You’re right. My comment was a breach of proper conduct. I apologize.
I have taught at public elementary schools in Taipei, and I was not impressed. At one place (which my Taiwanese friends were very impressed with because I was teaching there at the best elementary school in Taipei) the teacher was a witch who beat the children out of anger, not as a reasoned approach to discipline. What education there was seemed to consist of rote memorization and endless tests.
And the schools look like third-world shit-holes.
We’re considering transferring our kid (just one in a Taiwan school right now) from the private one he’s at now to a public one. The kindergarten program we had him in at this same school was excellent and the teacher was gentle and loving. My son says that in 18 months in the kindergarten program (2nd and 3rd year K), the teacher never once hit or swatted the students. I also liked knowing that she was the head teacher.
However, the elementary school is different. Even in grade one there is pressure from teachers and classmates to get 100% on tests. There are tests every week. It’s a very long day (8-4:20; half day classes don’t go beyond kindergarten). My son says that the teacher walks around with a stick and hits kids with it if they’re not napping, if they talk too much, sometimes even if they make a mistake writing something. Just because a school says it is against policy (and against the law too) to ever touch the children doesn’t mean no one does.
I realize I’m in a different country where things are done differently. I’m not trying to say that Taiwan public schools are bad or that the teachers don’t care. All I am saying is that this is what we’ve observed, it has been confirmed not only by our son but also by other Taiwanese parents and teachers, and I want to look at all the options.
You should not tolerate this. March into the Principal’s office and announce politely but firmly that you will not tolerate any teachers hitting your child in their school.
If you do find out that any teacher is hitting your child, go back to the Principal and tell her that you will sue. Tell them that you will also send written complaints to Mayor Ma, the Ministry of Education, and AIT. The mere threat of this should be enough. This has nothing to do with being in another country. The law in Taiwan forbids this and concensus against hitting children in schools is now firmly in place–especially here in Taipei. Taiwanese parents don’t put up with this, why should you?
My wife is a certified Montessori teacher, and has found that the name “Montessori” is used and not the method (in ALL cases she has investigated). In fact, in doing the market research in setting up our school, she found that people wanted the name, but not the method. School is a real problem here. Our son was in the school across from our bushiban and we finally made enough noise that they agreed to transfer him to one in Toufen (the nearest city). There ARE good schools, but you have to be lucky and FIND 'em.