Not Enriching Enough

Sophie has been enrolled in 3 different enrichment classes - I Can Read (Bukit Timah Plaza), Act 3 (Cairnhill), and Berries (Bishan CPF Building). And we are withdrawing from Berries and I Can Read, we are still considering Act 3. Here's why although it is largely our own opinion.

After 9 sessions at I Can Read, we decided that the branch is not very fantastic and the curriculum for her at this stage (Little Learners) is not as structured as I have hoped, unlike the formal I Can Read programme. It looks very ad hoc to me with badly photocopied worksheets and there is no contents page to tell us what to expect in the coming weeks or written note of the curriculum to parents. Also, we never get to observe the class so I have no clue what was done every week. As a formal teacher, these are tell tale signs of potential problems. After discussing with Sophie's principal in school, we also came to the conclusion that the Spalding Method taught in school is sufficient and she really does not need to get herself confused with other methods of learning how to read.

As for Berries, we only attended 2 sessions so far. I am not particularly impressed by the workbooks. The contents are simple and unattractive althought it is activity-based. The classroom management has been great though. There are at least 3 teachers I see in her class, each carrying out specific activities and the smaller groups are rotated among them. Frankly, I do not mind carrying on. However, the timing and location are not favorable to us. We have to rush there after lunch (1.30pm) and hang around for 1.5 hours. There isn't much at Junction 8 or anywhere nearby. After that, we are neither good for dinner or anything else. We still have to kill time before heading for dinner. Thus, Papa does not want to continue.

As for Act 3, we like it but again, location is bad although timing is okay. The place is very small and parking is a huge problem. If it rains (like last Saturday), we will face a lot of difficulties. Sadly, this is the only enrichment class Sophie actually likes. They spell out the focus of each lesson every week and they bother to chat with us about what they do in class. I think if they don't want us to watch the lesson, it is only fair that they debrief us or let us know exactly what they do in class.

But of course, I am only speaking from my own experience with them. I am sure they provide good enrichment lessons which is why I enrolled her in the first place. However, I think Papa is right. We should let her attend enrichment classes in her own school. Her teachers know her better and they know which area to focus on, especially when Chinese is concerned. They have Chinese Speech & Drama which hopefully can arouse her interest in the langauge, and Chinese enrichment classes that focus on the everyday usage (largely conversational and vocabulary expansion) of the language. We can also enroll her in English Speech & Drama class (trainer is one of Act 3 founders) and Dance class (we already did!). Thus, we probably will finish the term of existing enrichment classes and join the school's own programmes in term 2.

This would mean Sophie would no longer take naps in the afternoon and she would take her lunch in school. I would see her less in the day. We will probably do Chinese Speech & Drama (Monday), Chinese Enrichment (Tuesday), English Speech & Drama (Thursday) and Dance (Friday). Maybe Yamaha on weekends. I actually miss her but I know we would have more time together in the weekends.