Any Updates As To When PSLE T-Scores Will Be Scrapped?

[sleepy]

:offtopic:


I believe a student's job is to study. Think of it as a student's duty and responsibility.
Just like parents' duty to provide shelter for their kids and feed them. That's how I viewed my role when I was a student.

I expect diligence in my kids. So long I see right attitude then I'm okay with whatever result.

Just don't give me rubbish like I have no interest so won't study or 随随便便 put in half hearted effort. Excuses like no interest in studying is not acceptable (to me). Whether like or don't like is irrelevant. I don't like Math or Science but I still obtained straight As for these subjects. Remember duty and responsibility.

A student's life is so much easier and simpler compared to adult's working life. No need to 看上司脸色, 防口舌，暗箭 or 为五斗米折腰
A student only need to study so what's there to complain? :skeptical:

Was I equally diligent when I was student? Yes!
In fact I studied longer hours than my kids when I was a student and proactively sourced for assessment & guide books to supplement my school's materials. All on my own initiatives.

Obviously my parents' generation there was no spare cash for me to learn any 才艺 or 琴棋书画. Phonics lessons at 3 years old was unheard of in my era. I could only speak English in complete sentence at primary 4.

That's why I said if given the same resources, I would be as good, if not better. Diligence and hard work won't fail you. At least this belief holds true in a student's life

Not starting a debate with anyone. Just my 2 cents and personal experience

[25HMOM]

grimm:

At the end of the day, as parents, we are the ones who stress our kids not anyone else. i think we should not abscond that responsibility to the government or anyone else.

I do not agree that the government is not responsible.
They are the one who emphasize on meritocracy and robbed most parents of their 'innocence & ignorance' of academic competitions.
The ranked all the schools from first to last.
They named all the top PSLE scorers.
They reward and honour the top 10% academic performers of every school so that parents will respond to these carrots.
Now they are trying to do the reverse but what's done cannot be undone.

[allnamestaken]

But sometimes, I feel that because the kids now have too much resources, they are no longer hungry and tend to take things for granted. So, they are more laid back.


Comparatively, I was much more diligent and hardworking than my kids when I was their age because my mum drilled into me that studying is the only way to improve our living standards and lead a better life. I would willingly pick up an assessment book and work on it. Checking the answers and trying to figure out why the answer is like that.

So, with my past effort + current resources and exposure that is available, I believe I could have done much better.

[MrsKiasu]

I nearly failed my Eng in Sec also.

[Musings]

25HMOM:

grimm:

At the end of the day, as parents, we are the ones who stress our kids not anyone else. i think we should not abscond that responsibility to the government or anyone else.

I do not agree that the government is not responsible.
They are the one who emphasize on meritocracy and robbed most parents of their 'innocence & ignorance' of academic competitions.
The ranked all the schools from first to last.
They named all the top PSLE scorers.
They reward and honour the top 10% academic performers of every school so that parents will respond to these carrots.
Now they are trying to do the reverse but what's done cannot be undone.

There is nothing wrong with meritocracy and honouring achievements. It is the desire of parents to push their children to achieve the highest honours available without due regard to the child's abilities that is the problem. I have 2 children of vastly differing abilities - I have to constantly remind myself to nurture each according to his ability and not in comparison to each other or others.

In comparison to our time, the government has created many pathways and I am grateful because these are pathways which will help my child with more average abilities to succeed in his own right.

[pirate]

sleepy:

In fact I studied longer hours than my kids when I was a student and proactively sourced for assessment & guide books to supplement my school's materials. All on my own initiatives.

Must salute you for doing all of these while you were still in primary school. :salute:

[MrsKiasu]

Very sensible Sleepy.

[25HMOM]

Musings:

25HMOM:

[quote=\"grimm\"]At the end of the day, as parents, we are the ones who stress our kids not anyone else. i think we should not abscond that responsibility to the government or anyone else.

I do not agree that the government is not responsible.
They are the one who emphasize on meritocracy and robbed most parents of their 'innocence & ignorance' of academic competitions.
The ranked all the schools from first to last.
They named all the top PSLE scorers.
They reward and honour the top 10% academic performers of every school so that parents will respond to these carrots.
Now they are trying to do the reverse but what's done cannot be undone.

There is nothing wrong with meritocracy and honouring achievements. It is the desire of parents to push their children to achieve the highest honours available without due regard to the child's abilities that is the problem. I have 2 children of vastly differing abilities - I have to constantly remind myself to nurture each according to his ability and not in comparison to each other or others.

In comparison to our time, the government has created many pathways and I am grateful because these are pathways which will help my child with more average abilities to succeed in his own right.[/quote]Not every parent desire unrealistic goal for his child. But with the over-emphasis of meritocracy such as ranking every single secondary school (in the past), it tempts the parent to stretch his child's ability up a level or two. When you mentioned that you nurture you children according to their abilities, are you contented of their present achievements or do you continue to try to improve on what they have achieved, resulting in some form of stress in them?

[Musings]

[/quote]


I do not agree that the government is not responsible.
They are the one who emphasize on meritocracy and robbed most parents of their 'innocence & ignorance' of academic competitions.
The ranked all the schools from first to last.
They named all the top PSLE scorers.
They reward and honour the top 10% academic performers of every school so that parents will respond to these carrots.
Now they are trying to do the reverse but what's done cannot be undone.[/quote]

There is nothing wrong with meritocracy and honouring achievements. It is the desire of parents to push their children to achieve the highest honours available without due regard to the child's abilities that is the problem. I have 2 children of vastly differing abilities - I have to constantly remind myself to nurture each according to his ability and not in comparison to each other or others.

In comparison to our time, the government has created many pathways and I am grateful because these are pathways which will help my child with more average abilities to succeed in his own right.[/quote]

Not every parent desire unrealistic goal for his child. But with the over-emphasis of meritocracy such as ranking every single secondary school (in the past), it tempts the parent to stretch his child's ability up a level or two. When you mentioned that you nurture you children according to their abilities, are you contented of their present achievements or do you continue to try to improve on what they have achieved, resulting in some form of stress in them?[/quote]

That is where parents have the discretion and control. Of course it takes a while to ascertain the ability of the child but I believe parents in this forum who are obviously very involved in their children's education will be able to tell. Whether or not parents can accept the reality is a different matter. For instance, my older child is amongst the top 3 of the whole cohort, we knew his abilities and at P2, pushed him and he was streamed to best class and remained there ever since. My younger child is now in P2 and facing the same streaming but we did not push him to aim for top 2 classes. In fact, almost every parent in his P2 class whatsapp chatgroup are clearly prepping their child to aim for top 2 class. But statistically, only a handful from a class of 30 will make it to the top class. My sense is a lot of these parents were really prepping the kids beyond their ability and therefore causing much stress to a mere 8 year old. For us, it was very liberating once we recognise and accepted his ability and just prep for each test as per normal without fretting about the outcome.

I am not discounting the pressure and temptation faced by parents in aiming for the highest glory. But the cost is tremendous if that expectation is beyond the ability of the kid. And all these are within our control. I don't begrudge other high ability kids - their achievements should be celebrated.

[25HMOM]

Musings:

That is where parents have the discretion and control. Of course it takes a while to ascertain the ability of the child but I believe parents in this forum who are obviously very involved in their children's education will be able to tell. Whether or not parents can accept the reality is a different matter. For instance, my older child is amongst the top 3 of the whole cohort, we knew his abilities and at P2, pushed him and he was streamed to best class and remained there ever since. My younger child is now in P2 and facing the same streaming but we did not push him to aim for top 2 classes. In fact, almost every parent in his P2 class whatsapp chatgroup are clearly prepping their child to aim for top 2 class. But statistically, only a handful from a class of 30 will make it to the top class. My sense is a lot of these parents were really prepping the kids beyond their ability and therefore causing much stress to a mere 8 year old. For us, it was very liberating once we recognise and accepted his ability and just prep for each test as per normal without fretting about the outcome.

I am not discounting the pressure and temptation faced by parents in aiming for the highest glory. But the cost is tremendous if that expectation is beyond the ability of the kid. And all these are within our control. I don't begrudge other high ability kids - their achievements should be celebrated.

I agree that you are doing the right thing for your children and that every parent should exercise such control. However, thanks to the 'direction' the government has led us and hence the mentality of our present society - obsession with grades and competitions.

MOE won't need to stop its schools' ranking, stop naming top scholar, scrap off value-added awards for schools, introduce more non-academic edusave awards, stop media reporting of top schools and foreign talents' academic achievements, etc, to try to salvage the damage and stress if it has not recognised its faults.

I raised the issue on government earlier because someone mentioned that it is not to be held responsible but I see our government's past directives as the stimuli for the tremendous stress level of today's rat race.

You applaud the government's emphasis on meritocracy as you have at least a child who falls in the category of top students. Many parents who have children of differing calibres are doing the same as you, in nurturing them according to their abilities as they have at least one who is capable. I am one of them.

However, are you able to empathise with the stress of parents who only have children the abilities of your younger child's or well below? Would you not try harder to prep them so that at least one may excel (to a better school, not top school), not for your own glory but for their future? It is even more stressful for parent with an only child.

I apologise if this is offensive but are you sure you will not fret over your younger child's results when he is in P5/P6 when reality is setting in? Do you not have any pressure or fear that he will end up in a neighbourhood school while his older sibling is in the top school? Would you not try to prep him such that he will stand a better chance for a more 'decent' sec sch?

Stress doesn't only exist in kids who have parents pushing for top schools. It happens to kids whose parents quest for express stream instead of NA stream, for above average sec schools instead of neighbourhoods' and so on. We all know the rankings of each school to a great extent, don't we?

As parents, we try to exercise self-control but it's hard as we have to conform to the society that our government has moulded - pursuing academic excellence at young age, fighting for the best university courses, fighting with imported talents, number one in world ranking....

It's easy to say we have control but exactly how many of us can really ignore the challenges of our education system? Unless you are a parent with the 与世无争 mentality of a monk/nun/pastor, perhaps.