Life after House on the Hill is an ongoing series where we look back at how the various graduates have been doing! In this article, we look at graduate Joshua and his life in primary school.
Graduate of Year 2020 – Joshua
Parents’ Names – Mark and Jacqueline
1. What did you like about House on the Hill?
I actually like many things about House on the Hill. The building was spacious and well ventilated with many opportunities for spontaneous play and learning to occur. The diversity of the students attending also allowed Joshua to meet people from many cultures some of whom are his best friends today. The food was freshly prepared and always balanced nutritionally with very little processed food.
Most importantly, awesome teachers! I think Joshua has had some really good teachers like Ms Kelly, Ms Idah, Ms Asy and Ms Nash/ Ms Rachel and last but not least Ms Gim Peng. These teachers all contributed to his development from 18 month old toddler into a self assured resilient young man. Good to see most of them are with school after so many years.
2. At any point in Joshua’s pre-school years did you have any reservation on how he will cope in Primary/Grade school?
We personally had some reservations on how he would cope in primary school especially on Math and Chinese. This I think was a constant worry to us but we were reassured by the team. I think the important thing is that Montessori is not about instant achievement but also a process with the best results achieved by staying to the end of K2.
3. Do you think Joshua was well prepared for Primary/Grade school in terms of Self Care, Confidence, Curriculum?
Joshua was certainly more than ready for P1 in all aspects. He was independent and confident on his first day of school. He also showed little difficulty handling the academic portion of P1. His P1 teachers at our first PTA presented a picture of a confident boy who cared a lot for friends and was conscientious with his work with a good learning orientation.
4. How is Joshua coping with Primary 1/Grade 1?
Refer to above. We feel that Joshua is coping fine with Primary 1. He has made friends easily and generally does not feel intimidated by the learning environment at Nanyang Primary School.
5. Your overall experience at House on the Hill.
Our overall experience in House on the Hill is a very positive. I think the teachers place the children first and care greatly for the kids *winks at Ms Nash*. We have enjoyed the experience so much that we have no qualms putting our younger boy Joel there as well. It’s a pity that the pandemic has been massively disruptive to the House on the Hill programme but I think the school has been making up with some great events recently.
6. What advice do you have for new parents of House on the Hill?
My advice for potential parents would be to trust the team and the teachers. Also do not hesitate to talk to the teachers if you have any concerns be it academically or other matters. The team goes through great lengths to accommodate request and usually have a good reason if a request cannot be accommodated. Most importantly, House on the Hill is a journey with the best results achieved if your child experiences the full Montessori curriculum.
