Opinions of the Primary School Registration System

[pirate]

3Boys:

pirate:

[quote=\"3Boys\"]You have managed to stand the logic of the stampede to popular schools on it's head, and you didn't even realize it. Why oh why, are such schools multiply oversubscribed at 2b and 2c if not for the fact that parents wish for them to experience strong teaching and holistic programs?


So that their kids can rub shoulders with children of the rich and famous?

Completely illogical. Let's close the teachers' college since they don't seem to make much of a difference.

Hmm... Actually hor. Yah. :siam:

Even if so (and i know you are taking a mickey) why limit to alumni children, elitist izzit?[/quote]So true. You got me there. But wait... I said limit to alumni who scored all As. But can make exceptions for doctors, lawyers, bankers, MPs, senior civil servants and cabinet ministers if they did not manage to score all As.

[rains]

3Boys:

rains:

And please get this right: it's hardly the teachers who make the school good. It's the children.

Am I the only one and did anyone else rub their eyes on reading this?

You have managed to stand the logic of the stampede to popular schools on it's head, and you didn't even realize it. Why oh why, are such schools multiply oversubscribed at 2b and 2c if not for the fact that parents wish for them to experience strong teaching and holistic programs?

So that their kids can rub shoulders with children of the rich and famous?

Completely illogical. Let's close the teachers' college since they don't seem to make much of a difference.

Do do your round of survey and ask what teachers have learnt from 'teachers' college'.

If the children do not have the capacity to be stretched, no amount of strong pedagogies or teaching philosophies would work.

There is strong teaching only because the children are receptive to the teaching.

Like what I quoted in my earlier example for proximity, if the children can't speak a word of English at kindy, you can't even start to teach them words, much less teaching them to string words into sentences. If your students' entry point is high ie. they come to school having read Charlotte's Web before P1, there are alot more things you can do with and for the children.

Sending children to these schools are not to rub shoulders with children of the rich and famous, but to allow them to be stretched together with those who are of similar standard. Teachers teach for the majority. If your child is above-average but allocated to a class with 20 others who can't read or write English, you can be sure the teacher will be tailoring her lessons to the illiterate majority.

Ok nevermind if you don't see my point. Just don't quote me out of context and accuse me of things I don't mean.

[iFirefly]

phtthp:

hellokittyspore:

May I know which era?

In the late 1960s, early 1970s -
Some middle-income families sent their daughters by trishaw to schools like nanyang primary. Some children walked to school. Some were chauffeur drive (rare). Chauffeur driven kids were rare sight. But if a child was chauffeur driven, somehow the whole school will know which child or family of children is that. Because sometimes is not just one child alone, but their siblings and cousins too also studied in the same school.

Then during recess time, the \"ma Jie\" will bring home cooked food to school, let the siblings & cousins eat together. When they opened up the lunch box, is a sumptuous meal. Some Of their classmates will exclaim \"wow!\", When they opened up the Delicious packed lunch box. inside Got yummy hot piping fragrant rice, chinese sausage, bacon, ham, etc - better than eating the food inside the tuck shop.

Then when these p6 girls from nanyang primary graduated & subsequently studied in nanyang girls' high, they tend to meet boys from hwa Ching secondary. Some of these secondary nanyang girls were shy. They wonder how the secondary boys look like. So some of the bolder girls purposely made kueh, made cake, made ondeh ondeh. Then arranged some kind of outing or party or group dating on Saturday (bec sat no school) for their classmates to meet the boys. These pupils quite poetic and strong in Chinese. Some of the naughty secondary boys can compose funny Chinese poem / poetry, in Chinese like:-

\"Nanyang nu zhong - Zhou ru Yao dong.
Du Shu bu Yong gong
Ai ren zai huai zhong \" meaning :-

\"Girls from nanyang high, walking on a road but swaying here & there,
Not cincentrating in studies,
But Thinking of lover in your mind. \"

Wa.. This one really watched too much TV dramas..

[rains]

Be careful there.


When I said it’s hardly the teachers who make the schools good, I didn’t mean I don’t respect them.

This is what I mean by quoting out of context and accusing me of things I don’t mean.

[Sun_2010]

rains:

Do do your round of survey and ask what teachers have learnt from 'teachers' college'.

If the children do not have the capacity to be stretched, no amount of strong pedagogies or teaching philosophies would work.
And children of parents who have not gone to branded schools have no capacity to learn ? Really , you think so?


There is strong teaching only because the children are receptive to the teaching.

Like what I quoted in my earlier example for proximity, if the children can't speak a word of English at kindy, you can't even start to teach them words, much less teaching them to string words into sentences. If your students' entry point is high ie. they come to school having read Charlotte's Web before P1, there are alot more things you can do with and for the children.

I doubt it a majority have that calibre. My personal experience of having 2 kids in a \"branded school\" shows me otherwise. And there are many many kids who started slow , pick up speed and zoomed along, while some early starters just cant stretch much further .

Besides if that is the intent then why alumini? Schools should hold tests , no? :?

Sending children to these schools are not to rub shoulders with children of the rich and famous, but to allow them to be stretched together with those who are of similar standard.
So teachers do play a role in stretching them? ya?
Teachers teach for the majority. If your child is above-average but allocated to a class with 20 others who can't read or write English, you can be sure the teacher will be tailoring her lessons to the illiterate majority.
Then again isnt the banding of classes for this very purpose? Of course that is another debate.

Ok nevermind if you don't see my point. Just don't quote me out of context and accuse me of things I don't mean.

rains, I do see the point you put that children are the ones bring in the result ergo they cause the branding. But in all honestly it is the system that makes it so. Like a seed needs a good gardener who provides it with rich soil, proper sunlight and sufficient water. Schools provide that. To say only those with alumini should be planted in that garden seems unfair. If fact it is unfair.

Being an alumini is an honour, not a privilege that should be milked.


OT but this quote comes to mind.

\"All the women are good looking , all the men are strong, and all the children are above average\"

[dorisp]

hquek:

Anyway to solely go by distance will be surefire way to stratify. Who got the means to stay in private proprries around bt timah? Answer quite clear.

So because of private properties around Bukit Timah, we allow the whole P1 registration system (in Singapore) to continue with its priorities accorded to alumni unconditionally?

:roll:

[rains]

Sun_2010:

And children of parents who have not gone to branded schools have no capacity to learn ? Really , you think so?

[/color]


I doubt it a majority have that calibre. My personal experience of having 2 kids in a \"branded school\" shows me otherwise. And there are many many kids who started slow , pick up speed and zoomed along, while some early starters just cant stretch much further .

Besides if that is the intent then why alumini? Schools should hold tests , no? :?

Then again isnt the banding of classes for this very purpose? Of course that is another debate.
To say only those with alumini should be planted in that garden seems unfair. If fact it is unfair.

Being an alumini is an honour, not a privilege that should be milked.
[/color]

I never say only the alumni should place their children in their schools. I only said the alumni priority shouldn't be removed.

See how wildly different I can be misquoted?

It's fine by me if parents like to think that it's the teachers who make a difference. There really are teachers who make the diff.

[Harlequin]

Karl12:

Is this priority system for alumni widely practise in the world?


On closer look, schools like Henry Park, CHIJ St Nicholas, Ai Tong, Catholic High,ACS, Nanyang etc, even before phase 2B, more than 80% is already taken up.

In fact,this alumni system is opening up to more people. For \"full schools\" like St Nicholas, SCGS, MGS, Catholic, Maris Stella etc, the alumni from their secondary school can also participate in phase 2A of the primary school registration.

The system should look at the benefits for the children. It can be very tiring for the kids to spend ridiculous hours on travelling time, especially when they are already subjected to CCA/ enrichment / tuition after school! By the time the poor kid reach home, he will be totally drained.
I remember taking my long bus journey back in my uni days. It was so tiring even though i was already in my early 20s.

Priority should continue to be given to alumni only if they are staying within 2-3km.
We should not allow children to be travelling all around Singapore to attend the choice school.

:goodpost:
This sounds fair... alumni get the priority, but with condition that they are living within proximity.

[rains]

I find it strange that people like to target the alumni phase.


Why do people not see that phase 2B is the warped one? It’s one that’s fueled by kiasuism and elitism and thwarting something that’s supposed to be done with ultruistic intention into something that is done for a motive.

That is the phase that ought to be removed.

[Harlequin]

rains:

.........
The phases that truly don't offer a diversity of background is the parent volunteer and grassroots phases. If these people truly have a heart to serve the school and community, they should not be asking for rewards in return. The reward in this case would be the priority at P1 registration. What kind of values, attitude and thinking are we encouraging and promoting (for doing a service to the community)?
..........

Agree.