School

So for those new to the blog, I should note that all of the below posts/pictures were from my recent "pre-trip" that was Nov 1-14. I went from Thailand to Malaysia to Indonesia and then back to Thailand. This was a quick executive visit to shake hands with the people in the companies we are acquiring. (and do some work as well).

Our big family trip is December 1st...returning home February 15th.

So while I was in Bangkok I looked at pre-schools. This was a big "ask" on my part...where I told my company that one thing I would like as part of agreeing to spend 2.5 months in Thailand is to continue the pre-school/socialization process of Marie by enrolling her in a pre-school while we are in Thailand. (and having the company pay for it.) So I spent a day looking at four schools that I had previously been in contact with via email.

The way the term works, there is a long holiday/mid-term break in December...so all of the schools suggested a January 5th start date...and since we are departing Feb 15th, that leaves 5 weeks of pre-school for Marie.

Most schools I contacted were willing to enroll her for the short 5 week period. These are all international schools where English is the primary language and most of the teachers are from the UK or Canada or USA... They are quite exclusive among the locals and geared towards "expats" (Ex Patriots, people living and working in another country on an extended basis...)...as well as well-to-do locals who want to educate their children in English. So the idea of having a USA child join the class was well received by the schools, even if for a short period (plus, well, the money is still green).

But I also threw in a curveball to the 4 "finalist" schools... "My wife is a teacher by trade and wants to be involved in some capacity during the school day, whether it is volunteering in Marie's class or another classroom...she wants to be involved." The idea is that Sarah doesn't want to just drop Marie off and then be bored all day before pick-up time. Plus we are still in a foreign land and not too keen on just dropping off a three-year-old and hoping the school takes care of her, etc... Plus for Sarah, as a teacher, it would be a great experience to be in a classroom in another country. So this curve ball brought various reactions from the administration of the 4 schools. In the end, one school agreed to allow Sarah to help with no qualms or issues... I met not only the administrator, but also the actual teacher. I was very comfortable with the teacher and she was eager to have Sarah in her classroom and offer any insight into the "US methodologies for teaching" (the teacher is from the UK). She even has her own son in the classroom, so she didn't think it was weird for the "mom = teacher" scenario.

So in the end, I (we?) decided on St. Johns International School. They are founded by Catholics and the campus passed all of my tests...very secure entrance (security guards, gates), on-site nurse and no recent health issues (one other school had been closed down on the very day I visited for an outbreak of hand/foot/mouth disease that got so bad that the Thai dept of Health closed them down for a full sanitation...I deleted them from the list...especially after they weren't forthright about it...it was a much smaller pre-school that reminded me more of a daycare anyway...) The student/teacher ratio at St. Johns is also great...there are 13 kids in the room...ages 2.5 to 4...and 3 teachers (1 lead teacher and 2 assistants). The curriculum and various centers in the classroom were also impressive.

They even invited us to a Christmas party on December 9th where Santa will give presents to all of the students...I pre-arranged it so that Marie gets a baby doll from Santa.

Overall, we are happy with the school choice. I was even able to successfully sell this school to my co-worker, who has a 3 year old. So Marie and her new buddy will be in the same class room.