Sacred Heart College, Chiang Mai

[scorecard]

Would appreciate some feedback please from CM members who have actual experience regarding this specific school and specifically their English stream.

In this case the two potential students are both female and both full Thai.

The Thai 9 yrs old is in a school in CM and can already without hesitation speak, read and write advanced Thai and advanced English, and Chinese (Mandarin) at an average level . The 3 yr old is in a CM nursery which focuses on both English and Thai alphabet and vocabulary.

Some specific questions re Sacred Heart English stream:

- Typical class size?

- Is English language taught by properly qualified western teachers, and what dominates: grammar but little speaking, or fully balanced approach?

- Do properly qualified western teachers teach other subjects like maths and science?

- Subjects taught by Thai teachers - is it a typical Thai gov't school approach - sit and listen, don't speak, don't question... or.... ?

- Is the school administration parents friendly? Are the teachers (farang and Thai) parents friendly?

- Are there people in the school administration who speak advanced English and do they listen and participate comfortably in discussion with parents, discussion re parents concerns, etc?

- How much homework is given and what follow up is there? (Actually looking for plenty of homework.)

- How much deliberate emphasis is there on analysis, thinking, constructing and verbalizing discussions in the classroom? (Meaning in classes conducted in English and in Thai.)

- Are there any computer applications classes (example, the 9 yr old female concerned here can (from her current CM school) comfortably use: Word - Intermediate level, PowerPoint - basic +, and

Excel - basic )?

- How much emphasis on PE and sports?

- Does the school have additional 'starting fees', and/or 'special contributions needed' to get registration completed ... etc ?

- How much emphasis on Christianity - Is there any fire and brimstone?

- Have already called the school several times using English and Thai native speakers and asked most of the above questions but answers not consistent. Also answers re fees not consistent.

Lots of questions, any specific comments appreciated. Please no silly comments.

If any CM TV members have actual experience with this school but would prefer to discuss by phone then would you please send a PM. Much appreciated.

Thank you.

Edited December 17, 2014 by scorecard

[AnotherOneAmerican]

I believe this was their sports day last year,

[elektrified]

I believe this was their sports day last year,

Sacred-Heart-Nazis-marching.jpg

Someone should really explain to those in charge how hurtful this is to so many people - and why. I doubt the history of WWII and the Holocaust is even taught here.

[Torrens54]

Don't know about Sacred Heart College here in CNX but many years ago in Adelaide, South Australia I had the pleasure of interviewing the Principal of the local Sacred Heart college on television.

I say "pleasure," because when I was one of his students some years before, he projected the image of a very "tough customer." There were a number of times when I had been in trouble at school and coped the cane on my hands as punishment. (I had no grudge as a result of this as I'm sure I deserved it at the time.) However, the poor guy almost "went to water" when we rolled the camera and I started the interview. He was an absolute bundle of nerves!

I stopped the interview, calmed him down and then we rolled the camera again. He managed to get through the interview but was not at all comfortable. As for me, I was just so surprised to find this authoritarian figure was just a tub of jelly. By the way, the subject matter was pretty mundane, nothing about alleged Child Abuse or anything nasty.

[scorecard]

Would appreciate If any parents of children attending Sacred Heart CM might, please, send a PM with their comments about the school.

Thanks.

[LivinLOS]

I would never, for one second, consider sending my child to a school so ill informed, so ignorant of the world, that they run a nazi themed rally, complete with hitler, SS guards, and nuremburg rally mock ups..

If nothing else it shows the total failure of the educators involved to have any understanding of history, cultural sensitivity, etc etc..

Why would you want your child to be educated by that kind of ignorance.

[uhhh ohhh]

I think the pictures above say it all. Do you think it's a good educational system when the staff doesn't even know the inappropriateness of their Sports Day activity? By the way, this made World News....not just local newspapers. What do they do next....dress up as Pakistani Taliban fighters? Oh wait.......have they heard about that???

[Saan]

If this school were to read history they would realise that the Nazis also persecuted the Catholic Church. Many thousands of priests were killed in Germany and Poland and tens of thousands of Catholics were imprisoned in concentration camps and churches and schools were closed.
In their ignorance they are celebrating attacks on their own church.
Perhaps we should listen to Chrit on this one: "forgive them, for they know not what they do'.
But how could you send your kids to a school that displays such ignorance?