孩子的學校沒有中文學，你真是不介意嗎?

EsmondMaMa

Not all IS kids have poor Chinese.  It depends on his own character and ability to "absorb" Chinese.  My son studies in ESF junior school, but he is quite aggressive in learning Chinese words.  When he comes across Chinese words that he doesn't know, he will ask.  He's able to read 90% of the words on a "dim sum" sheet and check out the items he wants by himself.  Reading menus and those posted sheets on the wall of a HK style cafe is not a difficulty to him at all.  He's also interested in reading Chinese newspaper.
Don't worry too much and encourage your kid to read and speak Chinese.  I prefer my son to learn better English in school.  There's no way that a kid cannot understand or speak Chinese when he is brought up in a Chinese environment.    It's just a matter of his willingness to blend in the local culture or not.

EsmondMaMa

Most of my piano students study in local band 1 so-called famous schools.  There are a lot of times that I come across asking them to write down translation of Italian musical terms.  They said to me they prefer to write in English and that their Chinese is not very good.  I am quite shocked to hear that and I honestly have to tell them that their English is only fair, and if they say their English is better than Chinese, then their Chinese is extremely poor.  They have to ask me to write simple Chinese characters for them because they don't know how to write them!

EsmondMaMa

He's in P.5 now.  I sent him to Kumon Chinese when he was P.1 (simplified characters), but he requested to stop at the end of year 4 as he said the Chinese in school was more difficult than the Kumon Chinese he's learning.  I didn't teach him Chinese myself, but whenever he asks us about Chinese words, we will answer him.  As far as I remember, they have daily Mandarin lesson from P.4.

原帖由 Miclint 於 09-2-27 10:41 發表
Dear EsmondMama,

Which year is your son in the ESF junior school now? What program outside school do you adopt to help him learn Chinese or do you teach him Chinese all by yourself?

Please share.

M ...

[ 本帖最後由 EsmondMaMa 於 09-2-27 12:23 編輯 ]

EsmondMaMa

1) KJS

2)  I don't think he's bothered by traditional or simplified characters.  He can read both without problem, but can only write simplified.  Reading whichever version is ok to him, but I guess he prefers to write simplified simply because they have less strokes.

3) If I have to choose again, I will still choose simplified because this is what they have in school.  I don't want to make life difficult for him.  He will naturally pick up traditional Chinese when being brought up in this social environment.

原帖由 Miclint 於 09-2-27 15:49 發表
Dear EsmondMama,

1) Oh really? You son stopped Kumon Chinese because of that. Quite impressed! Would you mind share with me which ESF junior school is your son attending?

2) How does he respond to T ...

[ 本帖最後由 EsmondMaMa 於 09-2-27 19:03 編輯 ]

EsmondMaMa

My  son watches potunghua Doraemon series.

EsmondMaMa

Daddy bought them in China.  I don't think you can get them in HK.