School Age: From Home Care to Pre-Kindergarten

It has been almost one year that I have not update any post on this blog due to many assignments that I have to complete on time. Today, I would like to take the opportunity to update one post about Noren's schooling. Time flies! To me, Noren is still a little baby who was born yesterday. But, today Noren is 4 years and 5 months old. He is a pretty grown-up boy who can talk a lot and asked many questions every day.
I sent Noren to school when he was 2 years and 6 months to Footprint home care at Tuol Kork. The first day of attending school for Noren was the worst day. Noren had always been under good care of mother, father, sister and relatives around him. He felt strange to meet with other children and stay at school with the person whom he was not familiar with. Noren cried for a few days after sending him to school; then he stops crying and seemed to enjoy the playing with friends and teachers.

At 4 years old, Noren entered pre-k1. He is not difficult like before but still cries some days in the morning before sending him off to school. I put him for one full day at school. Noren started to question a lot since he was 3 years old; and now at the age of 4 years old, he has even challenged me some of the questions that he asked. He is such a funny boy but still crying when going to school. Last week (July 15) I was invited for parent-teacher meeting, his teacher reported to me good scores and behavior of Noren. However, Noren still have difficult to tell the teacher about his needs. Perhaps it relates to personal attitude. I appreciate the development that Noren gained after going to school, a large part of the development of Noren, I must give the credit to Noren's teachers.
I attended Noren's dance, but I could not see him dancing. He said he was shy to show the dance to audiences. Anyhow, dancing is not Noren's favorite.

Noren's favorites are dinosaur, airplanes, and trains. He likes watching youtube about dinosaur, not only about dinosaur for children but also discovery of dinosaur age. Noren can remember a few names of dinosaur and he insisted us to take him to dinosaur park. With airplanes, he like watching plane crashed, big inauguration of airbus, discovery of innovation of the first airplanes, and other research channels on airplanes. With regards to train, it is just a normal hobby like other children. He watch train for children but he is not so much keen to search into discovery history of train the same as he does with dinosaur and airplane.Different from other children who like to play games on Ipad of Samsung tablet, Noren like to watch youtube with regards to the search of dinosaur, airplanes or dinosaurs songs.

As already stated earlier, time flies and it flies so fast. Noren changed from a boy who does not like to talk but to a boy who like to question.

Noren at the end of term 2 at Footprint, pre-k1, Mar 2014

After witnessing the change and the development of Noren, I give good credit to footprint school which I have sent Noren to since he was 2 years and 6 months and I even consider to sending my second son when he will be in school age. But, one thing to consider and worry is the tuition fee. Although quality of the school is somehow acceptable, the school fee is skyrocket! In one year, just for one son, I pay more than 2000 USD. :-O This is much higher than the school fee for Master Degree or even PhD degree at some school in Phnom Penh (Master Degree with PUC is just around 900+ USD). I order to settle this, my husband and I have to work hard and save money to pay for Noren school fee. This is just school fee for Noren alone, not included other entertaining recreation, holidays for Noren, and his toys. If i have no work, I do not know how could I afford for his school fee. It is so crazy in Cambodia. I do not have any trust on public school in Phnom Penh at all. so sending him off to private school is the only option that I have but the price is crazy.