Children's Education
8 June 2013
探訪了兩個姨㽒孫的托兒所、幼稚園、小學和星期六上課的音樂學校，覌察了小一的家課，了解到芝城的華人家長的需要，和香港的差不多。富裕人家孩子就讀私立學校，收入一般的讀公立學校，有些餘錢就參加私立興趣班。有點不同的是父母不太著緊鋼琴考試，音樂培育是以興趣為主，學鋼琴不純是技術操練。
Pre-school
Kids' Work, the child care center which Ian is going to is relatively new, established about 5 years only. Yet it has won so much parents' applause that application for a place starts from the womb. Ian was lucky to secure a place for 3 days and now 4. The teacher-student ratio is 1:4 and group size of Ian's class is 12. Monthly rate for 4-day program for toddlers is US $2,000. A tour of the campus and meeting with the staff will tell you that it is worth the money. Witnessing Ian's full development in all dimensions assures his parents and grandma that there is added value in the tuition at Kids' Work.
http://kidsworkchicago.com/
Catering for learner diversity at a public elementary school
Completing homework assignments from 4.30 is Aidan's routine. Occasionally his grandma's assistance is sought to solve some mathematical problems. Reading comprehension is sometimes beyond grandma's capability. Most of the reading passages are content based, and questions test understanding of differences and similarities, and the most challenging one demands the grade one child to make a summary. Aidan is placed in an advanced group among his class, and is thus given more difficult assignments. If not for grandma's coaching, the works are above the child's ability. Is such home coaching doing good or harm? Is the 'differentiated instruction' really catering for the child's needs?
Extra-curricular Activities
It was Saturday morning. As usual the classrooms at Old Town School of Folk Music were full. Ian and mother went to the play group while Aidan went to an integrated class with one-to-one piano coaching, music theory and singing and acting. This private music school has a long history in Chicago and it used to offer classes for teenagers and adults. With the growing birth rate in recent years, the institute has assumed a new direction, focusing on preschool and young children's creative arts classes. Expansion into building blocks next door and springing of restaurants and shops rejuvenate Old Town and its neighborhood.
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