The Bub in the Belly

I have survived the few 'tough' days at work that I mentioned in Monday's post and now I can finally stop to relax. It's a very nice feeling when you're working hard and productively (assuming you enjoy what you do) but the post-deadline feeling of accomplishment, unburdening and switching off and cruising is also very nice.

This evening, after work, I attended the Shichida Parent Education Course. We have started Ryan on The Shichida Method and he goes for a class every week. This Parent Education Course is meant to give the parents a better understanding of how to apply the Shichida principles and how to go about doing the Shichida exercises/games when they are at home with their children.

The speaker was Ms Jocelyn Khoo, the director of the Shichida school, and she was very engaging. Of course, the subject matter of the talk - The Shichida Method - is very interesting in itself. The session lasted for about three and a half hours, with a light dinner provided. No children are allowed so one of us had to stay home with Ryan. Since I have been the one attending the weekly classes with Ryan, it was decided that I should go for the course, and I'm glad that I did. After the last few days of deadlines, hearings and stress, it was wonderful to just sit back, relax and listen.

The Shichida Method is known to produce children with high IQ although that is not its focus and that is also not the aim for Richard and me when it comes to Ryan. When I signed Ryan up at the school (which was a few months ago), I was asked to fill out a form stating what I wished to see in terms of his development and achievements. I wrote that I hoped Ryan would be a kind, sensitive and generous person.

It's easy to get caught up in the thrill that the Shichida child can do multiple mathematical equations before he can even speak but ultimately, The Shichida Method believes that education is not about acquiring knowledge and skills but about creating a well-balanced child who can use his whole brain (right and left) effectively and who will contribute his best to this world, whether socially, creatively or otherwise.

Before Ryan started his Shichida classes, we'd already started practising Glenn Doman math dots cards with him to give him some added mental stimulation. Now, after attending Ryan's Shichida classes and the Parent Education Course, I realise that The Shichida Method is different from Glenn Doman teaching, in terms of philosophy, opinion and focus. Even little things, such as the contents of the flashcards used, are different. Both teachings have proven to be effective in achieving their objectives.

At the end of the course, Ms Jocelyn Khoo related a story of one of her sons, Seng, the third of her four children. When he was about three or four, after all his siblings went to bed, Seng would be the one who shelved all their books and put away all their toys. When she was late coming home from work, he would call her on the phone and tell her, "Mummy, it's late, you should come home to rest. I've laid out your pillow and Daddy's pillow on your bed already, and I've also put my pillow in-between, can I accompany you tonight?" When his mother asked him what she should buy home for dinner, he would say, hang on while he asked everyone in the house (his siblings and the maid) what they wanted. And when she said, "What about you, Seng?", he would reply, "Anything, Mummy. You know what I like."

It was amazing to hear of such unselfishness, kindness and maturity in a three/four year-old child and I hope that we'll be able to foster those values in Ryan as well.