Compulsory Overseas Trip
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would like to share my take/views here since I'm the one started this thread.
Having read thru all the inputs and views, I am still very skeptical about going to overseas trips..learning independencce..blah blah blah...etc.
Sorry if is not helping to put your fear down (KS2me), I am with you, after my dd went for the P5 NDP & P5 camp, I don't see the learning of independent and all those \"rubbish\" said...
P5 NDP - the kids gotta be in school from 2pm and don't get up till 9pm (earliest). They have to sit under the sun & even worst, brave thru the rain!!! My child would rather sit at home to enjoy the parade.
P5 Camp - Grr....needless to say..quick bath...dirty clothes...maggie mee...:(
DD & I are in very close relationship, we talk about everything & anything..I even ask her, does she needs to go overseas to \"learn\" to be able to appreciate me??? Her answer is NO!! And I can see that she really meant it. Though, I am a SAHM, dd has always been very independent (maybe because we have no maid), she will clear the table after dinner, put her clothes at the laundry, get her own water, do her own work, etc..I REALLY REALLY don't agree with what others say about letting go!! Come on, our kids have learnt to speak, walk, eat on their own, toilet train..etc,, isn't all these part of just growing up and taught by us (parents). Hence, my take on school teaching independence is utterly rubbish!!! I send my kids to school to learn academic (which I am not capable at) not independence!!
Seriously, I am still very upset about how the system work!! To each its own, values are thought from young, bringing up is IMPORTANT. I dont need to send my child to school to be taught \"VALUES\" and each family & school values might not apply to the other.
err...to add - yes, there are schools suppose to go to 3rd world country to do \"SERVICE\" and we are suppose to PAY for our child to these countries to learn service :stupid:
Sigh... -
hi nani, for my case, the school is paying everything. However, to me, its not about who is paying. My main concern is safety in Jakarta. I am thinking if the school would want the parents to sign any Letter of Indemnity for such trips. :?
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nani:
If I were in your shoes, nani, and if I am not in favour of my child's school policy of compulsory overseas educational trip or overseas community service to 3rd world countries, I would not hesitate to remove my child from the school with such programs and policies.would like to share my take/views here since I'm the one started this thread.
Having read thru all the inputs and views, I am still very skeptical about going to overseas trips..learning independencce..blah blah blah...etc.
Sorry if is not helping to put your fear down (KS2me), I am with you, after my dd went for the P5 NDP & P5 camp, I don't see the learning of independent and all those \"rubbish\" said...
P5 NDP - the kids gotta be in school from 2pm and don't get up till 9pm (earliest). They have to sit under the sun & even worst, brave thru the rain!!! My child would rather sit at home to enjoy the parade.
P5 Camp - Grr....needless to say..quick bath...dirty clothes...maggie mee...:(
DD & I are in very close relationship, we talk about everything & anything..I even ask her, does she needs to go overseas to \"learn\" to be able to appreciate me??? Her answer is NO!! And I can see that she really meant it. Though, I am a SAHM, dd has always been very independent (maybe because we have no maid), she will clear the table after dinner, put her clothes at the laundry, get her own water, do her own work, etc..I REALLY REALLY don't agree with what others say about letting go!! Come on, our kids have learnt to speak, walk, eat on their own, toilet train..etc,, isn't all these part of just growing up and taught by us (parents). Hence, my take on school teaching independence is utterly rubbish!!! I send my kids to school to learn academic (which I am not capable at) not independence!!
Seriously, I am still very upset about how the system work!! To each its own, values are thought from young, bringing up is IMPORTANT. I dont need to send my child to school to be taught \"VALUES\" and each family & school values might not apply to the other.
err...to add - yes, there are schools suppose to go to 3rd world country to do \"SERVICE\" and we are suppose to PAY for our child to these countries to learn service :stupid:
Sigh...
I'm quite sure that the some other parents of your child's school supported the policies and it will not be fair to abolish the above programs just because minority of the parents do not agree to them and think they are 'rubbish'.
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Oh yes and some parents do 'migrate' to another country because they do not want their precious sons to go through national service too.
These poor recruits have to brave through marching under the hot sun and jogging for long distance carrying their 'wives'. May also have to take quick bath or eat ration biscuits . :!:
Shall we petition to abolish the above policy too? For our sons' sake!
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Letter of Indeminty!! Surely they will, all schools will make you sign it to cover their own &**^ :x In case of whatever happens, who ask you to sign it?? This is the part that I do no understand too!! They WANT you to consent and yet dont want to take the RESPONSIBILITY :stupid: :x
Even if you do write a letter to the school to ask them how can they assure you that your child will be safe, they would have already a protocol long standard letter that tell you blah..blah.blah...what do you, you are not the ONLY parent that worries :roll:
I can only rant that the system is HORRENDOUS for a child. I would be embarass if my child will learn independent only when go overseas or even appreciate me when he/she is away from me. I have always taught my kids what values are and how IMPORTANT family time is. Respect, shares, values are all taught from young at home.
Yup - some may say, why did you send her to the school then? OR since you are in such good relationship, you can talk your child out of it? Is just not easy! Yes, I do have excellent relationship with my dd, that's why I do not need the school to come interrupt our lifestyle and have us force to choose between family OR school?? Is not fair to have a young child to choose. See..the problem is that some kids are not complaining (or dare not complain) they just follow with the flow /peer pressure etc. And we dont want to deprive her or worry that she'll be labeled in school rite?? Then what to do?? FOLLOW Rules lor... :stupid:
Btw, am not expecting the school to abolish the programme but making it optional will be good. -
csc:
Hey buddy, I don't think removing the child from the school solves the problem because I hear most schools are doing that now, there are some compulsory stuff at P5 like the overnight camps for all schools if I am not wrong.
If I were in your shoes, nani, and if I am not in favour of my child's school policy of compulsory overseas educational trip or overseas community service to 3rd world countries, I would not hesitate to remove my child from the school with such programs and policies.csc:
Honestly, have you wondered why it must be made compulsory? This is because if not, there would be many who would opt out!!!I'm quite sure that the some other parents of your child's school supported the policies and it will not be fair to abolish the above programs just because minority of the parents do not agree to them and think they are 'rubbish'.
So not complaining does not mean they are minority. Not complaining simply means that parents try not to make themselves so negatively visible in front of the school, another form of protection. Unfortunately, not all schools are so forgiving once you step on the toes.
And just to add, I don't think nani nor I are aversed to such activities, it is the age appropriateness that I have something to gripe about and perhaps the compulsory act they have enforced, does not seem right.
I remember I had 2 island camps during my sec school.
My parents only permitted me to go for 1 and the other which I missed, I did not miss anything and I did not even miss not going... :lol: I only started having school camps in secondary schools never in primary. And if you ask me if I learn independence during the camps? No, I learned independence from helping at home and my daily bus journey to school plus my leadership positions in school. What I learned in camps? I learned how bxxxxy some of my camp-mates could be when I needed to be with them for more than 8 hours. I already learned teamwork alot during school hours and in my CCA. Those camps just taught me how to stay up till 3am-4am and yakked non-stop with my friends and truly the colours of people were also revealed at that kind of unearthly hour. The other thing I experienced was being \"tekan\" in the night as part of the activity planned. Honestly when I looked back now, those were quite bo liao experience, it was a time for some seniors(boys from elsewhere) to get close to the girls they like too. Any value-add to me? If anything, it built my resilience to those nonsense... :lol:
I am sure times have changed and the quality of camps should be better and if they really need to do it, it should still be secondary school age. if primary, then make it optional so parents do not feel the pressure. -
My comments are made purely based on nani's case - and in general , referring to secondary schools.
In primary schools, I don't think the overnight camps and even the NDP parades are compulsory - I know of a few friends' primary school kids who opted out of the camps or simply, by producing a medical certificate, exempted them from attending the camps.
As for me, I did not get to attend any overnight camp till my university days. I remember , watching with sadness, as I saw my classmates leaving for their ST John's Island Camp in Sec 3. My over-protective parents had refused to give their consent. I remembered arguing with them over the matter.
I felt even more left-out when my classmates kept talking about the camps for days even when it was over.
Maybe, that's why I'm pretty liberating in this aspect of allowing and even encouraging my kids to go for these trips even at a tender age of primary 4.Maybe, it has to do with my character as well. I backpacked and love rugged and adventurous trips and hope to pass on that spirit to my next generation. Actually, we have already developed the same liking.
Age appropriateness is subjective, I guess, for individual children.
Anyway, to each his own. :celebrate: -
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daisyt:
hi nani, for my case, the school is paying everything. However, to me, its not about who is paying. My main concern is safety in Jakarta. I am thinking if the school would want the parents to sign any Letter of Indemnity for such trips. :?
Not sure if you are talking about complusory here. Reading on the negatives of safety and street kids in Jakarta already turn me off from visiting relatives there, dont even talk about school doing service trip there :shock: .
Again, I just dont understand what are the school objectives by sending our kids to 3rd world countries for service?? If is just to let them know how fortunate they are, I would rather they make it complusory for all schools to service the orphange here or even schedule schools to help with distributing food from the heart, etc. SERVICE can be found and start within our own country, need not make us PAY and risk our kids overseas!!
Just my 2 cents. -
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