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Raising a child in Kunming

jj123 (100 posts) • 0

I wonder with all of these "issues" with children going to schools in China, especially if a child is mixed, what about Home Schooling?

Has anyone attempted this?
I believe in Shanghai and CD there have been or are some groups that do this from what I have read, and I would assume there are some in other big cities as well.

JanJal (1245 posts) • +2

There is at least one foreign family doing home schooling in Kunming. They were advertising in Facebook group "Kunming with Kids".

There are advantages and disadvantages - the latter especially if you do intend the child to continue education in China at later stage.

For expat families bound to return home sooner rather than later, it is a more obvious option. Especially considering, that in these families one half more frequently stays home with the kids anyway.

cloudtrapezer (756 posts) • 0

If I had kids I'd put them through primary school here and secondary school back home. Then send them to a university in a European country (excluding the UK) where the fees are nominal. That way the kids learn Chinese properly but aren't subjected to Chinese secondary school torture and don't have to pay ridiculous sky-high US or UK college fees. Problem solved.

Ishmael (462 posts) • +1

I'm nowhere near qualified or experienced about this and am not about to question Michael's experience, but I'd do what cloudtrapezer suggests. Have friend, US father Chinese mother, their son did 12 years schooling in Kunming, then went to a US university, did well. Seemed not to have any problems I saw. He's now about 25 years old, friends since he was 13 or so seemed mostly to be Chinese. I never heard anything about bullying from them. Went to Kunming No. 2 high school, I think.

jj123 (100 posts) • 0

@janjal
Thanks for the info, I will look for them on FB.

@cloud,

My main concern with sending mine to kindy and elementary is the propaganda and the excessive homework.

I also have concerns about my children that are mixed and the problems that may arise with that.

I also prefer the Unschooling style and like what the Nordic Countries do regarding teaching at the lower levels, as well as components of Montessori and the Waldorf schools.

cloudtrapezer (756 posts) • 0

123 I agree these are real concerns. What can I say? China is what it is. I think there are good kindergartens around at least.

JanJal (1245 posts) • 0

There is of course the option of KIA, in particular if avoiding Chinese propaganda is high on criteria, and it's in budget.

On that note, in Facebook someone mentioned that they are moving to north of the city, but nobody seemed to know details.

Does anyone know anything about that?

For us they are just out of the comfortable price range, but when the time comes it would still be an option, provided that they were closer to the northside.

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