All About Your Child

Title seems unfit for this blog? Shhh…. hear me…

Under Allan’s teaching, this was Keatkeat’s standard. Can you see how (almost)  identical every single word is?

For the benefit of my non-Chinese friends, this is pronounced as ‘Shui‘, meaning ‘water‘. (not tap, pictures can be misleading sometimes)

This was written LAST YEAR. Allan was still the Mandarin Teacher. This was written with lots of yelling, banging of tables, erasing and tears from the little boy.

Yet the ‘sourish’ question in my heart now is, “Did I do the right thing afterall?” Allan’s way of teaching can push my boy to perfection. Mind you, this was written before he had his 5th birthday last year. Meaning, he was only 4!!!

With Keatkeat’s under-developed motor skills and yet able to present such handwriting is just magical to me.

My throat is still sore like crazy and I’m already running out of lozenges. The antibiotics doesn’t seem to help much too. Because Keatkeat was absent from school for 2 days, he brought home school work.

Both were Mandarin worksheets. I’m supposed to rest my throat. Talk less. Speak only on critical moments. Yet because of what happened on FIERY 18th February, I had to coach Keatkeat through it.

Keatkeat, as usual, couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t sit still…. Its just too straining for my throat to repeat countless “Sit down. Pick up the pencil. Look here. Are you Listening? Please Pay Attention!”

Allan saw me, came over and said, “Let me teach.”

I ignored, fearing what would come.

He looked at me in the eyes and repeated, “Let me teach him. You need to rest your throat.”

A strong message came through his eyes, “I’m NOT going to lose my temper on him…” though nothing was spoken.

The pain in my throat was as if I’ve swallowed blades for lunch. *Ouch* I gave up. I gave in.

Indeed he didn’t lose his temper. Indeed, I didn’t misread the words transpired through that look. Yet, this was the result.

Can you see how big the difference is from ‘Shui’?!

I am perfectly happy with the writing of “Hai Pa” (meaning Afraid). But this would NEVER had BEEN PERMITTED in the past. To Allan, these are HORRIBLE, Un-Presentable, Ugly, even Outrageous (some times)

Because of his love for me, Allan lowered down his expectations of Keatkeat to this. *Deep Breath* Thank you.

So what did Keatkeat draw to illustrate his Fear?

A Cockroach that is as big as his legs!  I would freak out too!!!! *laugh*

From the moment my 3 year old pops his head out of his class, he is all ready to report his 3-hour-experience. Yak Yak Yak… non-stop. You don’t even need to ask him anything.

When he sees his Papa at home, he is more than willing to REPEAT everything again. That’s how talkative my boy is. 5mins of silence is like having his lips taped up for a year ~ Unbearable! *laugh*

It has been more or less the same report since the beginning of this year:

• “Teacher scold me today”
• “Teacher say I must sit down when she is talking”
• “Teacher say there is a time to play and there is a time to sit down and listen”
• “Teacher say I must sit crossed-leg (ged), cannot squat”
• “Teacher scold me only”
• “Teacher did not scold my friends”
  

I believe all that he had said. ‘Cos there were times when we peeped into the small look-through glass on the door, we saw him DANCING ON HIS FEET while the other children were sitting on the mat, listening to the teacher sing ’10 Little Indian Boys’ *faint*

TODAY, THE REPORT IS DIFFERENT (for the first time):

• “Today my friend pull my ear like that” (demonstrating)
• “Then I tell teacher”
• “Teacher scold my friend and he cry leh”
• “Teacher so fierce”
• “Teacher say I good boy”
• “Then, My teacher is so funny today”
• “She keep laughing and laughing and laughing”
• “I ask her why”
• “She don’t want to tell me”
• “Then she laugh at me and say I very funny”
• “She didn’t say my friends funny leh.”
• “She ONLY say I very funny”
• “So funny hor?”

*Huge Laugh*

That’s why I often say, ‘boredom’ was OUT of my dictionary ever since chatty Binbin came into my life!