I am so glad I found this blog. My name is Neal, from Toronto, Canada and now settled in Malaysia. Well, I’m in a dilemma and I need help. I’ve been reading up on private and International schools and am so confused. I must admit that much of what I read is dated so may or may not be accurate. We’re now loking at TIS at Setia Eco Park. Location and fees aside, I was hoping to hear about the school. A well rounded British style education is all I ask. I would truly truly truly appreciate if some of you who have kids at TIS could provide me with in-depth info on the school. Extra curricular activities, teacher quality, facilities etc would help me a great deal. I just want to make sure that the move to Setia is going to be the right move. Thanks in advance.

We are in the same boat , you are speaking up my mind. I always seek knowladge through readings and my challenges are to patch the bridge too.I am a working mom and I have 2 wonderfull kids going to Beaconhouse Sri Inai.Thank you for sharing your thought as it inspiries me in many ways.I will catch up with you in your next posting. Bye.

Selvaa

From Ghita: Thank you so much indeed for your kind comment, feedback and encouragement, which I very much appreciate I love writing about topics that interest me, but my challenge is finding the time to write. Self development has been an interest and passion of mine since my early teens and today there are quite a lot of information and materials available to delve in to and the challenge is to limit myself and focus on a few chosen ones at a time, because I realised that through the many books I have read and the materials I have obtained and the programs I have bought online over the years, I actually do have what I need to begin patching the bridges, but for years I kept searching for more information, but I never got around to use the materials in-depth and do the exercises required, and that is really what it takes to reach my goals. Information alone doesn’t get us anywhere. We need to apply the information we have and take action consistently in order to achieve what we want. Currently I am inspired by John Assaraf, who wrote the book The Answer. Take care and happy holidays and seasonal greetings!

From Ghita: I am afraid that I can’t help you much, as I don’t know that many who offers such activities, but for nature related activities you may want to check out Malaysian Nature Society at http://www.mns.my and http://www.skytrex-adventure.com/ for more information. And if your children are interested in the performing arts, you could check out http://www.fusionacademy.com.my/. Good luck and happy holidays!

Your blog is really nice. Hope to see more updates about TIS.

Thank you

Rahimah

From Ghita: Dear Jina, it hurts me too to hear about your child and that noone seems to care. I understand that the situation seems unbearable and if only someone was willing to listen and see the situation from your and your child’s side and point of view, it would ease the pain a little bit. When children are acting out it’s because there is a reason for it. If only adults and in this case the teachers were willing to see the other side of the coin and try to understand why your child is reacting, it would be easier to resolve. Many people have a tendency to only look for the bad in a situation instead of looking for the positive. For instance if a child comes late for class, instead of punishing the child, the teacher should find out the reason they are late, instead of just assuming that it’s because the child has no respect and comes late on purpose. Most of the time this is not the case, and if only the adult was willing to listen to their reason, the teacher would discover that the child indeed had a valid reason for being late, and it should be the job of the adult to help the child figure out how to make better decisions and prioritise some things over other things. Maybe the child came late because he was helping another child find a lost item, which was an act of compassion and helpfulness, which is a good thing, and hence he shouldn’t be punished, but the child just needs to learn that while in some circumstances it’s the right thing to help, in other circumstances there might be another solution where he can help and come to class on time as well. The same with a child that gets into a fight with another child, stop up and listen without judgments and help the children through the conflict by giving then tips on how to resolve the conflict in a non violent way and with the intention of understanding each other and to create a win win situation. I am sorry I can’t be of more help, but I sincerely hope you will find a way to resolve the issue peacefully and always know that you have the right to tell your side of the story. All the best to you and your child.

When we went to submit the application, they said they will call the kids for assessment in June 201. Will the assessment be really hard or simple and easy? Because my kids are very shy and they don’t talk too much in front of strangers. But when they are at home they are really naughty.and they will also check pencil grip during assessment. So I am really worried.

Hope you can advice me on this regard.

Thank you

Regards

Rahimah

From Ghita: Dear Rahimah, the languages they teach at TIS are English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and French, but your children are still small, so I wouldn’t worry about it. As long as your children do the expected classwork and homework, when they get to that age, they will do fine. I don’t think you need to worry about the assessment test, at that age it’s a test to assess their level of ability, but it’s not an exam. What you could do to prepare your children and reduce your worry about the assessment is to talk with them about it, in a simple language of course since they are so small, about what might happen during the assessment, role play with them about the situation to teach them to sit still and concentrate on a simple task, but don’t expect too much from them, as they are still very small, and the school understands small children and what they are and are not capable of at that age. To help you with ideas and to prepare yourself, you can call the school and ask them what they will be doing for the assessment. It’s very normal that your children are naughty at home and shy outside, if they stay like that, it’s a good thing, because if they behave in school, things will be easier for them. And don’t worry they will learn to overcome their shyness, especially in an international school, where the teachers understand them and will help and support their development. Good luck!

Many thanks for your comments and feedback, which I appreciate very much. I totally agree with you, and luckily the teachers at Tenby have treated my son a lot better than his previous school, and only a few teachers over the last 2 years have not been suitable for him, but he is now really happy with all his teachers and he enjoys school so much that he never wants to miss a day and that is the way education should be, fun, exciting, motivating, positive and progressive.

All the best to you.

Kind regards,

Ghits