Job Discussion Forums

[yiskbs]

[Turando]

Hi,

I'm guessing you'd be in a similiar position to my employer whose kids I homeschool because they don't like the local schools in terms of academic standards and also the influence of the other kids on their kids. They are originally from Malaysia so we have been following the Malaysian syllabus that I supplement with other things particularly to strengthen their English.

I'm not sure about schools in Yanbu (I'm in Madinah) but there will probably be more choice there because there is more Westerners there than here.

I would recommend that you get alot of materials/references from your country before coming here as whilst there is some English material available here, it tends to be expensive compared to Asian countries. You can buy alot more in your own country and bring it for alot less. What country are you from?

The kids I teach are a bit older 5,6,8 and 9. Because they were in the local schools here before, they got behind in what was required of them for their schools back home so I'm helping them to catch up now.

If you and your wife (particularly your wife as you'll probably be busy with work) are able to teach them, then why not?

If the local schools are of a good standard then I guess you could take that route particularly as your kids are young and the social interaction might be good for them.

I guess the main thing is social interaction when you are homeschooling. Back home even if you homeschool there is always kids and family around that your kids can interact with so socalisation isn't a problem, but here unless your kids speak the local language or you have alot of people with kids around that you can interact with, they can be quite bored without the socialisation.

Hope that helps. I really advise that you bring materials/references i.e. books on science for kids, story books etc so that your kids even if they are attending an international school locally, you can still supplement it at home with extra stuff. My employer just spent a couple of thousand buying books and things for the kids back home and he wouldn't have gotten half the stuff here.

Good luck!

[scot47]

Regarding Turando's comments, there are a lot more local sources now than there used to be. Jareer is a good bookshop and there are a couple of others.

But homeschoolinbg in this environment could be considered a cruel and unnatural punishment. Living in Saudi can be a bit like sensory deprivation and for many kids the only socialisation and stimulation they get is in the school environment.

[Turando]

I'm located in Madinah so there is only one bookshop and it's extremely limited (Madinah is a very small city) though luckily for us there is a Jarir bookstore finally opening!

The main reason for homeschooling for those from an Asian country like Malaysia or a similiar country is that their whole schooling can be impacted if they don't get a good primary education. For example in Malaysia, at the end of Grade 6 they have a national exam which determines which school you go to (and what stream you get into) and based on that it'll affect them all the way upto which university they get into. So that's why alot of Asian parents from that area are so focussed on the whole academic side of things. The kids I'm teaching for example went to a local international school and got behind ALOT and when they went back to school in their country they didn't do too well and it really impacted them.

I kind of feel sorry for the kids that they have so much pressure during primary school but that's the society they are going to be in and it's very competitive so the parents have to deal with the reality of it.

Also resources are much cheaper in my opinion in an Asian country like Singapore or Malaysia than buying it here even in English.

Schools in Madinah are not the best though so that is why I know a number of parents who homeschool their kids solely because the quality of schooling is not the best. Places where there is more Westerners should have more resources and better schools (hopefully). So I would think the situation in Yanbu would be a lot better than here.

I do agree though that if the schools are of a good quality then send your kids to the local school and supplement the rest at home based on the requirements of your country. The kids do need socialisation and friends to be happy little kids.

If I were you, I'd try the local schools first and see how it is and if you think they are a bad environment/bad quality then you can always take them out and teach them at home.

[yiskbs]

Thanks all for the sharings esp Turando,

Yes, I think my situation would be quite similar to your employer's kids. Anyway, I come from Singapore and we have similar education system to M'sia. My kids would have to sit for a major national exam at end of Yr 6. We take education very seriously.
I am already planning to ship lots of educational resources from SG.

About enrolling into a local school. I am not sure whether my kids would be able to fit into the culture cos we don;t speak arabic. My worse fear would be that my kids get traumatised during first week at school and scar her for life. But I'll have to check it out when I reach Yanbu. No point speculating now. My employer sponsor my kids educaiton at Yanbu International School. So far I don;t have favourable feedback about the international school.