Our Philo-Sophie

Papa was on leave the whole day. In the morning, he sent Naenae to the hospital for her chemotherapy, then he rushed home with lunch. After that, we left Sophie with Ah Gong and Ah Mah and rushed to Cherrybrook Kindergarten for an interview with the Principal.

We have already attended the presentation during their open house in August and we are quite happy with the school then. But it is their practice to meet up with parents who wish to enrol their children in their school again before making the final decision. During the interview, we discussed with the principal Sophie's personality, behaviour at home and health; we also talked about our parenting style, expectations and concerns. It took us 2 hours and $50 but we were quite relieved that everything went smoothly. Once we have made up our mind, we will meet them again to finish up the paperwork and make payment.

Though it may sound tedious, we are glad that the school invest so much time on the enrolment process. It sends the message that we are valued and they want to do their job properly. The Principal also emphasized that parental involvement is very important and we are expected to be proactive and hardworking in Sophie's education and character development. She added that parents who do not agree with the school's approach, would eventually pull out their children from the school.

During our discussion, I was forced to articulate my parenting philosophy, thoughts and views for the first time to someone other than Papa. At first I was worried that she might think I am too idealistic, paranoid or demanding, but I rattled on anyway. I talked about Sophie's routine and how she gets crazy if she lacks sleep. I also voiced my concern about her lack of focus and playful nature. I put a lot of empahaisis on health, safety and routine care when I talked about my expectations. To my surprise, the Principal was able to address all the issues I raised.

Essentially, I want Sophie to be happy, healthy and safe. I hope she would be morally upright, kind and compassionate. And it would be great if she could be determined, resourceful and resilient as well. Next year, I would be attending Cherrytots with her twice a week. Hopefully, things would work out for us... Fingers crossed.