tweed_wearer

My 5-yo just started at kindergarten in BC and I am starting to have some concerns about how the school is run.

There seems to be no academic goal or impetus until about grade 5 and until then "be kind to each other" is about all they expect them to learn while turning a blind eye to other kids pinching/hitting my child. The teacher plays silly Youtube videos/ every day in the classroom and I think his reading and writing is now worse than it was when he was at daycare. The school is going to bring someone in to sit with the children for a week to show them how to weave. I have seen no improvement and perhaps a deterioration in his general ability.

Our son happily eats very healthy balanced meals at home but he remarks that other kids are bringing in candy every day to eat at lunch and he is beginning to ask us for candy - this was battle we never had before. The school apparently has no policy about items in lunchboxes even though the daycare did. They want to bring back school lunches but with the school kitchen off limits they are thinking of ordering meals from Pizza Hut, KFC, or White Spot three times per week. Let that sink in: junk food for lunch three times per week for little kids at a state school. It's the whole Jamie Oliver School Dinners story written BACKWARDS! I do have sympathy with the Covid situation as it has not been easy for them at all but pizza/burgers are a treat for us and not a school lunch.

On top of that we have no communication from the school about policies and events with emails going into the ether, PAC meetings changed at short notice and me having to ask other parents for information. Other parents are spending a small fortune on tutoring/extra-curriculars and it seems they are trying to make up for the utter inadequacy of the school system. Am I alone? Does it get better when they get out of kindergarten? I try not to be a pushy parent and will have no problem at all if my son turns out not to be academic but basic education should not be this elusive, should it?

Tirytory

Is this your first child by any chance?

My son’s kinder teacher used silly YouTube videos; they were so great at teaching letters, words, sounds, endings etc. They were pretty fun and the kids loved them. My kid would come home singing them all the time. I find that kids seem to go backwards a little bit before making huge leaps forward. I’ve noticed that with my kids in terms of reading etc. Some days it’s like they’ve never read before and then the next moment they’ve leapt forward a few levels. I’ve always read and practiced reading English books on top of school with the kids. I would recommend the British Oxford Learning Tree books- Biff, Kipper and Chip books, even if you ship them over. Buy all the levels, they’re so amazing at helping kids learn to read.

Most schools don’t police lunch boxes, either in the UK or here. Just make your own rules and stick to it. It’s a battle you will have to continue for the rest of school. In most Canadian schools, it draws lots of different families from different economic backgrounds. I think that factors in a lot in to what parents put in kids lunches. Likewise, if you don’t want junky school dinners, then give your child a packed lunch, or better still, join parent council and advocate for better.

From what I’ve read, Canadian school systems go for more of a holistic approach to education and at 5, all they really need to think is that school is fun, and they learn so much through play.

Calgary2021

Unfortunately yes, the Canadian early education system is a bit too relaxed compared to UK or other countries (same as US). And so most folks coming from almost anywhere in the world (except US) find the Canadian schools to be a bit of a joke. But they do have a system of "kids gloves" approach they follow. Unfortunately, it doesn't prepare most students for University which are still world standards in Canada and that explains for almost a 20-50% drop out rate for students during their first few years at Uni.

My suggestion is you find extra curricular training / coaching / tutoring for your kid/s. Or, be prepared to spend lots of time yourself at home teaching them

Siouxie

https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Canadian_Schooling
https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Canada-UK_School_Comparison

dbd33

If the concern is that the Canadian school does not offer an education comparable to that offered in Europe then put the children in an IB school so they have the same education as they would in Europe. That's what we did, with pleasing results.

TD199113

I tend to agree that the schooling is not at the same standard as the UK (having worked in both systems) but it is more about what you want for your child as a parent!

eversmannx

Do you reckon it's hard to change if we start with an IB school for kindergarten and later decide to change?

dbd33

In that direction, not at all. Switching into the IB program may be more difficult but lots of children do that. I see the program as being an opportunity, if the child is suited to it then great, if not, then it's something tried that didn't work out, no matter. Education as ice skating lessons!

CanadaJimmy

That's pretty unacceptable the teacher is showing the class lots of Youtube videos, I know most of the popular ones are just designed to overstimulate kids and give a dopamine rush, besides being just lazy teaching. We have pretty much banned those videos in our house because our son just turns into a hyperactive jerk when he watches them.