Best Posts in Thread: Moving to Dumaguete

I still think you should just wait until you get here before you get too much into school selection. It's like online dating. Months of online chatter doesn't equal 5 minutes of face time.

As you have found, the web is largely non-existent here. It appears that Silliman has a decent site, but that would be like the only place in town which does. Facebook is the internet here, but who knows if there is anyone competent behind that account for monitoring questions and responding.

Just walk through the front door and start talking to people.

Don't worry about the kid and language. The only person worrying and having a hard time is the parent. Kids are more resilient and capable than we think they are.

 

I am not totally sure you will doing the right thing about total English Speaking. Your Daughter will need to interact with the local kids at some stage and by keeping her away from the language it may not help her to develop. Age 7 kids here are already being taught English and many can speak quite well.
When my Eldest was in Spain with me I had the same problem as you but the School in Cadiz made a few exceptions for her but she mastered it all well. The local kids will enjoy practicing their English on your daughter and visa - versa. At 7 Kids just soak up everything and you will find that they will just love to interact with a Friend that is different.

JMHO But worth thinking about.

BTW my Daughter is now a Lawyer in Barcelona.

JP

 

I believe if your daughter only speaks English, she is better off going to a private school like Cittidini or Don Bosco. Both are located very close to the Robinson's Mall and have buses.
The majority of students are local filipinos with some half foreigners.

 

Understood Jack and Thank You for helping explain and making me aware as what needs and should be done. She is excited to learn a new language and is more than willing to accept any and all challenges along the way. But like anything in life, it takes time and practice and we're thinking she'll be fine and if need be we will certainly obtain a Tudor to expedite the mastering aspect of the language. I appreciate your advice once again my friend.

 

I have a hard time talking about schools before I start getting off-track.

To me, school was largely about good environment and good instructors.

Each school will have its good and bad instructors. I don't know how to find them other than talking to other parents.

The environment is best investigated in person. See if you can arrange a tour with your child. Put in your vote, have the child put in a vote, order the alternates and then see if you can come to a consensus. I like gut feelings, personality and just generally a comfortable environment.

I put some kids through Foundation Elementary school. Walking around that campus put me at ease. It's a beautiful campus and I could picture myself there as a child. I have put others through Holy Cross, but I haven't been inside. From the outside it appears more urban. It's downtown among the hustle and bustle with lots of concrete.

You might also think about the type of kids who go to each school. One kid complained that Holy Cross has a lot of rich kids who think they can do whatever they like because they are well off. That could result in some bullying and disruption. On the other hand, it might be good to have friends with money and learn how to deal with them.

My own complaint with pretty much all these schools is that they keep the kids pretty late. With activities they can sometimes get home anywhere from 5 - 8. When I was that age, my day started AFTER school ended. I HATED school and I would have started a riot if I could't have substantial free time. Learning happens outside the classroom as well as inside the classroom and unstructured learning is essential.

Here is a list of schools, but Silliman and Foundation also have Elemetary / High School so don't use this as your only reference.

List of schools in Dumaguete - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Put away the computer command center and instead go for the "boots on the ground" approach.

Personally, if I were to go to school here, I would hope that I supplement that effort with lots of reading and writing on subjects which are of interest to me. Writing and speaking in English well is really important, and even people in the U.S. have a hard time with it. It's actually hard to get right, so you can only get that with lots of practice. Encourage your child to read and write. Pretty much everything else is pick it up as you need it.

 

The main private schools are Don Bosco, Cittidini, Holy Cross (those 3 are catholic), Silliman, and One International School (used the England school system). Let me know if you would like further information.