Tagalog child schooling in Dumaguete

Thanks Peter will check it out.

 

Good idea - also, being in a situation with you, as an English speaker, will help his understanding. But does your gf speak English and would she speak it to him? My step-daughter is 17 but speaks Bisaya with her mother - she attended a high school in Dumaguete where they have those signs saying "Speak English" but they do not (nor, it seems, do the teachers).

 

My gf's English is not really good and I can't see her talking to him in English... or Bisaya either as she cannot talk Bisaysa only Tagalog and English.

 

I have a "step" daughter entering Grade 3 at a private catholic school, she is 8 years old. Until 1 year ago she was in a provincial public school on the outskirts of Bais City. She was a very good student there topping her class.

Her spoken English at the time was poor but she always did particularly well in Mother Tongue (by the way the teaching of Bisaya finishes at end Grade 3 in all schools) and Tagalog (this because she watched lots of television). So this year she went from a provincial public school to a very demanding city private school. At first she often cried wanting to go back to her old school that she found so easy, but she was sociable and gained a number of friends. As the year finished she ended with honours in her third and fourth grading (a score over 90%) but her first 2 gradings did not earn her an honours merit for the year. What I found interesting is that her English mark has improved steadily each grading whilst in the last 2 gradings her mother tongue has declined. I put that down to interacting with me extensively, yet she still speaks with her mother in Bisaya.

We often hear kids are resilient and they are. Tutoring is a good way to ensure his Mother Tongue marks will improve but I also feel that his social experience will greatly assist. Have a friend from school come to your house and encourage the reverse - maybe to the point of eating dinner with his friend's family. At his age he will learn quickly both from you and from his friends.

 

I find that most people here can speak English if they are forced to do so. Some speak it fluently, and the others, not so much. They mostly speak in Bisaya because that’s what they’re most comfortable with. They can get their point across faster than in English wherein they have to gather their thoughts, formulate the right words, second guess those words only to end up saying the wrong thing. It’s too much of a hassle really. But it’s a mistake to think that they don’t know English just because they like to talk in Bisaya. They can speak English if they have to, they just don’t want to.

 

How about the San Pedro Academy in Valencia proper, does anyone have any experience with their schooling including high school grades. I'm going to check it out this week.

 

Bisaya is only taught in public schools. Most private schools in Dumaguete do not use the what they call Mother Tongue or Bisaya. Just enroll him in any private school, I recommend DACCA, very near Valencia since it is situated along the highway going to Valencia. Students here are mostly English speakers.

 

San Pedro Academy is a private Catholic school and I think it is doing fine.