Let me say...: Meeting at a Kindergarten

　　There was a meeting today for parents at a kindergarten my daughter is going from August 10th. At first, principle provided his greetings and there was a workshop with which parents and children together dealt. We heard a good reputation of the school, Ahuimanu school, from preschool teachers and others. My impression to the school was what we've just imagined with a good support system and friendly teachers and atmospheres.

　　Attending the two-hour meeting, I saw their will that they want to develop children's creativity and personality and cope with whatever problem taken place. According to the school, three Japanese children joined the school including my daughter and they will provide a supplementary class after school.

　　My daughter attended a preschool for a year and seven months, I don't think there is any problem with her communication skills in English, however, it is good for her to be followed in such a way because she still has less time to speak and hear English compared to local children. If I point out further good points:

　　1. There are two preschool classmates whom my daughter gets along well
　　2. Since my daughter's home room teacher is a Japanese-American, she
　　　　understands about adjustment in a inter-cultural situation
　　3. There is a fluent Japanese speaker who had studied for Waseda
　　　　University in Japan among parents. To my surprise, she is a complete
　　　　Caucasian. More than that, a principal is person who loves Japan,
　　　　have been there so many times, and can speak daily conversation
　　　　in Japanese

　　My wife was very relieved to see she has a new friend who speaks in Japanese in Kaneohe. Incidentally, my wife's communication skills in English has rapidly been improving and she came to be able to read the material distributed by the school. It is a great pleasure for both of us.

　　A school system here and in Japan is quite different. Japan does not have a system equivalent of kindergarten. They go to a preschool until 6 years old and then enroll an elementary school. That means that their mandatory education starts one or two years later than children here.