Are Our Children's Future Predicated on Good Primary Schools

[RRMummy]

ChiefKiasu:

Why not think out of the box? Send our kids to the more ordinary school, help them to excel there and get their names permanently on the school plaques in the school's hall, challenge them to bring pride and glory to the school by doing better than kids in the supposedly better schools, and be seen as the ones that really made the difference in the schools. Our kids can then be the pioneers that brought their schools to the top. Imagine the pride that THEIR children will have when they become students of those schools. Just imagine.

It is our children that made the schools, and not the other way around. A good school is one with educators that can inspire our children to challenge their limits, and not one that is completely focused on getting their charges to score all As for academic exams.

Our children's path are to be charted and walked by themselves, not by us, and definitely not by the school of choice. Teach our kids to want to chart their own paths to their dreams using their own natural born skills and talents. Life does not end just because they did not get into that \"good school\" that we wanted so much to get them into.

As usual ,the guru has spoken! :goodpost:

[Daddy D]

LKVM:

But there is also one thing we need to consider... watever our thoughts maybe we shouldnt be ruining our kids future as well... it shouldnt happen that many years later kids question u mom why didnt u try putting me in blah blah school when you had the chance?


I will say we as the parents should try putting them in good schools if we couldnt get in then atleast we can say we tried... :oops:

I will smack the kid 1st... \"Y u never study harder?\"...

[hquek]

ChiefKiasu:

Why not think out of the box? Send our kids to the more ordinary school, help them to excel there and get their names permanently on the school plaques in the school's hall, challenge them to bring pride and glory to the school by doing better than kids in the supposedly better schools, and be seen as the ones that really made the difference in the schools. Our kids can then be the pioneers that brought their schools to the top. Imagine the pride that THEIR children will have when they become students of those schools. Just imagine.

My neighbour's son came from the nearby neighbourhood school - he was the top PSLE scorer of his year and went on to RI. Good? Yah, but his dad told us that his son commented his success was despite the school, not because of the school. And told us NEVER EVER to send our kids to that school.

FYI, the boy is very self starter. His parents don't send him to tuition, only to music classes when the boy insisted he wanted to learn. So this is really an exceptional case.

My thinking. It's fine and good to be the best in 'ordinary' school, but the effort that is needed to be the best despite of the mud that's clinging is herculean. I was from a neighbourhood primary school and was consistently amongst the top. it was only when I entered a so called elite sec school that I realised how much of a frog in well I really was.

[verykiasu2010]

What makes a school hot / popular ?


In theory all schools are the same as they use the same curriculum sanctioned by MOE, and select from an approved list of text books

And the teachers and principals are all NIE certified, MOE approved and appointed.

So why some schools are perpetually more popular than others ?

1. History & prestige (someone VIP studied there), but where is Telok Kurau Eng School now ?

2. Tradition ?

3. Systems & processes ? Can’t they duplicate them in every other schools ? Money is no object to MOE isn’t it - if the PRIME project is any guide ?

4. Alumni network and contribution ?

5. Location ? What else ?

Having put my children through the system, I dare say it is a combination of all of the above, while I think Chief KS’s challenge to "think out of the box" to be the pioneer of an "unknown" school to have their names remembered in history remains an ideal and "dream like". We are all pragmatists and kiasu to the max.

Principals’ and teachers’ aptitude for the job also play a very important role. Some principals just don’t know how to manage / motivate to make things work. They try to be different and don’t want to be seen to copy what other schools are doing … but ended up with no credible result and meanwhile teachers are kept chasing the kpi (mindless drillings) instead of going down to the ground to help the kids …

Some teachers are just clueless how to tune the students.

With the right combination of a capable principal and motivated clued-in teachers, things progress very fast

Those very established primary schools are established not based on just the main academic track. They have a very comprehensive range of enrichment courses to supplement the core curriculum, and they have a huge range of approved vendors that have worked with them over the years to make the provision of enrichment courses very seamless. And their parent-teacher assn is very involved.

And their systems and processes are proven every year to deliver.

At PSLE, as it is a national placement exam, if we say grades are secondary and it is the education that matters, we are just deluding ourselves. With the introduction of IP through train by the top secondary schools, the competition has shifted from ‘O’ levels down to the PSLE. This is the new reality.

So, in my own opinion, the popular school will continue to be popular in the foreseeable future.

[toddles]

It’s a vicious / virtuous cycle.


good schools attract good students so results continue to be good without much extra effort on the part of teachers.

not so good schools get students with parents who are likely to be less involved / concerned with their education, so they tend to do worse. the teachers there might be very dedicated, but with a lack of home support, there is only this much magic they can do.

[verykiasu2010]

toddles:

It's a vicious / virtuous cycle.


good schools attract good students so results continue to be good without much extra effort on the part of teachers.

not so good schools get students with parents who are likely to be less involved / concerned with their education, so they tend to do worse. the teachers there might be very dedicated, but with a lack of home support, there is only this much magic they can do.

yes and no

good schools also got pai kia and public caning, fyi

[foreverj]

verykiasu2010:

What makes a school hot / popular ?


So why some schools are perpetually more popular than others ?

1. History & prestige (someone VIP studied there), but where is Telok Kurau Eng School now ?

2. Tradition ?

3. Systems & processes ? Can't they duplicate them in every other schools ? Money is no object to MOE isn't it - if the PRIME project is any guide ?

4. Alumni network and contribution ?

5. Location ? What else ?

Having put my children through the system, I dare say it is a combination of all of the above,

We are all pragmatists and kiasu to the max.

So, in my own opinion, the popular school will continue to be popular in the foreseeable future.

:goodpost:

i couldn't have put it more succinctly myself!

[Daddy D]

Good Sch = Good Results? = Good Future Prospects? = Elitism? = Widening Class Divide?


:? :? :? :? :? :? :?

[foreverj]

verykiasu2010:

toddles:

It's a vicious / virtuous cycle.


good schools attract good students so results continue to be good without much extra effort on the part of teachers.

not so good schools get students with parents who are likely to be less involved / concerned with their education, so they tend to do worse. the teachers there might be very dedicated, but with a lack of home support, there is only this much magic they can do.

yes and no

good schools also got pai kia and public caning, fyi

i tink its a general statement la, there wil always be outliers...

[Daddy D]

verykiasu2010:

good schools also got pai kia and public caning, fyi

1/2 Agree.... maybe last time (my time... dunno same as your time?)...
but nowadays very hard to public cane... still need parents' consent 1st... usually frown upon... so pai kia also get away with caning now...