Trying To Find A School For My Daughter

[DeepSea]

I have already posted this in 'Teaching in Thailand', but as no sub-forum exists that deals with the specific subject of schooling for the children of Expats in Thailand, I thought I would post it here in an effort to cast my net a little wider.

I have been working overseas and visiting Thailand for the past 15 years. I built a house about 10 years ago and have a 9 year old daughter who speaks much better Thai than English (you know the story, she is surrounded by Thai family and friends day in day out and she finds it easier to communicate with me in Thai, even though I have always tried to make an effort to speak English with her; I simply spend far too much time away from home).

She attends a small private school and I am fairly happy with her academic progress to date, but as she approaches secondary school age, I want to find a good 'all girl' school (not necessarily an international school... Regent et al are out of my price range) which will provide a good stepping stone for university entrance.

I am not concerned where the school is located (Bkk, Chiang Mai, Phuket...) and will consider full time boarding in an effort to imbue a little independance, but they must have a sound academic record and as I said, be an all girl school. To date, I have only found one such school with a full time boarding program Rajinibon School they are located in Bkk and have a good math/science program, but I would like to consider other options.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and respond to this post.

Edited March 6, 2010 by DeepSea

[mahtin]

She is 9... have you asked her if she wants to go to boarding school?

[Slaps]

Confusing when you have 2 threads running

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/School-Daugh...&hl=schools

[DeepSea]

Confusing when you have 2 threads running

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/School-Daugh...&hl=schools

As there is no specific sub-forum on TV that deals with the issue of schooling for the children of Expats, I thought I would cast my net a little wider by adding my post here in addition to the 'Teaching in Thailand' thread.

[Slaps]

Confusing when you have 2 threads running

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/School-Daugh...&hl=schools

As there is no specific sub-forum on TV that deals with the issue of schooling for the children of Expats, I thought I would cast my net a little wider by adding my post here in addition to the 'Teaching in Thailand' thread.

Just go to Family and Children it's all there pinned at the top

[DeepSea]

She is 9... have you asked her if she wants to go to boarding school?

As there are no good local options, and I don't want her to spend hours a day commuting our options are limited. There are certainly pro's and con's to boarding, but she is a confident, well behaved girl and if I can find a suitable school with a good academic program and a safe reliable boarding program we will visit the school together as a family, she will have an opportunity to talk to the teachers, other children and will then have the opportunity to discuss whether she feels 'happy' to attend. The decision on what represents her best interests at this point in time is best made by us, her parents, however mature a 9 year old may seem; but we do not 'impose' anything of signifcance on her without first discussing and explaining our reasons for doing so.

[DeepSea]

Just go to Family and Children it's all there pinned at the top

Thank you, I'll take a look.

[TheLaughingMan]

Boarding school for a 9 year old is a huge mistake and smacks of lazy disinterested parenting. You would trust strangers to be the actual ones that raise your child? And where does love and affection come into play? On holidays? Ridiculous.

[DeepSea]

Boarding school for a 9 year old is a huge mistake and smacks of lazy disinterested parenting. You would trust strangers to be the actual ones that raise your child? And where does love and affection come into play? On holidays? Ridiculous.

Ridiculous, is your assertion that parents seeking the best possible education (and thus opportunity to enter a good university and be presented with options and opportunities in life) for their children are 'disinterested, lazy and do not show love or affection'.

IF, she enters a boarding program at age 11, not 9, it will be a collective decision based on the quality of the academic institute, the experience of other boarders and our daughters desire to attend. Showering her with love and affection for the next decade as she embarks upon an unremarkable secondary education experience will not provide her with a future full of opportunity, which is what most, loving, affectionate parents want for their children; Sir.

I've seen these threads disintegrate into slagging matches in response to posts such as yours; I refuse to be drawn into a similar experience, this will be my final post on the subject.

Edited March 6, 2010 by DeepSea

[TheLaughingMan]

I totally disagree with you. Love and affection at home while growing up is far superior to perceived academic opportunities. Your line of thinking is how the worlds Hitlers are made. A child needs love and support at home all through their growing up years, take that away and you have no idea what kind of person they will become. Maybe this is why rich people seem to be so "bad". No thought on what it actually takes to make a good human being. Just throw money at the child to give them the best "opportunities" while neglecting the actual most important opporutinies: love and guidance from completely interested parents.

[dsprtliving]

There is a catholic all girl's school on Soi Convent in Bangkok that is quite established, but I've no idea about the quality of the education delivered there. Out of curiosity....why an all girl's school? That really limits your choices here in Thailand as there are no all girl's schools at all at the International level. I think your only options are going to be Thai schools, which is fine if you are ok with that.

[DeepSea]

Simply to highlight your ignorance;

Maybe this is why rich people seem to be so "bad". No thought on what it actually takes to make a good human being. Just throw money at the child to give them the best "opportunities" while neglecting the actual most important opporutinies: love and guidance from completely interested parents.

Rich people (incidently, I am not one...) are so bad...

Love, emotions, feelings...

The war cry of Liberal bleeding hearts for countless generations.

Your line of thinking is how the worlds Hitlers are made

No Sir, Hitler was the product of the most Liberal (read above) upbringing and we all know how he turned out. Liberals; their caring, feeling, all concerned ideology has led to utter misery and poverty for countless millions... Perhaps if you yourself had a well rounded education, you might hold a more informed opinion and perhaps have something tangible to contribute. But I guess nothing beats a pointless existence, spoiling for an argument in these forums.

I'll look elsewhere for advice in future, thanks for your outstanding contribution.

Edited March 6, 2010 by DeepSea

[TheLaughingMan]

Alright, send your 9 (11?) year old baby girl away from home every year for most of the year because that is what is best for her. What exactly is the point in having a family if we all were to send them away for all their school years? By the time they graduate they are a stranger. I went to boarding school by the way, a very expensive one at that. Only good part about it was the trips they took us on.

[smileplur]

Well, I can say that I would send her to Sacred Heart Convent in Khlong Toey. I say that because I know the curriculum and I know that the foreign teachers give their best effort. The price for the EP program is stiff, but I don't think that is what you are after. The regular Matthayom program would suit your needs!

http://www.shc.ac.th/

PM if you want more details.

[chillibilly]

You can't afford to send her to an international school (such as Regent or ISE) but can afford to send her to a boarding school???? Children grow too quickly. Each stage in their life requires support and love from a parent. She won't find that at a boarding school. Sending your daughter off to boarding school would deny you also fond memories. If you can't afford to send her to a decent school, then hire a tutor and homestudy her (there are some excellent programs on the internet). Social -wise, get her involved with a sport or weekend activity that would include girls her age.

[MikeyIdea]

Interesting thread; A couple of opinions that some may disagree with

First of all: We all agree that a nine year old should be asked and has a right to voice her opinion – good. The mother, who seems to do the lion share of the upbringing in this case, should have more to say in the subject of boarding school than the parent who is almost never at home, do we agree on that too?

Second: There is no such thing as children having to commute for several hours every day. There is one additional task that responsible parents in some parts of Thailand have to deal with though, and that is to move the family to live decently close to the school that their children go to. Parents should not take for granted that they can be allowed to live close to work, that’s a luxury that parents don’t always have. I bought a house when my daughter was 2 years old and I checked schools all the way up to 18 before I did, very possible to do, not very likely to happen…

Third: The best education parents can give their children has little to do with knowledge and more with EQ. It is the personality that matters most, academic knowledge little. Where did you build the house that mainly your daughter and her mother live in? Sisaket? Saying that there are no good local options sounds arrogant to me making the question relevant

Fourth: Girls do academically perform better than boys, that is as commonly known as it is that academic knowledge matters little. Why would anyone question that? “Success” however, is mainly based on personal and interaction skills, EQ. An all girl-school doesn’t seem to promote that very well, what’s you opinion on that?

Fifth: You state that what most loving affectionate parents want for their children is to provide them with a future full of opportunity. I must be simple because I see happiness and EQ as the most important things I can give my daughter, academic knowledge is way down on my list

Opinions please. And please do disagree with the above