Monday, September 1, 2008

What school does he go to?

None. He's only two.

Over the past few weeks, several people have asked me this question. And this is after they ask me how old he is. So, they already know that he's two so why bother asking me what school he's in?

I know that in Malaysia, there are kids that start going to what I can only call pre-pre-kindergarten when they are about two. And, it looks like for those who can afford it over here in Indonesia, its also something thats very common.

In the west, many children go to daycare and I think one of the main reasons is because both parents have to go to work. Over here, many mothers are the stay at home variety and, a household that can afford to send a two year old to school definitely has a maid (or two). So, the only conclusion I can draw is that these parents want to give their children a head start on the academic ladder. Or maybe, they feel that since all the other toddlers are in class, their child is going to be left behind if they don't start at the same time.

It just seems like a vicious cycle to me. I hope those classes are more learn-through-play rather than sit-and-study but it really wouldn't surprise me to find a very structured class with lots of study packed into the day.

I know I'll be keeping Aaron by my side for a few more years. He has a little group of friends now that he meets daily in the concrete park. Maybe I can set up a play group in our area. It would be fun to organize some weekly activities for those little kids. There are at least 3 other little ones around Aaron's age and a couple that are a little older.

So, no school for now. We'll just stay at home and play all day. Learning is a 24hr a day activity for two year olds anyway so I don't think he'll be missing out on too much if I'm diligent.

2 comments:

Mike said...

Here's how the naysayers will view it. All of Aarons problems in the future will be because you didn't send him to preschool. All of his successes you will get no credit for.
But your blogger friends will be here to cheer you two on!

John A Hill said...

I agree. Life for a two year old is a learning experience. From your blog it is clear to see that Aaron is exposed to a lot of great adventures, train station, zoo, market, etc.

Chris stayed home with our kids and made sure that they had good learning opportunities. I'm sure that Aaron will remember more about days with mom than other two's will remember about pre-school.