School shopping, less fun than you think

Tru’s going to be starting school in January and he’s really excited. It’s more like a 3-hour playgroup every morning where he gets to dole out free hugs to more kids and do fun stuff like building sandcastles and water fights play. It hardly constitutes as school but he’ll be wearing a real uniform and carrying a lunchbox like a big boy.

In an education-obsessed society that we’re in, school shopping is possibly one of the most harrowing experiences parents have to go through. The top schools have a waiting list up to 2 years in advance so that means the really hardcore parents have to register as soon as the child is born. That’s just insane. With all the responsibilities of a new baby, picking a school did not seem like a priority.

Plus, I did my primary school education in Ping Yi Primary, where the boy next to me crapped in his pants and spat on us every other week right up till he was 12. It’s one of the merits of public education. It’s so awesome that the school no longer exists today because I’m pretty sure the non-existence of crap on the floor is kind of like a prerequisite for enrollment.

Principal: At our school, we treat every student like he has the potential to be the next Prime Minister or world class surgeon. We have a dedicated staff of teachers…

Parent: Is it me or does it smell funky in here? OMG is that a piece of crap on the floor?

And another one bites the dust.

But then again, I still turned out ok.

In any case, we weren’t planning to enroll him till he was 3 or 4 so it’s not like we were really looking. But it was like a stroke of genius one afternoon. We always knew that Tru was too advanced for his age and he always seemed thrilled to be around other kids. Being cooped up at home cramped his style and he was a natural at socializing and falling into formation. It was like he actually enjoyed being ordered around and following what other kids were doing. It doesn’t work when I order him around, but when other kids are following instructions, he thinks it’s a game and does the same.

Of course, it’s great for me too, because it’ll give me 3 hours of uninterrupted time alone with baby girl.

So began the search for the perfect playschool. It was harder than we thought. My checklist was extensive, to say the least. The teachers had to be good with kids, well-spoken (none of that li-ber-ry, ter-ri-ber nonsense), fun and firm without being militant. The environment had to be bright and happy. The curriculum had to be well-planned. The location had to be convenient. The kids not too brattish. And so on.

We finally found the school we were looking for and Tru took to it immediately. During the visit, he was beaming the whole time. We spoke to the teachers and we knew it was everything we were looking for. Then they told us that it was full and they wouldn’t be able to take him in next year. After 2 months of waiting, we finally got news that Tru got a place and we celebrated like he was accepted into Harvard.

Next step, actually getting him into Harvard.