I think the main issue with Shichida is you, the parent, have to buy into their philosophy. One of my friends who signed up with them never sent his kid because he felt it was like a cult :p
Somehow I don't feel like that. Maybe cos I'm more spiritual (ahem ahem) so I agree with their belief in ESP (extra-sensory perception). If you read up on Shichida, they actually put up statistics and case-studies of their students who are able to see into the future or read people's minds. Mumbo-jumbo if you don't believe lor.
So if that is a hurdle for you, then don't go there.
Every parent who signs their kid up for Shichida has to attend a PEC (parent education class) at $160, refundable at the end of 4 terms. The local franchisee opened the seminar by emphasising how as parents, we have to be open-minded and believe in our child's ESP abilities. Or else it will not work.
That I concur with. So a big Shichida rule for parents is to never doubt our kid's ability and always praise and encourage him. Don't stress the kid, make learning fun like a game. Improve parent-child bond so that the kid will want to play these games with Daddy or Mummy and excel in them.
Makes sense right? So I'm ok with Shichida.
Generally the class goes like this:
Each class has a fixed teacher and about 6 parent-child pairs. The seats are rotated on a weekly basis so each child gets a fair chance at sitting in front of the teacher. The parent sits behind the child, or together.
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| Sleepy Boyboy needed all his ammunition to keep focused :p |
Shichida encourages the same parent to follow through every class, but it's too draining!!! So sometimes I get Hubby to go.
Why is it draining? Cos from the first activity to the last, the parent is supposed to help facilitate... as in talking to the child and making it fun, putting it in a context the child understands. As well as controlling your child and preventing him from disturbing the others.
Of course some will switch off, like the Mum using her handphone in the pic above ;) Coincidentally she calls her kid 'Monster' and allows him to wreak havoc in class :6
Boyboy usually responds well when I make it a "Can you help this dog?" kind of request. As the class is in English and he speaks Mandarin at home, I also have to translate a lot. Have to lug a big waterbottle to class for myself.
What I like is the activities do teach life-skills such as blowing and fine motor skills, as well as phonics and linguistics. Many songs / stories are in foreign languages such as Japanese, Korean, Spanish, German and French, as exposure to different languages will horne his listening skills and ability to differentiate and pick up new languages.
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| Boyboy pretending to be Good Luck Bear. He had to go around the class and velcro his clovers on pictures of people who need encouragement, such as patients, someone in a ballgame, or a student studying. |
Flashcards are also emphasised, as a big part of their syllabus is helping the left and right brain build more connections, so the child is able to tap into his full potential. Parents are supposed to make their own flashcards --- 10 sets of 10 cards per week, replacing 1 set each week --- but Mummy faints! The boy also can't sit still to see them, keeps running away or trying to grab at them. So this component, Mummy fails :(
If Mummy has time to make flashcards, or prepare many many other activities for the kid, then can save money and not go Shichida liao. Have to admit, the staff really spend a lot of effort preparing materials for the activities, which I'm quite sure I won't be so enthusiastic about due to caregiving duties.
Main bad thing is the super high cost, which is about $60 per lesson (i.e. $800+ a term), and once you miss a term you have to start from beginning again! So a bit like being held hostage :p No make-up for lessons that fall on public holidays somemore. We lugi one for Election Day.... going to miss another one for Presidential Election. Boo!
And also we're stuck with the same group of people unless the class is reshuffled when too many people drop out. Boyboy's class has 2 kids who like to scream and/or climb all over the tables, disrupting class. Shichida's practice is to just remind the parents gently. Which doesn't work for me lah. Need to scold scold scold them!!!!
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| Learning to queue for his sticker at the end of every lesson. |
My current worry is that the timing (the earliest for Beginners) is too late for Boyboy's schedule. He usually wakes at 7am. If he has a night of bad sleep (which is often), by 11am he is cranky. The class begins at 10.30am and lasts til 11.45am. So usually I have to keep plying him with water or biscuits to keep him awake, even though no food is allowed actually. I try not to bring out his pacifier and chowchow, but sometimes I need them to stop a complete meltdown.
With this problem he doesn't reap the full rewards from the class, so it feels a bit not worth it, like throwing money down the drain. But he is improving in his concentration and ability to focus on the homework worksheets. Enjoying the socialising too, although limited to running after kids who don't intend to play with him, or clawing other parents :p
So in the meantime we will watch and see before deciding whether this should be a long-term thing.
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