2014 PSLE Discussions and Strategy
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slmkhoo:
Write a note to the teachers so he doesn't get scolded. I think parents need to back kids up to spare them such unnecessary scolding.[/quote]Sad to say, slmkhoo, it's not so simple ... many other considerations... :frustrated:
ds feels lousy and embarrassed if he gets scolded by teachers for late hw too.lurline:
[quote=\"ngl2010\"]
DS will worry more if I tell him not to finish his homework than if he loses a few hours of sleep. So, I let him sleep late at night on occassions where he has bad time management and catch up with his sleep during weekend. I found this is a better way for DS because he feels stressed if he doesn't hand in school homework. -
slmkhoo:
If other kids are managing because they are losing sleep and not having enough leisure, I would not let my child follow suit. It gives them the wrong message (in my mind) - that living an imbalanced life is OK as long as you get better marks or please your 'boss'. I want my kids to value themselves and take care of their health, and I tell them so. I don't want them to obey their 'boss' to their own detriment in terms of health and well-being, even if it means not doing as well or being ranked lower. If the teacher is unreasonable in giving too much, I will just say that my child ran out of time before his (early) bedtime. If the child is slow and weak, I would use that as a reason to ask for less homework.[/quote]I think reasonable for a child maybe unreasonable for another child and vice versa. I also don't think all teachers give unreasonable amount of work.
If other classmates can finish all homework, will it affect our child's confidence if we keep writing excuse letters?ngl2010:
[quote=\"slmkhoo\"]
Write a note to the teachers so he doesn't get scolded. I think parents need to back kids up to spare them such unnecessary scolding.
Classes are banded based on kids' ability. Of course there will be a range of ability within the class but I don't believe teachers gives a lot of homework beyond the class's ability to handle the homework all the time. Maybe occassionally. I am all for stretching a child's ability. Not too much but there should be some stretching. No stretching or too comfortable is bad.
I don't see losing sleep occassionally as living an imbalanced life and training for sucking up to bosses in the future. I look at the homework as a training for responsibility. My husband's job involves safety of hundreds of people. Sometimes his workload is very high. If he postpone or skip one workload just because he has other work to do, a few hundred people's lives are in jeopardy. Will the families of the victims buy his reason that it is detrimental to his health to put in a few extra hours to make sure everything is safe?
Anyway, I think each child is different. Excusing a child from doing some homework and excusing him/her from attending school supplementary classes may work for some children and may not work for others. Parents have to exercise their own judgement. -
ngl2010:
If it's only the occasional late night or high-stress period, then I also wouldn't bother to do anything except provide moral support. And if they have been wasting time, I would not step in either. But for those parents who make is sound like their kids are working hard, close to breaking and it's still months from the PSLE, then in their position, I would do something. I agree that every child is different, so I would just watch out for my own child, and not expect the teacher to adjust for him alone.I think reasonable for a child maybe unreasonable for another child and vice versa. I also don't think all teachers give unreasonable amount of work.
Classes are banded based on kids' ability. Of course there will be a range of ability within the class but I don't believe teachers gives a lot of homework beyond the class's ability to handle the homework all the time. Maybe occassionally. I am all for stretching a child's ability. Not too much but there should be some stretching. No stretching or too comfortable is bad.
I don't see losing sleep occassionally as living an imbalanced life and training for sucking up to bosses in the future. I look at the homework as a training for responsibility. My husband's job involves safety of hundreds of people. Sometimes his workload is very high. If he postpone or skip one workload just because he has other work to do, a few hundred people's lives are in jeopardy. Will the families of the victims buy his reason that it is detrimental to his health to put in a few extra hours to make sure everything is safe?
Anyway, I think each child is different. Excusing a child from doing some homework and excusing him/her from attending school supplementary classes may work for some children and may not work for others. Parents have to exercise their own judgement.
For an adult with responsibilities to others, the considerations are very different from a 12yo whose responsibilities are mainly to himself. -
Do you still have time to bring the PSLE boy/gal to outing during weekend? Actually I find it very dull and unhealty to always keep them at home finishing their hw and revising… but but… what shall we do? their time is already so limited…
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KS_me:
Do you still have time to bring the PSLE boy/gal to outing during weekend? Actually I find it very dull and unhealty to always keep them at home finishing their hw and revising.... but but...... what shall we do? their time is already so limited...
DH keeps nagging that DD should have more outdoor activities during weekends. Apparently, DD has no bandwidth at all. The weekends are spent inhouse doing her hw and mock exam papers now. -
KS_me:
Do you still have time to bring the PSLE boy/gal to outing during weekend? Actually I find it very dull and unhealty to always keep them at home finishing their hw and revising.... but but...... what shall we do? their time is already so limited...
Last year during DS's PSLE year, we always go out on Sunday. DS will work very hard on Friday and Saturday so he can be free on Sunday. It is important not to give additional work after your DC finishes all his/her work otherwise they will think there is no point to work fast. -
ngl2010:
Agree wholeheartedly. There should be one free day.KS_me:
Do you still have time to bring the PSLE boy/gal to outing during weekend? Actually I find it very dull and unhealty to always keep them at home finishing their hw and revising.... but but...... what shall we do? their time is already so limited...
Last year during DS's PSLE year, we always go out on Sunday. DS will work very hard on Friday and Saturday so he can be free on Sunday. It is important not to give additional work after your DC finishes all his/her work otherwise they will think there is no point to work fast. -
can i ask the parents here, how does your kid prepare for Composition?
does memorising good phases/paragraph helps? -
chloecube:
ds doesn't memorize for English compo but he does for Chinese compocan i ask the parents here, how does your kid prepare for Composition?
does memorising good phases/paragraph helps? -
I am getting DD to memorise the good phrases too. Just tell them to apply whenever they can.
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