When we arrived in China, Kynesha Kayelle (KL) was only 3 ½ years old. In New Zealand she had attended a Montessori school, so we were interested to see how she would adjust to her new environment.  

 

    As an observation, much of the education in China is all about routine, routine and more routine. This has helped KL in many ways, like becoming more confident in the activities she has participated in. She has also been helped in her educational journey by her classmates, her teachers and the school support staff.

 

    Raising a child in any country is both rewarding and a lot of hard work. In China, we have noted some differences between our background and the one our daughter has experienced. We were surprised that the school system was so competitive, even from Day One of a student’s life. Another adjustment for us has been homework. I remember being shocked when KL brought home about 2 hours worth of homework after her first day at school. This has been a huge and steep learning curve for all of us. .

 

    The reward however, has been being able to watch KL learn and speak Chinese fluently. Her learning another culture and language, was one of our main objectives in coming to China. Raising her bilingually has not been easy, especially when we don’t speak or read Chinese. We have relied on friends, books and other teaching materials to fill this gap.

 

    We are proud that KL has had this opportunity to experience China and Chinese culture. She has adapted easily in the different environments from schooling to our many times of travel throughout China. She has become our mini-translator. English School has been a blessing with its many extra-curricular activities outside the classroom walls. For us as non-Chinese parents, raising a child in an environment that is foreign to us, we believe these activities are very important in building a child’s character.