Children integration in a new school in Indonesia

Afternoon All

I've worked in three international schools in three different cities in Indonesia and have a wealth of experience seeing how children adapt and integrate. As usual there are a whole host of factors.

Firstly, are your plans short term or long term. So many families have arrived in Indonesia knowing full well they will stay a couple of years and move back home. Their kids are usually well prepared and excited by the challenge, probably as they've discussed it as a family. They know it is a small part of their lives and they will return 'home' afterwards. It can make a difference. Some other families may be following a parents career and may have already lived in a number of different places, Indonesia being just another step on the journey. They are also pretty well adapted as they've done it before. The third category maybe have an uncertain idea of what lay ahead. Maybe it's a trial run and that of course adds uncertainty. In my classroom, some kids are well informed about their lives and obviously have good communication with their parents. Others cannot tell you where they went on holiday. So, keep your kids informed and in the loop.

I'll mention here that it does often seem the case that kids adapt better than their parents. Kids worry about having a friend in the new school, as good as the one they had in their old one. Even in a mixed class of 16 kids, some will not have a natural friend. Fortunately, being expats, there are always plenty of other things going on outside the classroom and good friends can be made participating in those activities as well. The friendship issue is however is no different from being back home if we ignore the sense of familiarity having been together since the early years.

In my opinion, parents concern themselves too much about curriculum. I've used a number of different ones and yet find myself teaching the same English and Maths as I always have done in each particular age group. As such, don't concern yourself about it. The quality of the classroom teacher will be more important than a good or bad curriculum.

Of course if you do plan to return home or your kids are at high school exam age it changes things a bit and you may need consistency os something more widely recognised and flexible to keep on track for university. One thing that may be different is the approach to learning and I've found some children arrive with a background where a textbook was obviously the be all and end all of classroom learning. Lucky for them they found you but it can take a while adjusting to being asked to give your opinion and a more open ended approach. It's more a case of moving from a poor school to a good one and it could equally work in the opposite direction. Textbooks can be used well in school but if your child is learning ll their English or Mathematics through one, time to think about a change.
 
With all this in mind, choosing a school can be quite daunting and having to pay for education can be  a shock for many. I really cannot say if paying more gives you a better education, though if you are learning in English, you really do need natural born English speaking teachers. I know kids who are happy with home schooling and others who are more suited to large schools. To me, a child needs to get off to the best possible start so good quality at the bottom end to teach the basic skills well, is a priority. If your child has plans for University entrance, I would seriously rethink your idea about living overseas as the best opportunities here won't compare with back home.

Keep evaluating each year. Is my child motivated to go to school and enjoying the experience. If not, maybe time to look around. Remember, so many school leaders can sell a good game so judge the mood on the relationships between those leaders and their teachers and how the teacher comes across to you. I can tell within five minutes if i want my child to spend time in a classroom with a teacher. There can be startling differences. 

So, how can you support your child in their new environment. Know the schedule: what day is PE, when is homework due and what snacks or lunch is provided. Sounds obvious but kids feel left out when such simple requirements are not met. Further, attend assemblies, pick them up from school and take an interest in what they are doing.  Make a bond with the teacher any follow up any contact. Adapt yourself as kids cans ease the unease.

Here's a nice link families who made the move:

https://www.ouryearinbali.com/2017/11/3 … ine-coast/