Sent my Kid to English Nursery School in China
Mike’s Blog 102
Miles will be 3 years old later this month. The time is just flying by – especially as a parent watching your loved one grow older. Miles mostly speaks Chinese all day – as I am working in the studio day, and a lot of the night, he has most of his day to day interactions with his grandpa (my father in law) and Chinese society.
Wendy has a friend who recently opened up an English “garden” (nursery school is what I think it would be called in America) – which is a half day session in the morning from 9am to noon, then lunch together. It is English only communication, with just about 5 kids total, so very personal.
The founder of the school Angela Wei 韦岳霖, started Charlotte’s English Garden as her own daughter was approaching the age to go to nursery school. Angela, and her husband, Luke, both had experience doing education for many years – and then opened this nursery school for their daughter as well as other kids.
One of those perfect ideas I had even thought about – taking some friends together and making a close and personal, English, nursery school and play group. Great thing is the school is very close by – about a 20 minute bike ride, so I can pick up Miles after school during my lunch break and ride him back home.
I am a little nervous of his English level – Wendy says I should be teaching Miles more English – but it is hard – I’m working so hard to build up the business to support the growing family – to teach English takes hours and hours a day. I do read books in the morning to Miles and Maggie – but surely that is not enough to get them to learn how to speak English in a “Chinese world” (environment).
So let’s try out “Charlotte’s English Garden” and see how Miles’s English develops. On top of the English, he also needs more time and interaction with other kids – being cooped up at home with just the family and Maggie isn’t enough.