Nan Chiau High School

[zac's mum]

floppy:

patlsy79:

Hi all...just like to know is NCH suitable for kids who grew up in English speaking background? though my kid is taking MTL in primary school (result is only high B) but we are worried that she might not be able to adapt to NCH environment which is very strong in Chinese culture..i want to choose NCH just cos of the distance, it's just opposite my hse...thanks

First thing first.
Your kid should focus on getting thru either the DSA or meeting the PSLE COP. Once that objective is met, then worry about NCH Chinese culture.

I disagree. Many years ago, I qualified base on my COP to enter a school with an extremely Chinese culture (not NCH but another school). Never did any research on that school but just assumed won’t be too bad or too different from my previous school.

In the end, I had a huge culture shock and couldn’t adapt, couldn’t click with my classmates at all. So I think patsly79 is doing the right thing by doing her research first.

[patlsy79]

zac's mum:

floppy:

[quote=\"patlsy79\"]Hi all...just like to know is NCH suitable for kids who grew up in English speaking background? though my kid is taking MTL in primary school (result is only high B) but we are worried that she might not be able to adapt to NCH environment which is very strong in Chinese culture..i want to choose NCH just cos of the distance, it's just opposite my hse...thanks

First thing first.
Your kid should focus on getting thru either the DSA or meeting the PSLE COP. Once that objective is met, then worry about NCH Chinese culture.

I disagree. Many years ago, I qualified base on my COP to enter a school with an extremely Chinese culture (not NCH but another school). Never did any research on that school but just assumed won’t be too bad or too different from my previous school.

In the end, I had a huge culture shock and couldn’t adapt, couldn’t click with my classmates at all. So I think patsly79 is doing the right thing by doing her research first.[/quote]
this is our main concern...so need to do more research to choose the most suitable sch for DSA for my DD. Will think about this again hehe...thank you all !

[zac's mum]

Since u are living just opposite the school, it shouldn’t be too hard to observe the kids’ behavior and conversation topics/accents if they hang around that area after school, eg while waiting for bus/LRT or if having lunch nearby. I personally have seen the difference between some school students looking so serious/stressed out & all loners/not talking to their schoolmates (RGS especially). Versus other school students happily chitchatting and joking with their schoolmates.


Also keep an eye out for any open house (which plenty of secondary schools do) - that will give you & your child a chance to go inside and observe the environment much better. And also ask any burning qns you have about DSA for that school etc.

[patlsy79]

zac's mum:

Since u are living just opposite the school, it shouldn’t be too hard to observe the kids’ behavior and conversation topics/accents if they hang around that area after school, eg while waiting for bus/LRT or if having lunch nearby. I personally have seen the difference between some school students looking so serious/stressed out & all loners/not talking to their schoolmates (RGS especially). Versus other school students happily chitchatting and joking with their schoolmates.


Also keep an eye out for any open house (which plenty of secondary schools do) - that will give you & your child a chance to go inside and observe the environment much better. And also ask any burning qns you have about DSA for that school etc.

thanks a lot Zac's mum for all your advice it helps to clear my doubts! will visit the schools this Nov.. now just focus of SA2 hehe. thanks again !

[hippopoh]

Hi hi, Can I check , keen to send my son to NC high next year. How is the sch culture and teachers in the sch as I am new to Sengkang .

Thanks :thankyou:

[MlyC]

hippopoh:

Hi hi, Can I check , keen to send my son to NC high next year. How is the sch culture and teachers in the sch as I am new to Sengkang .

Thanks :thankyou:

Hi! I was an alumnus of NCHS (I graduated in 2015) so probably my experiences might help.

I would say that I am quite blessed to study at NCHS for its caring environment, with teachers that knows what we all need and peers (be it in class or CCA) that support each other, especially at year 3 and 4. My graduating class was quite a nice place to be for me last time, from the fun and synergy we shared (we are just like close friends who never cease to kapoh and help out one another every time XD). My tchers (while demanding...) are very willing to go an extra mile to make sure we understand the stuff, even if it is out of the requirement for O lvls (its actually A lvl stuff so it kind of helped us a lot in JC). The tchers knew us just like his/her friends, so we don't really felt the distance between us and the teachers despite the age gap. Still remember my chem tcher who taught us all the while using his own lesson materials, and giving us extra lessons just to make sure we understand the concepts fully and not merely memorising blindly. (he nvr believed in teaching answers, but instead the concept and skills behind the qn).

I kind of enjoyed similar relations in CCA. All of us knew each other so well that we know what each other thought every time we work together. Our seniors (even those who are already in army or uni) were always very supportive on what we do, and still come back quite frequently to coach us on our skills (and academic work sometimes). I myself was specifically tutored by my 学姐 during my graduating year. (She kind of continued to help this blur girl in JC sometimes, coz we were in the same CCA again in NY :oops: ). And of course we shared notes and extra knowledge around. So I guess prob this kind of environment made the habit of helping out others a second nature to us. I still maintain my contact with my juniors, and go back every year to help my juniors out during Night Study period.

While the culture may seem \"Chinese\" (which many feels it as a culture shock initially), it wasn't a big issue after all since it eventually helped us to master both English and Chinese proficiently (I actually felt fortunate haha), and really created part of a distinct identity among us, along with all the stuffs that linked with the way of life we had for the 4 yrs in NCHS. After all it isn't hard to identify someone correctly as an NCHS alumnus just by the feel and the (distinctly frank while meticulous) way he/she do stuff hahaha.

Perhaps u might want to look out for the sch's open house. While it might not give the full picture of a sch's culture in such a short visit (since it is something that's settled deep within), it may at least help ur son to have a feel of the sch and help in his decision making.

[Markers22]

Hi just wanted to hear more of your insights on this… So did yourself experience any culture shock when u first entered NCHS? Was it hard to adapt esp for those who did not have any Chinese background?

[MlyC]

Markers22:

Hi just wanted to hear more of your insights on this.. So did yourself experience any culture shock when u first entered NCHS? Was it hard to adapt esp for those who did not have any Chinese background?

I do, since I came from a catholic primary school (I was from CHIJ-OLGC) and did't speak much standard Mandarin at home before that, but it was temporary for me. In all it was quite a balance and wasn't excessively \"Chinese\" at all like what many people thought an SAP sch would be, at least in NCHS...

TBH I rmb it was quite awkward for me on the first morning assembly, esp having different practices from a catholic school (tho this more or less would occur since catholic school itself is different...), and hearing seniors conversing in Mandarin at times. At first I was totally overwhelmed, but at least the feeling wasn't that bad for the first few lessons, I actually felt comfortable from the interactions with my classmates. Eventually I took up the confidence to open up and start conversing in Mandarin (I just told myself dat I wasn't alone, anyway, since definitely there are also people like me, and everyone first intro-ed to each other in English to begin with. Plus at least I know can still strike up a complete conversation in Mandarin). My peers and CCA-mates are quite friendly and got me involved just like any other person, anyway they don't actually mind me conversing in English hahaha.

Eventually it just became natural for me. The main hurdle is really just the confidence to open up and not isolating yourself.

[Weirddad]

:goodpost: Agree! The cure for cultural shocks lies within the heart itself. If the kids r willing to embrace the new culture then eventually it would b a strength for them in future. What we parents have a part to play is to guide the kids to have a positive and open mindset.


My DS experienced it twice. Once in NCH, once in Hwachong JC. Every school has its own culture and every slight difference can change the way kids study. When he came back disheartened on the first day of sec 1 asking why I guided him to choose a \"Chinese\" school, I told him to open up and face it as a new learning experience. He eventually adapted to it and became to like the school. He grew from a quiet boy to be quite active as a CCA leader. Guess these kind of experiences helped him a lot to socialise and adapt, so he wasn't too affected when he entered JC.

For me I do feel that it is really a good chance for them to experience such a distinct and disciplined culture that is quite hard to find in a conventional school.

[Markers22]

Thats good to know! Thanks MlyC and Weirddad for the insights and sharing!

:thankyou: