Chinese School

Ian had his first day of Chinese school on Saturday. The school started a nursery program this year for children 18 months to 3 years. Class will be from 9 am to 11 am every Saturday. The teacher is really great. Only 4 kids registered, but there were about 8 on Saturday. The teacher is Hsiung Lao Shi (Teacher Hsiung) and she has a degree in education and teaches at a Montessori school, so she is used to teaching small children. She incorporates Montessori techniques with the lessons and Saturday's was a great example of what will hopefully be a very educational year. She brought in toys and props and was very interactive with the kids. Some were shy (like Ian) and some were very involved right away. Many of the children had at least one parent who is Chinese. In some cases, the parents speak Cantonese or another dialect and want the children to learn Mandarin. A couple of children had no Chinese background at all, but the parents want the children to be exposed to different languages and cultures from an early age. Most had older children who were already in Chinese school, so this was a great way to keep the younger one occupied as well.

Ian was very shy and clingy, but I think it's because Jeff and I were both in the classroom. He'll probably do much better if we're not in the room. Even so, he really got into it and was intently watching Hsiung Lao Shi. She brought in animal "hats" that were soft and furry -- a tiger, a zebra, a monkey and an elephant. She brought in a ball and some colored plastic cups. She identified each animal and the children pet each one as she repeated the Chinese word. She didn't insist that they repeat it, but she just kept saying the words over and over. Some of the kids did repeat what she said and they clearly all caught on pretty quickly. She also "hid" the ball and cups and asked the kids where they were. The kids had a great time pointing out the objects to her and running and getting them. She sang a couple of songs and he really perked up at that. She used very little English and asked the parents to try not to be in the classroom, if possible, so that the kids would not be able to rely on us to translate for them. Only a couple of other children could understand Mandarin already, but they all caught on very quickly to the new words. When we got home, I asked Ian if he had fun at school and he said yes. I asked him if the teacher sang songs and he said yes. I asked what songs she sang and he started to sing one! So he is really soaking it all in and I think it'll be a great learning experience. And we're looking forward to keeping him busy on Saturday mornings!