A brand new start to a brand new year.
This applies especially for Kyle who is attending a brand new school. It is a big change for him. Totally new environment, new friends, new teachers and new syllabus. And he is having withdrawal symptoms from his old school already. He says he misses his best friends, Claire Lum and Jared Quek. He says he misses his nursery class and he does not like his new school and friends :( It is heartbreaking to hear him say that.
And he shows his disappointment and anxiety in class it seems. He does not focus. The teachers say that he is easily distracted, plays with his watch or hands, hyperactive, and even aggressive towards his new classmates. This is not the Kyle I know, who enjoys school and lessons when he was at childcare. New lessons, such as Malay language are tough for him, being brought up in an English-speaking home. The malay teacher feedback that he was unresponsive towards questions and answered back in English. Even when he spoke Malay, she said he sounded "slang" and sounded awkward.
I suddenly feel regret for changing his school, but I did not really have a choice as his childcare does not offer Malay as a mother tongue. I cannot risk putting Chinese as his Mother tongue as we do not know how to talk or teach him the language.
I think that the reason why he is not paying attention is also because of the size of the class. In childcare, the class size is only about 12, whereas now his class is made up of 22 pupils. Thus, less focus on each child, which leaves him unattended and thus he can be up to lots of mischief.
I told the teacher about the possible problem of readjustment and if possible, to keep him occupied and of course to punish him, whenever he is aggressive to other children. I myself have disciplined Kyle at home and have taken away his favourite racing car game for the moment till I hear no more complaints from his teacher.
The difference in his behaviour is just so great. Teacher Mahesh from his childcare love him so much, always full of praises for him and even said that she will miss him greatly. And yet this new school is full of complaints about him. I am so affected.
Hubby says it is still new, and ask me to be patient. I will wait and see I guess. If after a few months and still no change, I think I may have no choice but to go back to his childcare again.
