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.

小遙

相信呢幾個月大家都好辛苦好大壓力，不過有時係對自己和子女有要求所造成，希望各位放鬆啲、平常心。當然每個父母都認為自己的小朋友是最好，要俾最好嘅嘢，包括我在內！但入唔到最心儀嘅學校並不等於世界末日。
我大仔今年小二，讀非常普通的幼兒園，升小一我都有同佢報了兩間出名男校，都沒有收，大抽獎又飛出頭四志願，扣門入了另一區二三線政府資助小學。他雖然成績一般，但返學開心，老師又有愛心!
我想表達的是：我已經給我兒子最好的，我和C6每天放工第一時間返屋企陪佢，對功課、玩、有時間會溫習，放假一陪佢地，去公園、探婆婆、圖書館、遊樂埸、做手工.......
為了兒子不用做獨生子，我說服了一直堅持唔要多個的老公，生了現在讀K1的妹妹。看見他們兄妹相親相愛，一起玩得好快樂的情景，真係幾辛苦都值得！
每人都有自己價值觀、有自己要行的路。壓力是自己俾的，前面的路要自己努力去行！加油！

MiniCooperS

原帖由 littleape 於 11-11-12 05:46 發表
This is very scary! If any of you here has a chance to leave HK, would you go and let your child to receive education oversea?
The reason that I’m asking because my husband, my daughter, who is 17 m ...

I think you better look for school with IB curriculum.

eschung

parents who apply more than 10 kindergartens are obviously crazy.  Its not the fault of the education system but their own mind. .

reei

原帖由 littleape 於 11-11-12 05:46 發表
This is very scary! If any of you here has a chance to leave HK, would you go and let your child to receive education oversea?
The reason that I’m asking because my husband, my daughter, who is 17 m ...

don't know exactly your situation, but if i were you, i will not move. spending time with grandparents is one of the best thing that can ever happen to a child. let the grandparents pamper and dote on your child. love, and security is what will protect a  child, creates a good self esteem , and confidence. i am quite happy with hk education system. but if the last two years of high school is free, will be even better. parents are blaming the schools, government for the situation, but if the schools do not teach difficult subjects, parents don't like and will go to one that teach difficult subjects. it is a vicious cycle. and if you are the school teaching difficult subjects, you want to get 'best of the best' so the students can bring good name and honor to your school..

reei

interview for kindergarten, is just to see whether your kid is suitable for that kindergarten. 'look, this is my kid, if the kindergarten is willing to accept and teach her just the way  she is, good'. otherwise, look elsewhere, just because everyone tries to get in this kindergarten doesn't mean is the right one for your kid.. so.. let it be.
relax.. hk ppl

littleape

This is very scary! If any of you here has a chance to leave HK, would you go and let your child to receive education oversea?
The reason that I’m asking because my husband, my daughter, who is 17 months old, and I are currently living in the States. We are thinking to move back to HK because our parents are in HK. However, I don’t know what I am going to put my daughter into if we stay in HK. She will have a lot more pressure studying. The more I read the posts in this forum, the more I am scared of HK’s education system. I start to think that my husband and I are so stupid to even think about moving to HK. We are dragging our daughter into the crazy world. Anyone can tell me if we should still move???

winifred102

I think what the HK govt is doing now is part of their tactics.  They start to shoulder off their responsibilities of education to the parents, so that they can cut budget further.  Those parents having the ability financially will take care of their own kids' education.  Those parents who cannot afford, they have to accept whatever is given to them.  This is just like the medical service in HK.  Even worse, several years later, those kids whose parents came from Mainland but delivered their children in HK 2-3 year ago may come and share our education.   Just can't imagine how the HK government can deal with all these.  

Also, I personally hate those government aided schools, as the school syllabus never matches with the exam content.  Parents need to look for outside tutoring to supplement which costs parents to pay lot extra.
  
The ironic thing is that after all these years of competition in kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools, we all end up with those universities in HK which however are ranked relatively low in position as compared to other universities overseas.

When coming to education issue for our kids, we have to stay objective  and remind ourselves  what is the best for them, not just following others.  Even international schools may not be a solution for all of us.  Sometimes, schools from second-tier may not be a bad choice for the kids and for the family.  I think education should not be a decision for an one-off event, we should look at the long-term effect and make it more sustainable as for the kids themselves and for the whole family.  The most important of all, we should not sacrifice our kids during the process.  Don't destroy their interest of learning just because of those un-necessary competition.

Winniestar

Frankly speaking, if you don't chase the famous kindergardens, it is much easier for you to find a one for your children to study.  This is your pressure adding on you repeatedly.  The difference between famous kindergardens and the so say estate kindergarden is the entry level of K1.  After K2, they all learn the same.

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!

Sosiusiu

小曳人...可唔可以講下你報左邊啲村校呀, 平安堂??? hehe...

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!

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,  ...

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.

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~

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

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....

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...

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!!!