They breed them to be confident.

Isabel has been at school now for almost two months. We received her first report card and she is doing very well. She is behind in maths mainly because they are ahead of Australia it seems. I am working with her and her teacher to get her up with the rest of the class.

I have started to make observations in general about both the parents and children’s attitude to education here in New York. I think that my observations are extremely generalized and will probably change as time goes by. I also feel that the attitude New Yorker’s have would be somewhat different to other parts of the USA.

The first observation I have made with kids here is they are very confident. Most actually shake your hand or acknowledge you when speaking almost adult like. At first it was so strange to watch them all shake their teachers hand as they were dismissed. It was funny watching my very shy Isabel also doing this with her teacher Alanna. They refer to their teacher by her first name no “Miss”. That also was strange to me but children here seem to also be somewhat very mature almost at time adult like?

I know it’s a cultural thing and I have to say I have enjoyed talking to some of Isabel’s classmates as they are lovely kids. Her class is a total mixing pot of cultures. As I walk through the school during drop off’s and pick up’s I hear every language imaginable. There are many ex pat families living in our area so we really fit in.

The other thing that really surprised me is how much extra curriculum activities these kids do. They have an after school programme. At first I thought it was like out “after school” which is basically babysitting till 5 or 6 pm. Once I investigated I could not have been more wrong. They are programs that the kids do after school. They vary and just to quote a few from Isabel’s schools website to give you guys an idea:

Young Minds Do Einstein A hands-on approach to the scientific

process, taught by noted science educator and author Mary Carson,

working with education specialists from the American Museum of

Natural History, Riverside Park and others. Like last year's awardwinning

program, this term promises a terrific mix of scientific

facts and exciting hands-on activities. Kids love this class!

Ice Skating/City Adventures A Ice skating in the rink at Rockefeller

Center or Bryant Park until April and then -- what’s your pleasure?

Boating, bowling, or a home sport in Central Park? Or maybe it's

the zoo, the wax museum, or the Intrepid's flight simulator? There

are wonderful opportunities for city adventures all over Manhattan,

and we're ready to explore them! Teachers include experienced

Monet, Matisse & Me (Studio Art/Sculpture, 2+) This exciting

hands-on program will introduce students to a variety of famous

artists and the media in which they worked. From Matisse tornpaper

collage to Calder mobiles, children will learn to appreciate

art in their environment as they create their own artwork inspired

by the masters. Focus will be on three-dimensional art, including

sculpture projects using clay, wire, and decorative paper. Taught by

artist/educators from Children's Museum of Manhattan.

Let's Speak Spanish (Language/Latin Culture,Gr. 2+) A practical

and fun inroduction to Spanish language and culture, taught

by native Spanish speakers and educators. Emphasis will be on

auditory learning of basic thematic units taught through in-class

and museum explorations of games, music, arts, food, and cultural

traditions of countries throughout the world where Spanish is spoken.

Taught by experienced dual-immersion enrichment consultant

and teacher Gloria Zwick, with dynamic 2nd-grade teacher Ana

Elosegui, so you know your children will have fun as they build

comprehension and confidence and gain appreciation for language

acquisition as a vital skill for the world of today and tomorrow.

There are many more!!

These commence from 3.30pm and finish at 5.00pm. Isabel is doing the last one (let’s speak Spanish) and she starts next Thursday.I only want her to do one but most kids do two to three a week!!

I find it amazing that these kids want to do some of these classes but they do! These kids seem to want to learn about so many topics that seem so mature to me. These kids seem to be so cultured and so exposed to everything the world has to offer. It excites me that Isabel has really embraced this and that she also is able to take part in all this.

There is a real focus on educating kids young. It’s all about making the grade and achieving. They are a culture of very high achievers and this is where Australians and Americans are so different. I suppose with this population you have to be able get the best marks so you can get into that Ivy League College?

There is simply the process of elimination in the education system here. If you fall behind you miss out. And here in New York you just would not want to NOT have a college degree otherwise you would not get a decent job or career path. These kids know this from a young age and they are groomed for this. I would never push my children to do what they don’t want to do. I do like the fact that my shy little girl is becoming somewhat more confident. There is a change in her attitude. She has really taken an interest in science and why would she not? We have the Museum of Natural History at our door step.

She is also impressed by way the children have interacted with her. She feels they have included her in a way she has never felt before. Hugo said he certainly can identify with what she is saying. He attended an American School in Brazil when he was young too. I am not quite sure what she means but she is very happy here more so than I have ever seen before.