Mid-year exams to be scrapped in all primary, secondary schools by 2023

[zac's mum]

Zeal mummy\" post_id=\"2061189\" time=\"1646916121\" user_id=\"58173:[quote=\"Zeal mummy\" post_id=2061189 time=1646916121 user_id=58173]
Thank you for sharing!

My daughter shares the same views as you and so she too, didn’t feel stressed about psle. She took it in 2020 though.. so I feel and think that the psle has not changed much since our time. The only difference could be the attitude of the children, parents, educators and the seemingly competitive society.[/quote]

Perhaps your daughter shares the same profile as me (extremely attentive in school and loves studying) hence exams are easy.

I think the universe was having a joke on me and slapping me from becoming prideful by giving me a child who is not talented in his academics. Every exam need to work super hard yet nothing we cram for seems to come out. Improve in one component but careless mistakes in other component just negate the score. I need to keep motivating him otherwise he becomes more & more demoralised. PSLE becomes a huge stressor for such families.

[Zeal mummy]

sushi88\" post_id=\"2061187\" time=\"1646915908\" user_id=\"100857:

That's because parents are less involved too... A lot has changed. Parents are more affluent, kids are lesser, expectations are higher and school is tougher as the rat race becomes more intense. The exposure of the kids today are also different, they have more distractions digitally. I actually do not envy them at all.. I loved my blue skies and better sun when I was growing up.

Try and sit for the PSLE today? :siam:

Depending on which side of the fence you are on… some families do have more kids, some less kids; the digital exposure yes… expectation, set by who?

Of course we as adults, wouldn’t want to sit for psle again. That’s because, we are way past the age of going to school. However, if We are at the school-going age and have attended and learnt everything in school. I trust that we will be able to do reasonable well at psle too.

[Zeal mummy]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2061190\" time=\"1646916718\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2061190 time=1646916718 user_id=53606]
Perhaps your daughter shares the same profile as me (extremely attentive in school and loves studying) hence exams are easy.

I think the universe was having a joke on me and slapping me from becoming prideful by giving me a child who is not talented in his academics. Every exam need to work super hard yet nothing we cram for seems to come out. Improve in one component but careless mistakes in other component just negate the score. I need to keep motivating him otherwise he becomes more & more demoralised. PSLE becomes a huge stressor for such families.[/quote]

She is attentive and learns quickly. I’m not sure if she loves studying, as I don’t see her doing it v often. Exams are not easy but she does well.

I recalled my parents asking if I failed any subject, when I came home each time w my report book. (I didn’t do badly, of course) but.. This was the expectation back then.. my dad always believed that my siblings and I can be good at other things even if studies is lacking. It didn’t bother them much. And so, … every child is different and will eventually find his way. Keep encouraging and motivating your son, it’s the effort and not the results that counts.

[Liew Nga Wing]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2061190\" time=\"1646916718\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2061190 time=1646916718 user_id=53606]

I think the universe was having a joke on me and slapping me from becoming prideful by giving me a child who is not talented in his academics. Every exam need to work super hard yet nothing we cram for seems to come out. Improve in one component but careless mistakes in other component just negate the score. [/quote]

Don't say the universe slapping you as you DS is not talented in academics. Your DS is the best kid in the world because you are his mother.

From your posts before, I find that your DS's handwriting is very neat and pretty good. He is also good at Maths but a bit poor at Chinese Language. He may be careless at present but I believe he will improve in future.

The thinking of parents is very important. When I was small and failed English for every exam. My father always said he didn't understand why he had such a stupid and useless girl. I also believed that I was stupid and useless in my childhood. But am I really stupid and useless now? Surely not. So you DS may not be the top 5% of the class at present but he has his own talent and the problem of carelessness will be rectified in future...just give more patience to him. You should be proud of him.

[MrsKiasu]

I believe some are really fast learners, parents no need to worry much…like slmkhoo’s one dd and now zealmummy’s too.


As parent, I don’t have that high expectation, I think la…just hope my kids could progress smoothly, that’s good enough for me. Sometimes I do nag, how I don’t understand why they cannot be like more auto etc…but my dh will always tell me…remember, we were like that also when we were young…and I was like no leh…then my dh will say, you must have forgotten la.

[zac's mum]

Thanks for your encouragement LNW! It is very hurtful for any parent to scold their own child with mean words. Indeed encouraging words are much better.


I am not aiming for top 5% as I know he is just average. Middle of the cohort is more likely. I am happy to see him working hard & making small improvements along the way…just not happy with the schooling system that’s all. He has natural EQ which I’m grateful for - he can survive to feed himself in future.

[sky minecrafter]

\" post_id=\"2061050\" time=\"1646812737\" user_id=\"188234:

... As mentioned by others, any system is as stressful or stress-free as you allow it to be ...

Hi, that's true

Our P5 WA1 - EL was an oral assignment (ethos pathos logos); HCL was half of the usual 语文应用 plus 阅读理解; CL was 听力; MA was ~11 fraction questions; SC was ~8 cell& plant transport questions

Scrapping mid year exams does seem to allow the children to better pace their learning. I guess if I the student have the capacity & desire, I'm empowered to do more self-directed learning on my own

[sharonkhoo]

zac's mum\" post_id=\"2061199\" time=\"1646922127\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2061199 time=1646922127 user_id=53606]
Thanks for your encouragement LNW! It is very hurtful for any parent to scold their own child with mean words. Indeed encouraging words are much better.

I am not aiming for top 5% as I know he is just average. Middle of the cohort is more likely. I am happy to see him working hard & making small improvements along the way…just not happy with the schooling system that’s all. He has natural EQ which I’m grateful for - he can survive to feed himself in future.[/quote]

I was usually within the top 10 in class in one of the \"good\" girls' schools, yet my father always told me I was not good enough. He always compared me with xxx's son who was a Maths whizz, yyy's daughter who was a gifted pianist, zzz's son who was always top in class in a \"better\" school than mine. I don't ever recall that he ever complimented me when I was top in class in any subject, or did anything good. Even after I got a decent degree from a top university, he compares me with all the first-classes, the doctors, lawyers, etc. By the time I was a young adult, I learned to tune out the negative (even if dressed up as jokes) and just do what I believed best for myself. To this day, I don't know if he really meant what he said, or whether that was his way of spurring me on to work harder, but it still rankles. I think he was fortunate that I still enjoyed learning, worked hard, did well by most people's standards, and didn't rebel. It could have easily backfired.

I have a child with learning difficulties - and that really made me reclibrate my values about what really mattered. We adjusted our expectations in many areas, not just academics. It's not easy when you are faced with annual exams and daily schoolwork, but we each have to deal with what we have. For those who believe in a good God, even tough things are blessings as they are opportunities to learn and grow. So for those who have \"less than ideal\" kids, look for the good things, and don't hyperfocus on what you wish they could do. It's always a fine line to tread - to encourage them to work hard at what they are poor at, while leaving them time and energy to do what they enjoy and do better at.

And having good EQ is a great asset - I have a cousin who was outshone by 2 brothers and several cousins who are doctors (you can imagine what that feels like), but is a great guy with good EQ. He isn't doing terrifically in the material sense, but he has a steady job and enjoys what he does. My daughter, unfortunately, has poor social skills as well as other issues, and we are realising how that is a great handicap when applying for jobs, starting work and just coping in the workplace. We are really grateful that she has a job now, and we hope she will learn as she goes along, but this is always going to be a problem for her.

[Liew Nga Wing]

Great salute to all mothers.

[ChiefKiasu]

slmkhoo\" post_id=\"2061210\" time=\"1646961787\" user_id=\"28674:

... I don't ever recall that he ever complimented me when I was top in class in any subject, or did anything good. Even after I got a decent degree from a top university, he compares me with all the first-classes, the doctors, lawyers, etc. By the time I was a young adult, I learned to tune out the negative (even if dressed up as jokes) and just do what I believed best for myself. To this day, I don't know if he really meant what he said, or whether that was his way of spurring me on to work harder, but it still rankles. I think he was fortunate that I still enjoyed learning, worked hard, did well by most people's standards, and didn't rebel. It could have easily backfired.
...

Wow. You have a tough father. Don't worry, I'm sure he's proud of you and your achievements, even if he doesn't show it outwardly. We all know how hard it is to show love to another person, because it shows we are dependent on the other person.