First Day of School

I’ve always loved first days - of school, work, trips - it is a moment bursting with possibility and anticipation. (and of course the school canteen, the best part of Singaporean schools)

Today was my daughter’s first day of primary school - first grade for my American readers. It was utterly adorable with all of the children lined up for assembly in the school hall with the parents seated behind the kids. This was a day reserved for the P1 students - a nice touch I thought to make the whole experience less overwhelming for the kids. They took the time to explain their two week orientation, and how they were focused on 3 specific outcomes: 1) making friends, 2) understanding teachers’ expectations, & 3) getting comfortable with the new environment.

I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, but there was 2+hours worth of programming for parents. We talked about social-emotional health, and different love languages, and why we shouldn’t obsess over academics! It was not what I expected from the Singapore school system, which has a reputation for being very academically focused. We were all asked to write notes of encouragement to our kids - mine said “Stay curious! Have fun!” Hopefully she finds that encouraging, if nothing else it will be consistent with what she hears from us at home.

Apologies for the blurry pic but these are the goals for the kids which I thought were quite admirable

I worry a lot about the school system taking away her natural curiosity and joy - this first day gave me a lot of hope that the school will give her room to play and explore, alongside all the fundamentals. The few parents I chatted with had similar attitudes, so that bodes well for the future!