ESF Year two vs Marymount Primary one

yy_hippo

My girl is studying at ESF Year one and she is getting a seat at a local English school in coming September.
This is hard to choose to stay or not.
Please advise.


Best Regards,

[ 本帖最後由 yy_hippo 於 09-4-15 20:49 編輯 ]

Yau_Cheung

Still don't make up your mind?

原帖由 yy_hippo 於 09-4-15 17:09 發表
My girl is studying at ESF Year one and she is getting a seat at a local English school in coming September.
This is hard to choose to stay or not.
Please advise.


Best Regards,

Yau_Cheung

Please share your valuable advice with my friend.  Thank you.

原帖由 yy_hippo 於 09-4-15 17:09 發表
My girl is studying at ESF Year one and she is getting a seat at a local English school in coming September.
This is hard to choose to stay or not.
Please advise.


Best Regards,

yy_hippo

Why did I let me girl study at ESF?

I think she gets the talent in language. She studied at common local kindergarten but she can speak English very well. She only learns English from TV as we often watch the English Channel. Luckily she passed the interview and got a seat in ESF primary school last year.


Why did I join the local Primary allocation?

Because I don’t sure my kid can adapt very well at ESF or not. I joined the local primary allocation for safety and backup purposes. Luckily again, I got a seat at an English famous local primary.

Why do I need to choose to stay or not?

More of my relatives and friends advised me to let my kid go back at local schools. They reminded me that Chinese language is very important for my kid’s further career development. She need to learn Chinese as well as English.
They said that Marymount might train up my kid good in both of English and Chinese language. I can’t waste this chance.

In fact, my kid is really loved studying at ESF and she adapts very well at school. The comment from teacher is good and she has friends and enjoys learning at ESF. English is being her first language now and she doesn’t want to learn Chinese.

For my opinion, I will let my kid stays at ESF because she loves it. However I don’t really sure it is a good choice.

Can anyone share?

Regards,

原帖由 wootaitai 於 09-4-18 23:10 發表
What is the reason for choosing ESF in the first place?

[ 本帖最後由 yy_hippo 於 09-4-20 13:47 編輯 ]

G-Ma

I also think Chinese is a very important language in nowaday and future.  

Marymount is a good school, to me I will not give up this chance.

kls12

原帖由 yy_hippo 於 09-4-20 10:39 發表
Why did I let me girl study at ESF?

I think she gets the talent in language. She studied at common local kindergarten but she can speak English very well. She only learns English from TV as we often  ...

For your situation, let your daughter to stay at ESF.

Your should quit at ESF only if she is not happy there.

leschelems

If your daughter has reluctance in Chinese language, I'm sure she will suffer a lot from studying Chinese at MPS (or any other local school).

Although MPS is famous of its English as a local school, its requirements of Chinese language are no difference from other local schools.  Everybody there learns Chinese as their native language, rather than learning Chinese as a foreign language as in ESF.

It's a happy problem to have options.  She might excel in either path.  It's just that if you want her to go down the local school path, she has to catch up her Chinese language hard and fast.

原帖由 yy_hippo 於 09-4-20 10:39 發表
Why did I let me girl study at ESF?

I think she gets the talent in language. She studied at common local kindergarten but she can speak English very well. She only learns English from TV as we often  ...

[ 本帖最後由 leschelems 於 09-4-21 17:57 編輯 ]

mow-mow

It won't be easy for international school kids to go back to local school.
Other than the obvious language problem (catching up with Chinese), it is also difficult for them to adapt to the competitive environment as well as the heavy workload.
I am not saying it can't be done, but you & your kid should better be prepared for a rather traumatic transition period!

yy_hippo

My girl studies at ESF primary one is only for few months. I think she can catch up the Chinese later if she studies at local school. I definitely agree that we need to put more efforts on it.

This is hard for me to give up the seat in ESF. My girl loves it and this is a good school too. If I choose to stay at ESF, her English will be good but Chinese may be fair. Then I am going to hire a tutor for teaching her Chinese. I do hope it may help.


If there is no concern about money, your kid’s Chinese is just fair. Do you still let you kid study at ESF?

Regards,

原帖由 mow-mow 於 09-4-22 10:37 發表
It won't be easy for international school kids to go back to local school.
Other than the obvious language problem (catching up with Chinese), it is also difficult for them to adapt to the competitive ...

WYmom

原帖由 yy_hippo 於 09-4-22 14:42 發表
My girl studies at ESF primary one is only for few months. I think she can catch up the Chinese later if she studies at local school. I definitely agree that we need to put more efforts on it.

This ...

I know a friend's case similar to yours, so just tell for your reference. I know a friend who has transferred her kid years ago from ESF Y1 to a top famous local English primary govt school through lucky draw to study P.1.  Now the girl is at P.6.

After the transfer, the girl got 2 problems:

1. Catching up with Chinese - she has gone through quite a hard period at P.1, and she was teased by some classmates as well.

2. The much heavier homework workload in local school vs almost no homework in ESF

Throughout all these years, she has to go to English, Chinese and Maths tutor class after school to keep up her standard.  After a few years, her mother wanted to transfer her back to ESF in upper primaries due to the high academic pressure and the competition of entering famous band 1 secondary schools.  Yet she has waited for 2-3 years and still no seat is available.  She is still waiting but it is now more difficult as the standard requirement for entering ESF secondary school is much higher.

So apart from learning more English vs more Chinese, I suggest you consider more importantly which way of teaching approach you prefer more for your kid in the coming 12 years.

yy_hippo

Thanks for your share.

Regards,

[

quote]原帖由 WYmom 於 09-4-22 16:44 發表


I know a friend's case similar to yours, so just tell for your reference. I know a friend who has transferred her kid years ago from ESF Y1 to a top famous local English primary govt school through  ... [/quote]

leschelems

WYmom's case is classic.  If your daughter isn't the local school type of girl, you are going to give her a blow in schooling.  And by switching back from local school to international school, you may give her a second blow.  

I also know someone who did the switching back.  Her daughter is still adjusting to the new environment.  According to her, her classmates seems noisy and naughty.  Sometimes they are impossible to befriend.  And although she was an average student in that famous local school, she tops in every academic subject easily and thus gets alienated.  In addition, she doesn't like doing exercise which is very different from the sporty international school students.  

Although years back I chose MPS and declined ESF, I didn't see ESF as an inferior.  It's just my daughter would suit a local school better.  

原帖由 WYmom 於 09-4-22 16:44 發表


I know a friend's case similar to yours, so just tell for your reference. I know a friend who has transferred her kid years ago from ESF Y1 to a top famous local English primary govt school through  ...

Radiomama

想問問大家意見,
1) 在國際學校(ESF)讀year 1, 其實相當於local kindergarten的k3, 學習差異應該分別不大, 所以轉回讀local P1的適應問題為何不能跟其他K3小朋友看齊?(eg. 功課壓力, 默書, 考試)
2) 小朋友同樣是新人類進入小學, 又怎會因語言問題而排擠別人 or 被排擠?
3) 完成了ESF year 1的小朋友, 會否較k3的成熟?

我正為仔仔部署小一問題, 來年可能出現跟樓主相同的問題, 所以想預早思考清楚.

Png

1) Marymount is a dreamed school for most people, good in both English and Chinese.

2) I dont see too much problem for a Chinese kid to attend local primary school after completing kindergarten. No matter how often they use English at school, Chinese is still their mother tongue and they are living in a chinese environment.  Parents have the responsibility to help them adapt the transition period.  Maybe ESF kids need some extra help in chinese learning at the beginning.  If money is not a concern, there should be not much problem.

4) Kids from local kindergarten also need to adapt the new primary environment because it will be so different from the past.  Your case is actually not special at all.

5) Nowadays, Chinese has become a very important language, especially PTH.  So many foreigners are learning Chinese and subjects relating China.  We are Chinese, why giving up Chinese?

6) Learning good Chinese is more difficult than English.  So a strong foundation in primary stage is a must.

elmostoney

我有親友的孩子在esf 唸書, 下課後一星期要補習中文兩次, 每次一個半小時,現在唸中三了, 中文程度跟小五小六差不多, 而且很多白字, 除了功課或某些被指定的事情, 從不會主動接觸中文, 朋輩及姊妹間也是以英文溝通.  如果你的女兒會留在esf, 中文發展的問題, 要有心理準備.  我不是說Marymount不好, 我自己就在那兒唸書, 不過這也不是我的首選, 我不喜歡本地教育制度.

G-Ma

還有一點是德育上的培訓也是一個考慮, esf學校比較寬鬆, 相對地傳統學校就比較嚴.

AugSun

There is a side question -

As you are so lucky, would you mind to tell me that are you living in Happy Valley?  Is that why you got a seat at Marymount by lucky draw in 自行分配學位or 統一派位?
I applied ESF for my daughter for the coming year and she is on wait-list.  Just call few days ago they said she might not have a chance for Y1.  You are so lucky for both la.  

AugSun

原帖由 G-Ma 於 09-4-27 15:55 發表
還有一點是德育上的培訓也是一個考慮, esf學校比較寬鬆, 相對地傳統學校就比較嚴.