The kids changed schools. Actually, we decided to change the kids' school. Big decision. Huge decision. Much heartache.
Reasons for the change? A better question is probably to ask why we sent them to the school we sent them to in the first place. Afterall, most missionary families we know home-school, especially when their kids are as young as ours. What we were hoping for was that Jonty and Emily would learn Thai and be able to speak like native speakers. And, because both of them are very sociable, we expected that they would have fantastic social interactions. We sent them to the one and only international school in Lampang - mainly Thai kids, Jonty and Emily were the only westerners in the class. The medium of education was English, but they did Thai every day and obviously playground interaction is in Thai.
The academic year drew to a close. We were given their reports, and invited "parents' afternooon" i.e. an interview with their teachers. Apparently Jonty and Emily are both delightful children, much loved, clever kids, try really hard. Just two problems: firstly, their Thai is not coming along well (they were both awarded a "3" which means "demonstrates no ability" for every aspect of their Thai language studies). The other problem? Well, some social concerns... some aggression, bullying, bad behaviour. I had a total rethink: neither of our goals were being met!
We looked around to see what our other options were. We eventually settled on a small, private kindergarten. 100% Thai. Day 1 was hard. Day 2 was harder. Day 3 was starting to get better, but then it was weekend. Day 4 (Monday) was terrible... but today, Day 8, was a breeze. No tears, "not a single drop" and Jonty happily informed me that he never wants to go back to the old school.
In just a week we have seen a remarkable improvement in both Jonty and Emily's Thai, but we have also noticed that they seem happier. They have more energy. They are getting on better. They are more optimistic. Jonty has a bit of the spark back that he's been lacking lately.
We are so proud of our children. They have been through so many changes. Jonty is only 4 and has been in Anubaan Suan Angun, been homeschooled, been in a home-schooling group, back to Suan Angun, been to a school in South Africa, been to the international school here, and now in a Thai school ....that's 7 schooling changes before his 5th birthday.
Today I had a meeting with the director of the old school. She told me that Jonty is a huge loss to the kindergarten and that while they understand our reasons, they are sad to see him go. She went on to tell me that he is such a clever boy, mature, and has a very strong personality. She said that he is a leader. She asked that we consider taking him back once we are satisfied that his Thai is good enough. I was bursting with pride (in a good way).
Sometimes I feel bad that we are making life so difficult for Jonty. But actually, Jonty keeps rising above the challenges that come his way and he's becoming a stronger and a better person. Its hard for a 4 year old, but just imagine the MAN he's going to be!
