r2i forum

Hi All,

I will be finishing my 2.5 years on GC in march 2014 after which i plan to R2I.. The biggest worry i have is my daughter (DOB June 5 2007) adjusting to STD2 of any school in Mumbai.. I have heard stories of how stressful it is for them with 2nd language and maths etc etc.. Before R2I she would have completed grade 1 here in US but From my point of view.. i am fine having her in STD1 in India. I am fine if she finishes her studies 1 year later...The question i have for everyone is

1) Is a 7 year old kid allowed in Class/STD1 or does she have to go to std/class 2?

2) has anyone put their kid 1 year below?

3) Am i thinking too much about this ?:(


Thanks,
Parag

Hi parag,

Let me answer your questions in reverse:
1. Being a parent it's quite natural to think about education and related stress in India, which is quite real.
2. Yes, I did, but this was in TN where they admit 3-3.5 in LKG, whereas I wanted to follow American and other state standards of around 4 years old, so that she will be 6+ when she enters first standard. She maybe older than other students, but its better to be older than younger. I was admitted a year earlier as my father was too eager like everyone else, and I would never recommend it, as you may be be able to cope up intellectually, but emotional intelligence takes time to develop.
3. In your specific case imho, your child would know very well she has studied first standard and repeating it and she may not like it. She may also encounter a 2 year age gap amongst some and not sure how she will react.
However more than the standard, selecting the right school is more important especially for R2Iers. We picked a school which is more holistic and stresses less on academics and more on participatory activities(atleast they claim so). Talk to other NRIers parents and take their feedback. Typically if the schools are IB,IGCSE board, they are catering to the NRI minded class and they would be easy on language.
Explain your concerns to the principal in advance, and in case your daughter has issues, you can always put her back in first standard.

VS007;464324Hi parag,

Let me answer your questions in reverse:
1. Being a parent it's quite natural to think about education and related stress in India, which is quite real.
2. Yes, I did, but this was in TN where they admit 3-3.5 in LKG, whereas I wanted to follow American and other state standards of around 4 years old, so that she will be 6+ when she enters first standard. She maybe older than other students, but its better to be older than younger. I was admitted a year earlier as my father was too eager like everyone else, and I would never recommend it, as you may be be able to cope up intellectually, but emotional intelligence takes time to develop.
3. In your specific case imho, your child would know very well she has studied first standard and repeating it and she may not like it. She may also encounter a 2 year age gap amongst some and not sure how she will react.
However more than the standard, selecting the right school is more important especially for R2Iers. We picked a school which is more holistic and stresses less on academics and more on participatory activities(atleast they claim so). Talk to other NRIers parents and take their feedback. Typically if the schools are IB,IGCSE board, they are catering to the NRI minded class and they would be easy on language.
Explain your concerns to the principal in advance, and in case your daughter has issues, you can always put her back in first standard.

Thanks. that make sense... so it means in India some kids start std 1st at age of 5?

Take a look at this thread also.[URL="http://www.r2iclubforums.com/forums/showthread.php/27590-Should-I-put-my-son-one-grade-less-in-India-to-get-admission-in-a-good-school"]

http://www.r2iclubforums.com/forums/showthread.php/27590-Should-I-put-my-son-one-grade-less-in-India-to-get-admission-in-a-good-school[/URL]


My kid will be 8 in August. He is in 2nd standard now.

tangential question - are you waiting to complete 2.5 years after GC to R2I? What's the reasoning behind that?

Btw there are lot of folks here who have R2Ied with much elder kids than yours, and their kids did adjust. So relax.

gurusw;464446tangential question - are you waiting to complete 2.5 years after GC to R2I? What's the reasoning behind that?

Btw there are lot of folks here who have R2Ied with much elder kids than yours, and their kids did adjust. So relax.

For the question of 2.5 years.. is yes thats 1 big part of the decision to wait 1 more year. I am pretty sure after taht i will be able to do 6 month trips (work related) and then finally apply for GC in 2016... is there a concern with that approach?

Ok so basically i am not alone.. did ur kid finish grade 1 here in US and then move to standard 2 in India?

pbhagwat;464459For the question of 2.5 years.. is yes thats 1 big part of the decision to wait 1 more year. I am pretty sure after taht i will be able to do 6 month trips (work related) and then finally apply for GC in 2016... is there a concern with that approach?

You mean apply for USC in 2016? If you are sure that you can spend 6 months in USA per year after R2I, then it may be ok. Most folks don't have such luxury.
Also as I said, there are lot of folks who have R2Ied with much elder kids. So you can also get your USC, and then R2I.

gurusw;464756You mean apply for USC in 2016? If you are sure that you can spend 6 months in USA per year after R2I, then it may be ok. Most folks don't have such luxury.
Also as I said, there are lot of folks who have R2Ied with much elder kids. So you can also get your USC, and then R2I.

Not 6 months in US.. i was planning to have 1-2 weeks trip every 6 months..

pbhagwat;464298Hi All,
I will be finishing my 2.5 years on GC in march 2014 after which i plan to R2I.. The biggest worry i have is my daughter (DOB June 5 2007) adjusting to STD2 of any school in Mumbai.. I have heard stories of how stressful it is for them with 2nd language and maths etc etc.. Before R2I she would have completed grade 1 here in US but From my point of view.. i am fine having her in STD1 in India. I am fine if she finishes her studies 1 year later...The question i have for everyone is
1) Is a 7 year old kid allowed in Class/STD1 or does she have to go to std/class 2?
2) has anyone put their kid 1 year below?
3) Am i thinking too much about this ?:(
Thanks,
Parag

pbhagwat;464969Hi All,
I am planning R2I this december and have been getting a lot of feedback from people. Mysituation as explained in one of the post is i have GC with 1.4 years done.. can apply for USC in 2016 but daughter is already 5 year old so plan to go forward with R2I adn surrender GC. The question i have is
1) Has anyone ever felt regret in surrendering GC and basically closing the door for R2A? What if your kids don't like it in a few years and want to go back? what if situation in India detoriates a lot (civil strife) and a lot of people move but we are not able to because no visa to US.. in those cases i feel our decision as parents to R2I is basically forcing the kid to give up his/her life in US.
Any thoughts comments appreciated.
Thanks,

You have following options
1) Wait till you get USC and then R2I
2) Get REP of 2 years before you R2I
3) R2I and test waters for less than 6 months and then R2A or surrender your GC
You did not mentioned clearly your reasons of immediate R2I. If your reasons are of that intensity then I would go with option 2 above. Don't worry about kids they adjust well it is only we adults or providers who may face problem.
One more advise from experience - if you want to R2I do it and live with it. If you keep going back and coming back it is ery painful for every one in most respects (personal, financial, emotional etc.). In my opinion if you have a backup plan (USC/GC+REP) most probably one would come back so then question is why R2I to begin with.