[sunniefaith]

To a certain extent, I agree with carang. What's the point of coming into a new country and just hang out only with people from your country. This will be a great opportunity for your kids to learn about other cultures. Of course, I'm not suggesting for you to put your kids into local schools as it can be very hard for your kids and also they will have problems adjusting when they go back to their home country.

With schools that have religious affliations, it is very common in Hong Kong. I don't see a problem putting kids into a school that has religious affliations. I seriously don't think it will be a situation where your kids will be brainwashed or anything like that. Do come to HK and have a look as well. Understand that the international schools in HK DO NOT only cater to kids of expats. There are many parents in HK who have the money to put their kids into international schools too.

Honestly, if you really can't find good schools that are good enough for your kids, you might want to consider home schooling them. In that case, you have full control over everything! No need to worry about vacancies in schools, religious issues, curriculum or anything like that. And I believe that materials are easily available from the internet as well.

[Vrindavan]

>> saying you don't want a school because there are too many chinese, is truly aweful (even if your child is a loner, that's no excuse)


i fully understand the issue,
don't blame other

[Sleuth]

You want a decent, yet not overly competitive, English language, US curriculum, non-religious, mostly non-Chinese school with spaces for 3 children, costing less than 75K, and convenient to the NT?
There can't be many schools that fit in that box so it will either be an easy choice because there are only 1 or 2 or it will be impossible to find in SE Asia outside Oz and NZ.

[Vrindavan]

Sleuth

i guess you misunderstand what Inprov said before

[Sleuth]

Maybe, I just think that list of wants needs to be prioritized because it will be hard finding somewhere that hits on all of them. I am envisioning a spreadsheet with schools down the left and wants across the top and then you could put a check mark in each category for each school. Then you could decide if certain wants count more than others, total them up and--viola--instant school choice.
She is uprooting her whole family from its normal way of life and coming to the other side of the world all in 3 months. I wouldn't want to be in her shoes. We had over a year to figure all of this out and we don't have 3 school-age kids.

[Louiseamanda]

Hi

Agree you want a mix of children and cultures!
The international schools are multi-cultural and are not teaching religious education much (please check individiual schools)

Just a thought though, from experience with friends at university , it can be better to teach some sort of religion than none at all. I have met a few people, whose parents either blocked all kind of religious education (for their own reasons) or it just never happened (purely secular environment without another dimension) and their offspring crave something later on and becaome a bit obsessed eg born again Christian. Children have a spiritual side and love saying prayers. Choose your own?

Good luck with school test!
LA

I do not care if the school is mostly non-Chinese! I have a problem with the traditional Chinese education methodology that seems to break a child's spirit early on. I would love my children to learn the language and make local friends. We also need to find a community that we will realistically find our place within. With a husband who is often traveling and working long hours, we do not want to feel isolated. I do not want my children in a school with all caucasian children. That would be ridiculous. I am seriously considering Kiangsu &Chekiang primary school right now. I am a bit concerned that it may be too rigorous.

We are Jewish(not very religious either) and I believe to be taught about God from a Christian perspective and to learn about Jesus, would be very confusing to my kids now. My kids go to Hebrew school and study Judaism. One religion is enough at their tender ages. We do not believe in Christianity and I feel that they are too young to understand that it is another perspective. In middle school or high school this would be okay, but in primary school this is too confusing. I am not against religion. I am actually very laid back about whatever anyone chooses to do- Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Quaker, Hindu, Buddhist, atheist, agnostic. I do not judge and do not care. I have lots of Christian friends and respect the decisions of others to educate their kids as they see fit.

[sunniefaith]

Improv, being an educator myself, I can understand where you're coming from. I'm asian of chinese descent. Having grown up in Spore and doing part of my education in Australia, I do not agree with the traditional Chinese education methodology which is based a lot on rote learning and memorisation and kids do sound like robots after awhile. Don't worry about that happening in the international schools in HK. I've met some teachers that work in international schools, most of them employ fun and interesting methods to teach the students. Even with ESF schools, they have expat teachers to teach the kids too. I've a friend whose kids went to ESF school and her kids enjoy school tremendously. Her older kid who is about 14 now is in boarding school in Australia does not have issues fitting in.

[Vrindavan]

>> I would love my children to learn the language and make local friends.

for social purpose in HK,
you need to learn local dialect Cantonese,
not potunghua that is taught at international school

>> seriously considering Kiangsu &Chekiang primary school

there are two KC schools
their local school or their
international school ?

Your kids will learn potunghua at both schools, but not Cantonese

[carang]

>>>>What about
Kiangsu & Chekiang? My husband has reservations about that as it is mostly all Chinese. He thinks my kids will not fit in. The eldest is already a bit of an intellectual as well as a loner, so maybe that would not be good.


Sorry, if i misunderstood what you meant... but i think if you re-read the original question (that i copied) you can see why the wrong impression may have been given.