getting there early in the morning … )  In a way, it seems like we have no one but ourselves to blame, but on the other hand, I dare not risk the future of our kids ...

And you are also right in saying that the situation will get even worse when we move up to, say, primary school.   I am really lost as to what kind of parents I want myself to be.  On the one hand, I want my children to grow up happily ~ honestly, save for this brief pre-school / kinder period, when can one really live a life that is stress-free and obligation-free?  At least at this beautiful autumn time, shouldn't kids be spending their weekends exploring the nature or wandering around the park?  How come they are now being brought to endless classes, courses, or rushing to this and that kinder for interviews when all they are asked to do is to keep telling the teachers what their names are or which one is cat, dog, square or circle?  But on the other hand, and as one mommy said above, if we do not join the crowd, would we be giving up the chance (however slight and remote) of affording our kids a wider and smoother path ahead …. ??

Actually, what has gone wrong??   

I think I need a lot more wisdom to know how I should beome a better mother …

GandL

原帖由 Bean0602 於 11-11-11 11:58 發表

" 攪到本來冇壓力都變到好大壓力"   ...

Agree!  That's the problem!!!

Xylitol12

剛剛睇左"作死不離三兄弟",超級好睇,中間有的講到求學不是求分數,點解學校要共開名次,放棄成績差的學生.....讀書唔係為搵好工,唔係為住大屋,而係求知識...當你努力工作,名利自然搵上門....
我c6一邊睇,一邊好似暗示緊我而家推個仔in呢的有名kg,正正係戲裡面諷刺緊嘅題目...

littlebear328

原帖由 GandL 於 11-11-11 11:48 發表
I am a mother of two.  

Last year, I worked hard in securing a PN seat for my daughter

This year (and right now), i am over-stressed in trying to get her a K1 seat.

Next year, it will be my younge ...

Totally agree with you as i m a month of 2. i m feeling the same way as u do.

over and over again...it's never end....

littlebear328

原帖由 littlebear328 於 11-11-11 15:21 發表


Totally agree with you as i m a month of 2. i m feeling the same way as u do.

over and over again...it's never end....

typo..i m mother of 2.

one is studying k1. and one is seeking a seat of k1

小曳人

我反而唔係好緊張個細嘅~
大嗰個，N班報過兩間，K1報咗3間，嗰年d人未係咁瘋狂
今年，我為咗老公一句"想細佬插班"，我報咗3間邨校，但係~ 有一個offer已經夠，因為我知道9月一定有書讀，之後，再報埋兩間熱門嘅就收工！
其實... 人地要報幾多十間都唔關自己事架！只要你知道自己要乜，戰略正確就夠~

lewyip

yes, there is a huge pressure of getting around. There are too many babies for too few seats of kindergartens. The kindergarten can look for what they really want among all the applicants., eg. Rich, clever, mother language is English / PTH….If one do not line up for an adequate school, he may drop into one's unexpected kindergarten.

Unfortunately, most of our kids’ abilities are not congenital multi-skill, therefore these parents would send their kids to learn more. The criteria of a “standard baby” is upgraded. You could image why the parents would apply many different courses for their babies.

Kindergarten is a first step for an educational pathway, whether it is adequate or not depends on the parents' need subjectively. (Prehaps it is better relevant to the babies' need. do you know the baby's need? if not, let the schools to decide is a common solution) However, this feeling of choice would transform relative to the other babies’ trim performance. (we are feeling no choice, we need to follow. so we are frustrated!)

If walking on the way felt comfortable, go ahead! But is it what the really want? Think about it deeply.

milesxiehk

entirely agree with you. i am seriously thinking about putting my son to international schools, just to avoid the complications in local schools system.

it is even more difficult for us to try local schools as we are not hk local ppl and we donot speak cantonese. although i wish my son could learn cantonese and get local culture and local friends.
in the past months, i have so tired in selecting schools, preparing applications and interviews. although we got an offer from a local kinder, we are still concerned about application for primary etc.....

原帖由 lewyip 於 11-11-11 15:39 發表
yes, there is a huge pressure of getting around. There are too many babies for too few seats of kindergartens. The kindergarten can look for what they really want among all the applicants., eg. Rich,  ...

klm402

Im also stess for that, really getting crazy and we do have to bring our gal for an interview every weekend these two month！ c6 is being complaining me how come i apply almost 10 kindi and put the little gal on such situuation as I really have no confidence even my gal be a big b this year should able to giving a good performance in an interview, however that's too too much applicants here and most of time u even could not have an offer under kids well performed in an interview! For protection, it seem that's no way out unless we apply more and more kindi! Most of the people saying we all crazy, and they don't know what's happening in hk now! That's harsh be a parent, be a kids in HK with no doubt, especially we do not have any back up from the others or even the government!
We all willing to bear all the things by ourselves, just asking please don't put us at such a crazy situation, the games this year, again on next 2 coming years and p1! Why, why, why!

Sosiusiu

小曳人...可唔可以講下你報左邊啲村校呀, 平安堂??? hehe...

rai_fc

Totally agree!  My son is in K1 and expecting another boy in next year!  I also doubt what is the true meaning of early childhood education.
The worst is, the schools/teachers nowaday are really expecting a lot from the kids (or the parents).  And this is very different than my childhood time (i was graduated from a top-tier kindergarten 30 yrs ago, so i should know this game, but I find nowadays is so much harder than before).
The government needs to take part of the blame. I even wrote to Mr. Tsang by email about the cutting the classes in the Primary/Secondary schools is not appropiate if they can think for a longer time period.  Image feel years later..., classes are less but more babies, do you think the educational board will be adjusted the classes by that time?? I am surely not!
Anyway, good luck to all our kids!