Bao & Bun Bilingual Journey 小籠包和小饅頭的雙語生活紀錄

Since we confirmed the school our kids would be attending, communication with the school has been excellent. We initially reached out to the 教務主任 (Director of Educational Affairs) via email to request that the twins be placed in separate classes. He promptly responded and arranged for them to be in different classes. On our first day at the school, he warmly welcomed us at the entrance and personally gave us a tour of the facilities while providing insights into the school’s history.

We received the school schedule and learned about their teachers several months ago. The instructions provided by the Director were also very clear. For first grade, the schedule typically runs from 7:40 AM to 12:40 PM on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, with lunch being served at school. Tuesdays are full days, starting at 7:40 AM and ending at 4:00 PM. On Wednesdays, there is no lunch served at school, so students are dismissed at 12:00 PM.

Regarding the teachers, both of them are female and very personable. One teacher shared detailed information about the schooling process, while the other was equally helpful. When Little Bun expressed interest in having an orange pillow like her classmates for nap time, her teacher went out of her way to accommodate her request, which we greatly appreciated. Both teachers assured us on the first day that completing homework wasn’t necessary, emphasizing the importance of ensuring a positive experience for the students. However, on the second day, I noticed that Little Bao had significantly less homework compared to his peers. Upon noticing this, I reached out to his teacher through the 聯絡簿 (communication notebook), expressing my preference for him to have the same homework as his classmates. Since then, Little Bao’s teacher has been assigning him the same homework as the rest of the class.

While homework has been a significant aspect, there have been instances where the twins didn’t bring back their workbooks. Deciphering the notes in the 聯絡簿, which are written by the kids, sometimes proved challenging, especially when the workbook titles were abbreviated (數習 for 數學習作). Despite our efforts to keep track, we didn’t stress over it if they occasionally forgot to bring back their assigned workbooks.

The classmates of both kids have been friendly and welcoming. They often greet me and refer to me as “xxx’s mom.” During farewells, they confidently bid farewell to both kids by name, displaying a comfortable and friendly atmosphere within the classroom.