Three middle-class mothers confessed: It's not that Britain and the United States can't afford it, but that New Zealand is more cost-effective
This summer, many friends around me are going to send their babies abroad to study abroad and transfer to summer school. New Zealand has attracted much attention as the king of cost performance, but some friends have complained to me.
He said that the summer camp he participated in under the age of 13 was to borrow other people's playgrounds, classrooms, and dormitories, and invite teachers who didn't know if they had certificates, arrange classes every hour, run and jump, and take those painless language classes.
The worst thing is that I am still crowded with a group of children from various provinces in China, which is also called an overseas summer camp?
At first, I thought I had found a treasure, and it would cost tens of thousands of dollars at every turn. It's well spent, tsk!
Under the banner of "experiencing the atmosphere of a famous school", what is the result? Take a photo at the gate of the famous school, and the Internet celebrity will check in and walk around, eat and drink, and mix it up.
What is the difference between this and sightseeing?
After coming back, the child didn't learn anything, and maybe he learned something bad with the domestic children who went with him.
When I arrived at the place, the house was very dilapidated, there was no heating, and the children were shivering in the wind and rain, and no one cared about it. Want to change your room? I'm sorry, I can't change it even if I add money.
In the first week, I went to major attractions to check in and sightseeing, and in the second week, I threw myself in the school for 5 days, and the children didn't even recognize all the classmates in the 5 days.
Tell me, what is the difference between this and a hairy crab in Yangcheng Lake that takes a bath and is fished out and sold?
This complaint aroused my gossip heart. So I reached out to a few of my friends who had attended summer school in New Zealand to hear how they felt.
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Interview person 1: Xuanbao's mother, her son is nine years old
In April last year, when the epidemic had just relaxed, she began to secretly make preparations, set her eyes on New Zealand in the southern hemisphere, did a lot of homework, and finally came here.
"It just so happens that the third semester of primary school in New Zealand is our summer vacation, so children can experience a foreign learning life, and adults can avoid the crowds in China.
Our tuition cost 4,700 yuan for two weeks, about 600 yuan per night for accommodation, and about 4,000 yuan for 18 days of renting a car. So it feels a lot cheaper than I imagined.
The process of applying to schools was surprisingly easy.
In New Zealand, many schools offer short-term transfers of as little as 2 weeks to international students, but each school has different characteristics, educational philosophy, and different fees.
For details about how to pay, how to arrange courses, whether accommodation is provided or not, the minimum transfer time, how long in advance to register, and whether to buy school uniforms, these details can be consulted by email or contact the agent.
I had no problem with my English, so I contacted them through the school's website. Soon after communicating and filling out the form, the school approved the admission. The registration fee is NZ$300. The balance will be paid when it arrives. A few emails, a few forms, and a little money, and you're done!
On the first day, the baby made a bunch of friends who didn't want to go home after school, and the difficulty of the course was a bit high, but the emphasis was on the experience. Next time, I must let the baby go to a suitable class to make him more calm. She concluded.
The freedom of the school made Xuanbao's mother a little uncomfortable, there were no textbooks, and the students sat on the ground with the teacher in class.
Parents are welcome to visit, and they see such a scene: there are people lying on the windowsill, some lying on the ground, some people discussing in groups, some reading books by themselves in the corner, and some chatting around the teacher.
The teacher gives them a topic and content in a lesson, and then encourages them to explore on their own. As for the process, how comfortable it is and how to come.
You can go when you want, and you can take whatever you want to eat. The only problem with what you have to bring for lunch is that vegetables are ridiculously expensive, and you can't afford to throw them away when you cook!
She couldn't help but laugh, "I try to make breakfast at home, and their food is either too sweet or hard to swallow." ”
The scenery of New Zealand did not disappoint her, and it was a blockbuster when she took a picture. Passers-by were enthusiastic and willing to help take pictures when they saw them. It's a pity that she didn't have time to go to the South Island to find out.
If time permits, you can't miss the view.
Don't shop online there! My husband's card is still stolen.
There are also daily necessities and medicines that should be brought with you, so you must bring enough from home.
Talking about the mother with medicine Xuanbao said: As soon as I arrived there, my son had a runny nose and my husband was so panicked that he wanted to go to the hospital, afraid that there would be a serious illness in a foreign country, As soon as he heard that the registration fee was 500 oceans, he said forget it, don't you just have a snot, there is no need to make a fuss!
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Interview person 2: Huanhuan's mother, her son is 4 years old
I think the biggest difference that I realized the most was that napping was not mandatory in kindergarten, and what my son hated the most was napping. He was super happy about that.
Last year, I went to New Zealand with my best friend Emma to experience kindergarten life in New Zealand for a while, and we shared a house because the rent is not cheap.
The schedule of the kindergarten is very flexible, so you don't have to send your child there very early. Once in the park, children can choose between indoor board games or outdoor activities. From 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., the teacher will organize the children to sing and dance together, listen to stories and play games, and the atmosphere is very lively.
Refreshments and lunches are served in the garden, prepared by a dedicated chef. After lunch, the children continued to play freely. In the afternoon, there are also group activities and freshly made snacks.
Most of the children were picked up after 3 o'clock, and the rest were mixed to play, and if the weather was nice, they could go outside. None of the local children seem to be too afraid of the cold. The weather here is very changeable, and the temperature difference between morning and evening is more than ten degrees. One day, the temperature suddenly dropped to 12 degrees, and those children were still playing in the water in sleeveless T-shirts and shorts, and I was shivering to see them.
At 5 o'clock, there are only a few children left in the kindergarten, and they will have another snack, and then the kindergarten closes on time at 5:45.
We did our homework before we came, and I found that the teaching philosophy and method of each kindergarten is different. For example, some pay attention to nature education, and some will use some specific teaching aids.
We chose the one that focused on nature education, and the teachers often took the children outdoors to observe. Behind the kindergarten is a forest, and there is a pony and a few rabbits in the garden.
Although the teacher does not intervene too much, the games and activities are carefully designed to learn through play and develop children's interests. Through fun games, children can learn about numbers, colors, art, science, and more.
When I first arrived, I was most worried about the language, but the child's adaptability is really strong. At first, I didn't understand much during group activities, but now I can come up with a lot of English words when I go home. As long as there is a sufficient language environment, children can learn languages very quickly.
The only headache is that when they come home from school every day, the children's clothes are always dirty, after all, they are either playing in the water or sand every day. Emma and I had to take turns washing the washing machines.
I don't feel like I have enough ingredients for cooking, so I can only make dinner more improvised.
Overall, it feels quite worthwhile, and I may consider sending him to study in New Zealand in the future.
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Interview person 3: Aze's mother in Haidian, her son is 11 years old
Truth be told, bringing Aze to New Zealand to learn English wasn't the main purpose.
This child is quite assertive, and he is a typical "highly sensitive" baby, with quick thinking and excellent concentration. But it's easier to get nervous in a new environment.
I thought that New Zealand was so friendly and tolerant, maybe it would make him relax. Besides, the children are still young, and there is not much pressure on academics, so it is good to experience a different lifestyle. It's not bad to improve your English.
The main thing is that his rhinitis has always made him very uncomfortable. We almost had an adenoid face before, and we had already cut off both the adenoids and tonsils, so we can't cut our noses too. So I really want to experience the so-called last pure land.
If you go to school, you can go directly to the class, and the visa is relatively simple. New Zealand welcomes young students, from short-term to long-term.
Within three months, you only need to travel visa, and if it takes a long time, you can apply for a student visa, and your parents can apply for a study visa.
However, after getting the admission letter, I was a little hesitant. Because the education here is too "Buddhist", it is completely different from our exam-oriented education.
Public schools engage in the NCEA set, which is not ranked or eliminated, and many subjects are allowed to be biased. Children specialize in subjects that they have special strengths, and others can be appropriately put into the water. Not to mention the lower grades of primary school, which is mainly happy education, focusing on learning through play.
Although I chose a century-old school with a full score for Aze, and the teaching mode can make children relaxed and happy, our Haidian mother is going back to Beijing after all, and I still hope that learning will be more planned, so that children can learn more real skills.
But after I got up, I completely changed. I found that the encouragement and education here relaxed his high sensitivity. I don't know if it's because after the nose is ventilated, others are comfortable, and people are full of energy all day long, and they are very happy. It's been a long time since I've seen him bounce around outdoors with such a lot of exercise, playing what the locals call the monkey bar.
The amount of reading is also very large, although there are no textbooks, but the teacher will assign a lot of reading requirements, for him, after class is not easy, but he is very willing to complete, I feel that the enthusiasm for learning has increased a lot.
He would love to stay there and go to school, but given the financial situation for the past two years, we still have to plan again.
After listening to the different feelings of several parents, I think that no matter what the original intention is, everyone hopes that their children will grow and be happy in the study tour.
Study tour may be an opportunity for parents to rethink the meaning of education, so that children can learn through games, play in learning, and find their own happy growth path.