[quote=“Andrew0409, post:37, topic:88117”]
Kang Chiao usually gets high praises from parents, but the students either hate it or love it.[/quote]
Students who make it into the advanced classes love it. Students who don’t (particularly the ones who should have gotten in but didn’t make the cut) hate it.
If they truly wanted to be an elite school, they shouldn’t admit students who don’t make the cut for the advanced courses. But alas, they want more money.
This is true of most private schools.
I haven’t seen a private school that doesn’t have major problems. I know they exist but I haven’t seen them.
This is true. As a teacher, it really saddens me to see students sitting in my class who are doomed to fail just by the very fact that they’re sitting in front of me. Eventually, I get desensitized to it.
I truly care about my advanced courses. And over time, I care less and less about my regular classes. I’m two different teachers.
Parents who are considering Kang Chiao need to realize that getting admitted into Kang Chiao does not mean that their kids are ready to succeed at this school. Parents should honestly asses whether their kids are truly as gifted and talented as they think they are.
So true, parents have a bad habit of making their kids worse. Any English teacher knows they will have parents who thinks pushing a kid up a level/grade will improve their kids english or whatever they are learning. They end up making th kid hate the class because they’re so frustrated and just don’t understand enough to keep up. No one wants to think their kids are below average…but arond half the kids statistically are lol
Most do. But your hands are tied when you are suppose to teach the class at a certain level and you have 30+ kids with limited time to cover required material. The school should do a better job being selective because it hurts everyone from the kids who are truly advance and the kids who would excel at a different class. But schools often just want to admit anyone willing to pay and donate money. And wont argue with parents when they want to skip a level far more advance for their child.
Even the most caring teacher are limited on what they can do when the school and the parents push their kids to be at a level where they clearly are not ready for.
I have numerous students who are thrust deep beyond what they’re capable of. I have a student who struggles to put the sentence together, “What does… isochoric… mean?” He’s still struggling to get the words in his sentence in the right order. And he’s pleading with me for help with this essay question.
His mom has asked me what can be done to pull his grades up. I’ve gone through his exam with her, question by question, and clearly shown that he did not understand any of the questions in the entire test. Time and time again I’ve told her that he needs to improve his English. His answers show that he doesn’t know the difference between isochoric and isobaric. That should be second nature at this level in the course… but he probably thinks isochoric means isosceles. It’s not fair to give these questions to an English language learner who is still struggling with adjectives. I’ve taken time to tutor him outside of class because when class is in session, I speak way too fast for him to understand what I say.
And he still failed the exam.
I can’t let that get to me. In my heart, I hate the feeling. I try hard to shake it off.
I’ve tried to tell his mom that he simply can’t do what is required of him. It’s not his fault. I can’t tell her to transfer him to a different school but I was hoping she’d get the hint.
And the school is making so much money off of kids like this. But it’s not exactly Kang Chiao’s fault. For some reason unbeknown to me, this is what the parents want.
They have a idiotic belief that their kids can simply catch up with zero foundation. I try to explain to them it’s like building the roof without ever building a good foundation but they won’t accept it because their kid is soooooo smart.
Schools would do weaker kids a favor by kicking them out. But they’re free money. And they’re providing a service that the parents want.
What I would like to say to all the parents who are considering Kang Chiao is this.
If your kid is truly gifted, send him (or her) to Kang Chiao. He will take so many AP courses that he’ll practically skip the first year (or more) of college.
But you say, “he’s smart and relatively hard working, but you know kids…” (I’ve had a parent say this to me) this is probably not the best fit for your kid.
I’ve seen kids whose English was very poor fight tooth and nail with Google translate for hours to understand the textbook and land perfect scores on their tests. And I’ve seen exceptionally brilliant students refuse to put in the work and blame the system for why they were failing.
Know your kids. You won’t find the proper fit for your kids unless you’re honest with yourself.
Oh, and one more thing. That kid I mentioned who couldn’t put a sentence together when he came to Kang Chiao is progressing in his English (but still failing my class. He isn’t advancing that quickly). So, perhaps this is the service that his parents want from Kang Chiao. Perhaps, if I really think about it, the school isn’t doing anything unethical here. If this is what the parents want, they’re getting it. I’m not sure if that’s all they want… but it’s a thought.
Thanks everyone for the feedback…or should I say warnings about Kang Chiao and private schools in general?
My son is just 4yrs old so I’m more interested in the Kindergarten at this time. However, it is great to get a sense about what Kang Chiao is like overall, so I can take it into full consideration before we make a decision.
@Caspian I thought what you said here is quite interesting, but I am not sure if I understand what you mean by it. Would you mind elaborating on this? Also, in your opinion, which private school do you consider is better than others (since you mentioned you’ve seen better)? Or are all private schools alike in TW? Sorry for the many questions.
If I believed that a better private school existed, I’d be working there. I haven’t seen better… I have just seen different. Even though Kang Chiao has a lot of problems, the particular set of problems that Kang Chiao has is one that I can deal with.
Being that I’m an adult, I know myself enough to know how to choose the right fit for me. I embrace the strengths of the school and let the weakness go. The process of choosing a good for for your child should be similar.
Kang Chiao is designed for the best and brightest. Every parent wants to believe that their kid will grow up to be the best… but many do not. I know many students who have been at Kang Chiao since they were very small and it works out incredibly well for them. But I know even more that it doesn’t. The school won’t make your kid a hard working genius. But it will reward him immensely if he is one.
Being that your son is only 4, this is hard to decide. My kid is around the same age and I’m sending him to Kang Chiao. But if he ends up being a slacker and I can’t push him, I wouldn’t hesitate to transfer him to a different school that has more support for mediocre kids.
At this age, any school is going to be a shot in the dark.
Hi all, I’m new to this thread. I’m also considering Kang Qiao - Qingshan campus for my daughter who will be starting 4th grade in the Fall.
Anyone with experience in the primary school?
Are the English lessons “streamed” (i.e., the kids split into smaller groups based on their levels)?
And would anyone know if there would be support for a child like mine who will be struggling with Mandarin? (We are coming from Hong Kong where my daughter currently attends a bilingual Eng/ Mandarin school, but her Mandarin is definitely not up to 4th grade level in Taiwan (nor is mine).
Hi JTHK
I’m sorry I can’t answer your question about the primary school, but streaming for English classes takes place in the junior high school. The school also offers CSL classes for children who need help with Mandarin. I don’t think this would be any different at the primary level.
I’m sure if you approach the Qinghsan campus directly they would be happy to answer your questions.
