Hi everyone, I have a question for anyone who's had kids in the local public school system, not private school. And the only reason I'm posting anonymously is that this is about my kid, not me.
My 17-year-old daughter is coming to live with me and my new wife for her last year of high school. I have no idea what to tell her to get ready for this. We live in the Lapu-Lapu area. Any advice, tips, or things she'll need would be a huge help. Also, I already know some wise guys will show up with dumb answers or rude, crude ones. To them: thanks for showing us how immature you are.
We moved here in 2020 with two teenagers. Their school in the US had already shut down because of COVID, and when we got to the Philippines, the schools here were closed too. So it was a year later that they finally started public school here, in grades 11 and 10. It was definitely a wild adventure, but if your kid is resilient and flexible, she'll be okay. Honestly, the hardest adjustment for my kids was the mandatory uniforms. Most subjects were taught in English, except the Mother Tongue class, which was in Tagalog. They rolled with the punches and made the most of it, and ended up being elected to student government and even winning Prom King and Winter Princess. A lot of people will say terrible things about public schools here, but honestly it was a huge blessing for us. My kids learned so much about the culture and made lifelong friends.
Try not to put her in public school. If she's a foreigner, she'll struggle with the language. Like others said, private schools aren't that expensive and classes are taught in English. That's not guaranteed in public school.
Enroll her at Sto. Niño Montessori School or St. Alphonsus Catholic School.
This will be a huge cultural change for your daughter, at a sensitive age and at a key stage of her schooling. The challenges she faces could be the making of her, or they could be too much for her. She'll definitely need a lot of support. The challenges are serious: language, heat, no friends, a different curriculum, your new wife, and whatever's behind her sudden decision. Still, young people are resilient and adaptable, she has you, and on the whole Filipinos can be incredibly warm and welcoming. Good luck. But don't underestimate what's ahead.
I'd suggest homeschooling with an ibp linkage. If she wants to go to public school, that would be a wonderful experience for her too. Locals love foreign teens. She'll get taught how to speak Cebuano.
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