不去考HKIS有損失嗎？

jolalee

[Latest update. We went for the interview and got a spot at HKIS, but only had 36hrs to decide if we should accept or decline the offer. In the end we decided to keep our child in CDNIS.]

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Hi fellow parents, some of you may know that my boy is a Nov born "small b" currently in CDNIS Reception (=K2). I applied to all our target schools in one go last year, but some he was not old enough to sit for the interview back then. Last month we received an interview invitation for Reception entry from HKIS. If he gets in, he will be a "big b" (repeating Reception, =K2) which is quite optimum for his long-term development.

Since we have applied for it already, I thought we may as well go ahead with it before deciding if we want to move him over or not. Worse come to worst, it'd be a nice school visit. However, my husband is not so keen on HKIS and asked me to decline the interview offer now. In a way this is pushing my decision forward, before the kid is even accepted in HKIS  

Here's my take on the pros and cons of HKIS for my boy:

Advantage-
* Being one of the older boy without redshirting him (i've the choice to put him back a year in CDNIS, but he'd be super old compared to others in his class)
* Better American University entry compared with his existing school
* A more technical strong American curriculum primary education compared with his existing PYP program
* A more expat community compared with his existing school (so Caucasian and Oriental kids play together instead of having their own cliques)

Disadvantage-
* Reputation to be a party school (the reason my husband wants to pull out)
* Rumored that most parents are super rich and lives in houses. Heard that the truth is not as bad.
* CDNIS has a better Chinese program, esp in earlier years. (HKIS secondary Chinese is not too bad, however)
* If we are not going to American University, then is there a point in going? (I'm Canadian and my husband Australian, so it's MUCH cheaper for my boy to go back to either country for his Tertiary education, but of course if he gets into a top American school we'd definitely dish out for it.)

Have i missed anything? Should i convince my husband to go ahead with the interview before deciding? (He will be on a business trip on interview day too, so that would undermine our boy's chance of getting in with an absent parent). Let's say that my kid gets in, between HKIS & CDNIS, which one should we pick?

jolalee

imconfusing 發表於 15-4-1 17:34
from your comments in EK, I am sure you are an expert in HK international schools. and I do believe  ...

I am only learning from great people here on this site and others. At the end of the day I called for help from an education expert and she said "go with your gut feeling" and she was right. Sometimes we do over analyze the situation, but it is good that at least I see all perspectives and weighted the pros and cons before I make a choice.

I went through a similar experience upon my own University options. I had two equally attractive offers and asked God which (career choice) I should take. Surprising i found this quiet inner voice that told me it doesn't matter. Seven years down the line, I changed career, and it had nothing to do with the two options I had back then. Someone does see farther and longer down the road :)

Yup, just prepare well and do your best.
Serendipity.

964000

原帖由 imconfusing 於 15-04-01 發表
from your comments in EK, I am sure you are an expert in HK international schools. and I do believe  ...

Same for me, God have made the choice for me regarding IS vs LS! I was always wavering between the two.  I even  start to miss the application deadline of one of the local target kinder, I think deep inside I am for IS but I just didn't admit that.

964000

原帖由 jolalee 於 15-04-01 發表
本帖最後由 jolalee 於 15-4-1 17:21 編輯

Good for u
Tmr morning when u wake up with a smile, that means you have made the right choice. Since u have decided, I would say I will made the same choice too if I were u.

Shootastar

回覆 imconfusing 的帖子

I can't agree with you more!

imconfusing

jolalee 發表於 15-4-1 17:12
Actually, supplementing for weaknesses to prevent it from deterring Uni entry chances is fine, just ...

O I missed your reply! happy to hear that u choose to stay at CDNIS

imconfusing

jolalee 發表於 15-4-1 06:25
回覆 imconfusing 的帖子

Thank you, we keep praying about it. We have peace (and stress ) for both ...

from your comments in EK, I am sure you are an expert in HK international schools. and I do believe you have more than enough knowledge to make the right decision. I'm just a newbie so I cannot comment with the schools. But it seems to me you like CDNIS more. Given that both are great schools, I will choose the I like with my instinct instead of comparing the the pros and cons of the schools

your reply makes my day! yay it matters very little to God. I'm in panic to get an IS spot for my 8 months baby but when I sit down and think peacefuly, why the heck should i worry?! Life is a long journey and it's just the beginning. Trust in Him and let him walk along with me. he will find me a path, the best path for me and my baby! I got inner peace again today.

Shootastar

回覆 jolalee 的帖子

I am glad that you have made a good choice for your son. Apparently CDNIS is a good fit to your son and your family.

jolalee

lui 發表於 15-4-1 10:53
True. Many ppl have a thought to supplement the inferior parts which is not right. One should look i ...

Actually, supplementing for weaknesses to prevent it from deterring Uni entry chances is fine, just not to drill on it and expect the impossible. How to motive his strengths into something that out shines others, now that's a work of art & dedication.

Thank you for everyone's well wishes. In the end we chose to stay at CDNIS. After I called HKIS and kindly declined the offer, a natural smile reappeared on my face. Hopefully, my family has made the right decision.

Shootastar

回覆 koala_xin 的帖子

When they were in P.1, I arranged a NET teacher to play with them once a week. The teacher did not teach them anything about their daily homework. They joined in a small group to play together with 3 or 4 boys or girls together, They had the chance of speak and hear English with a NET, When they were young, it was easier for them to pick up both spoken and written English. Sometimes, the teacher gave them some English books for them to read. A small group would create a competitive environment and encourage them to speak and talk with each other in English. By the end of the primary education, the NET gave the local F.5 English exercise for them [those exercise books were meant for the HKCEE]. Both of my son and daughter managed to complete the exercise books quite confident. I then arranged them to take the test for HKIS. It was fortunate that my son passed the examination and a spot was opened. So he was admitted to Grade 7. When son settled quite well at HKIS because his Chinese and Maths were strong. The local standard of those subjects should be higher than the IS standard, After a short period of adjustment, he mixed well with his IS students. My daughter followed her brother's pathway 4 years later.

lijacq

My daughter is in grade 10 IB in CDNIS.  She also got transferred from local school after Primary 6.  
In my opinion, if the kid is good in languages and humanities, then IB is very suitable.  But if math and science skills are more important for the kids development, then US system is better as the theory is taught more in-depth.

koala_xin

Shootastar 發表於 15-4-1 09:17
both of my kids switched th HKIS after completion of local primary schools. Academically, my son's p ...

Shootastar, back to years ago, how do you manage to switch from local to international so late (after completion of local primary school), say their English? My elder gal stayed in local for 3 years in kindergarten (with NET teacher in her class) and 1 year in primary, then switched to international. She's still not having fluent spoken English compared to her classmates.

LYLD

jolalee 發表於 15-4-1 10:04
Apologies for the mistake. Since the posts (on both sites) comment on the same point with reference ...

So what is your decision? My son also got in and will start in Aug 2015.  

lui

原帖由 jolalee 於 15-04-01 發表
本帖最後由 jolalee 於 15-4-1 10:20 編輯

True. Many ppl have a thought to supplement the inferior parts which is not right. One should look into the superior parts and enlarge it. Hope you have chosen the best for your son. Even not now, you can always change.

jolalee

blc_mama 發表於 15-4-1 08:01
" That said, the ultimate question I always ask is, should we put our child in a school that plays t ...

Apologies for the mistake. Since the posts (on both sites) comment on the same point with reference to this forum, I mistaken you two as the same person. I have thanked the other mom too now. You are right, if he can excel in IB and achieve good results (fingers crossed), it would be better to keep him there and supplement the rest in a way that fits him as well. Like a seminar I went to few weeks ago, the internationally renown speaker did point out that for the highly successful people, they all have about just 3 key strengths (amongst 11 traits) in order to do well in life. 先拔尖，後補拙 ;)

Shootastar

both of my kids switched th HKIS after completion of local primary schools. Academically, my son's performance was a little bit higher than the average while my girl could be classified as a top 15% student. My son was rather active and needed extra support from school. Because the school fee was high, they coule employ 3 educational psychologies (for primary, middle and high school). They had several teachers to form a support group. If you took their classes (learning skills), one teacher only took care for 2 or sometimes 1 student. I could not have any complaint about the facilities provided by the school.

I had no experience in other types of education systems except the local one ( where I came out). Since The US education system is well recognised by nearly all leading colleges in the world, I am quite convinced that US system is not my concern. I would choose a school which provide quality education to my kids.

happyhealthymin

原帖由 Shootastar 於 15-04-01 發表
回覆 1992英语baby 的帖子

My personal opinion is HKIS good for my kids. However., I have no doubt th ...

Could you share more about what type of kids fit HKIS? I know it is not absolute but just for reference. Meanwhile, do you think a school is important than a cirriculum?

blc_mama

" That said, the ultimate question I always ask is, should we put our child in a school that plays to his strength, or one that helps balance him out? " --> I have another thought in this. If your son needs to exert 60% of effort to excel under IB curriculum, then he can use the remaining 40% to explore new things. On the other hand, if he needs 90% effort to do well in another curriculum he just have 10% of time for other things. In my opinion the first situation is even more balanced.

BTW, I think I am not the person who you think I am cos I just come to this forum for getting information

jolalee

blc_mama 發表於 15-3-31 15:54
回覆 jolalee 的帖子

I seldom express my opinion here but when I looked at your previous reply --> " ...

Thank you for your advice (on both sites), which really shrone a light in the midst of my cloudy thoughts! <big hug>.

To answer your question, yes even from my own observation of my own child and my understanding of IB, he does fit in quite well into the IB curriculum. Inquirer, compassionate, open-ended. He is the creative type who can be very focused when he is interested in a subject, but otherwise aloof and playful. I can see that in the long run, heavy essays will not deter him, but very factual subjects such as math might (not sure yet).

That said, the ultimate question I always ask is, should we put our child in a school that plays to his strength, or one that helps balance him out?

Anyhow, you have helped me made up my mind (by your comment on your other site). Thank you again!!

jolalee

回覆 imconfusing 的帖子

Thank you, we keep praying about it. We have peace (and stress ) for both schools. I think God let ppl choose the path they go, and at the end of the day it really matters very little to God which school one chooses. He will watch over ppl either way; this is not a moral or ethical issue. Thank you for reminding and encourage us though.