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My daughter Benz started her Reading and Math Enrichment at St. Ambrose last April 25, 2012. It was a 10 day session comprise of 1 hour per session. Armed with just her knowledge of the Alphabet song and numbers 1 to 10 she started her journey to the new frontier called kindergarten.

I must admit that I am a bit a shame that we never got to teach her to write but am very proud that she can draw, color, & paint beautifully. We never got to teach her how to read but am very proud that she speaks several languages. Benz doesn’t only speak English well, but she has a very wide vocabulary. She uses words like Imagination, conclusion, accident and many more. She speaks Mandarin, Spanish, and a little French. She understands Fookien and Pampango. Sometimes I wonder if this makes it hard for her to learn basic reading.

On her first day, she came out in the middle of her class teary eyed saying “mom it’s too hard”. I was worried. It’s a good thing that her teachers, Teacher Normie and Teacher Love followed her and gently pursued her to return to the room. She did although a little apprehensive. For the first 3 days homework was a struggle. She seemed uninterested and appalled by it. By the 4^th & 5^th day she was more obliging. Her teachers “very good” in her seatworks inspire her.

By the 8^th day, Benz can’t just read, she can spell ! This is from a 6 year old who never wrote nor read, in 8 days she has a half filled notebook of her “work”. I thank her reading teacher, Teacher Love for being patient, for finding ways to arouse her interest to do more, to learn more.

Benz started her math with only “1 to 10”, in 8 days she knows up to 100! She can add numbers in groups. She knows '< '> and =. I thank her math teacher, Teacher Normie for guiding her. She helped Benz discover that she loves numbers.

I believe that every childs first experience in school is dreadful, dreadful to the child and to the parents. It is during these first moments that one could make or break a child. My experience with St. Ambrose was very pleasant. It was very pleasant from the very first day where my inquiries were graciously entertained by Nursery Teacher, Teacher Ehmy. It was likewise subsequently pleasing as Benz’s took her entrance exam and evaluation where Teacher Det did not “scold” us for our nominal teachings but rather hearten us.

Benz finished her enrichment classes last May 10, 2012 and I can proudly say that I chose the right school for her.