is it possible to make it without tuition

[buds]

Yes. It is possible to make it without tuition.


Most important for me as a stay home parent is the routine /
timetable, which both my gals have gotten used to since
pre-school days. The idea is not to do too many in a day
to ensure productivity. It is the quality coaching not so much
of the quantity, esp when one has to juggle the spare time at
hand for 3 children. Time management is very important.

Monitoring of the children's work is essential to keep up with
the latest in the system and everchanging national standards.

Good support from spouse is also crucial. Household chores &
stuff requires some help and definitely a lot of understanding
over the time taken to coach 3 children. If spouse assists with
the coaching at the same time, then lagi best.. My hubs
does assist with coaching, academic AND music.. Especially when,
both are free at the same time and when the younger one is making
a ruckus over finishing her assignments so fast.

As for preparation to coach them, i do that during quiet nights or
afternoons. For difficult to attempt questions, there is also free online
help here from soooo many forummers who are always ready to assist,
from educators to tutors and i dare say some lecturers too.. :evil:

My girls are in P2 & P4 next year.. so far so good.
Mine aren't bright kids but they have managed fine. :hugs:
Expectations as a parent also comes into play... too low cud
be demoralizing the child's ability and potential... too high cud
result in undue stress for both parent and child. Another factor
to consider is also the learning styles of each child, cos they will
learn best in different ways.... what works for one child may not
be so for another.

Just my sharings. :celebrate:

Psst lauren, i understand where you're coming from... not everyone
has the luxury to send their children for tuition. :snuggles: Take care.

[24hr-mum]

so far my girl, now P2, is attending Eng compo, Ch compo regularly

i can teach the other components but not compo.
for math, its on and off. meaning i tried a few centres, not impressed, i switch.

she also has piano and lately art cos she wanted it.

maybe cos my girl is 1 jan baby, she is one year younger than her peers, so maths hv problem understanding.

my boy is now k1 but super playful and slower.
so i think tuition is no choice cos i need to wield the cane to show power, otherwise he just act and pretend

[Quintessential Mum]

wonderm:

Quintessential Mum:

Yes Yes Yes!!!! If you make sure that they have a good foundation in their core subjects from the start, it is possible! I refrained from jumping on the bandwagon and giving my DD tuition! It worked out fine for her - 4Astars at PSLE! One exception is Ch as my DH and I do not speak/write/read the language at all. Other than that, no tuition for Eng/Maths/Science. I do not want my DD to rely on tuition as i prefer her to set out her own study schedule, develop good study habits, learn to make her own notes, identify her own weak areas and look for ways to overcome it etc. She needs to develop these thinking and decision making skills now and it will be useful for later in life. :lol:

It is impressive that you started training your DD such skills since young. My DS had tuitions in upper primary. I started training him these skills when he entered Sec and he is an independent learner now.

Well i wanted to teach her to fish instead of providing the fish! I can't always be there to check homework and answer all the questions so it is better for her to start thinking for herself and be resourceful. If she is really stumped, she will approach us. And when that happens, we usually try to give hints / point her in the right direction but try not to provide \"spoon fed\" answers. Initially, it was hard for her but eventually she got the hang of it and most importantly she is more independent and feels a sense of achievement when she resolves issues be it her studies/life in general. :celebrate:

[Quintessential Mum]

Sun_2010:

Quintessential Mum:

Yes Yes Yes!!!! If you make sure that they have a good foundation in their core subjects from the start, it is possible! I refrained from jumping on the bandwagon and giving my DD tuition! It worked out fine for her - 4Astars at PSLE! One exception is Ch as my DH and I do not speak/write/read the language at all. Other than that, no tuition for Eng/Maths/Science. I do not want my DD to rely on tuition as i prefer her to set out her own study schedule, develop good study habits, learn to make her own notes, identify her own weak areas and look for ways to overcome it etc. She needs to develop these thinking and decision making skills now and it will be useful for later in life. :lol:

Kudos to u and ur DD , Quintessential Mum!! :salute:

Thanks! It is tough initially but it pays off in the long run.

[Quintessential Mum]

lauren:

ya, for chinese, its within the scope. only problem is the compre.


for math and science, it seems outside the scope

but english compre is killing too

my girl P2 now, got this compre for her revision and one of the questions is 'what is the meaning of renowned\"? i thought this word a bit chim for p2. maybe i outdated liao

For eng compre - you may want to get her started on reading What's up/Reader's digest etc. It helps.

[Quintessential Mum]

lauren:

its called \"Comprehension Skills\" by dorcas ang.published by sap.

i bought P3 tho my girl just P2. cos i bought only 2 wks ago, no point buy P2. from popular.
its quite gd. the compre got standard.

popular got other bks.
oxford essentials have also. seems gd but quite many pages of explanation.

Dorcas Ang is good. He also has books on Vocabulary too. Look out for it.

[24hr-mum]

what is 'what’s up‘？

thot reader digest is for adults?

[phankao]

atutor2001:

Maybe it is because of my DH - very strict from P1. Set very high std (99 for math kanna scolded) & doesn't believe in spending endless hours studying & always drilling them on the importance of shortcuts and efficiency but result must be of high quality - got careless mistakes, dieeee. Work finished, go and play.

Initially quite painful. However, once the eldest one made it, the others just felt that that is the norm - become self motivated.

Your kids v \"guai\". Mine would rebel at anything he perceives as \"too much\" or \"extra\" work.

[atutor2001]

phankao:

Your kids v \"guai\". Mine would rebel at anything he perceives as \"too much\" or \"extra\" work.

I have to thank my DH for that. Since a toddle he never pamper them. His philosophy is \"they start learning and testing our patience, the moment they are born\".

But he also keep to his promises. They were trained to do past year papers real fast. But once completed and properly done, he would not give them any extra work. They can do nothing for the rest of the day. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable and asked them to go study. He would chide me, highlighting that they have already done XXX papers. He wins, they are closer to him now.

[iFruit]

lauren:

any tips for maths? that's my headache

JMHO

1) I think the most important math skill that you can teach a child is to understand a given problem and put the given facts on the paper (easier said than done in the initial stages). Once the child learns to do that, the solution follows automatically and improves the kid's confidence. So try to test the understanding of the question as often as possible. Ask them voice out their understanding after reading a problem. Understanding a problem is more important than the method to solve a problem.

2) Teach the basic techniques in solving a problem. For example in age problems, the difference between the ages of two people is always a constant. Or if you do many operations and end up with some number, it is easier apply 'backwards' approach etc.

3) Don't worry about too clever solutions/heuristics. The child just needs to learn the methodical way of solving a problem at first. The clever solutions, the child can pick on his/her own as confidence improves. I'd in fact say avoid clever solutions at first when teaching until a concept is mastered by the child.

4) I know this won't be taken too kindly here but IMHO, while MDs are great for understanding they do not scale when the problem complexity increases or when a new twist is introduced into the problem. So even when you teach MDs, slip in albegra on the sly (put a u or x on in the boxes and it becomes algebra). After all MD nothing but algebra masquerading as boxes. And you will thank yourself when the child comes to you to draw a MD for a new problem.

4) Make them practice regularly and praise them lavishly even on small accomplishments. Soon they will surprise you (or at least do math better/faster than you).