MGS vs RGS - wholistic view
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Just out of curiousity, which of the 2 schools provide greater wholistic education? Taking consideration that this would be their pubescent period, I am also referring to the emotional aspects and support given by the 2 schools when they are growing into young women.
Please correct me but i keep hearing that at RGS, girls are taught to expect to excel at all costs. Please help me dispel this if it is not true
Please also correct me BUT I also hear that MGS is extremely snobbish and would be only too happy to be gunned down in this respect.
Please advise. -
In any school, historical culture and social environment play a large part in determining the overall educational experience. For these two grand old schools, it is no different. So the best approach to answering such a potentially explosive inquiry is to just state some facts. Disclaimer: my family has members from both schools (as well as others).
RGS has no feeder school (no, RGPS is not an affiliate). It has a high COP and hence an academically more homogeneous population. It is not unusual to expect these students to do well academically; as long as there is some relationship between skills required at higher levels and PSLE, they will continue to excel. RGS (like RI) suffers from not having a feeder school in the sense that the networking ties between individuals and generations tend to be weaker than those in premier schools which do have feeders.
MGS has a feeder school and comes from a family of Methodist schools. It has a lower (but still reasonably high) COP for non-affiliated entry and a much lower COP for affiliated entry. This gives it an academically more heterogeneous population. Since the primary school is in a generally more up-market area than most, it is likely that primary school admissions come from homes with above-average income levels. MGS (like ACS) has a strong social network that acts to conserve and protect a certain kind of culture and tradition.
In both schools, you will find a desire to educate young women as holistically as possible. RGS maintains a secular perspective, based on excellence in and for society. Since MGS is a Methodist institution, a certain degree of Christian education tends to seep in. As with ACS, there are actually two intertwined traditions of material as well as spiritual excellence. (I call it 'missionaries and merchants' for fun.)
Because of these somewhat different backgrounds, perhaps, RGS girls tend to do things as individuals more than as parts of a group or network, compared to MGS girls. As society as a whole gets more socially networked, this slight tendency should make less of a difference.
Similarly, you can find snobs in any elite school. It is often a function of the families they grew up in. However, snobbery is also a function of income disparity and the way children are brought up to view it. It is most intense when income disparity is less, surprisingly, because then the need to discriminate between 'high class' and 'low class' becomes greater. That is why in some societies upper middle-class people will find ways to distinguish themselves from not-so-upper middle-class people.
But there are many forms of snobbery — class snobbery, wealth snobbery, academic snobbery, and even 'what football team do you support' snobbery. Sometimes, snobbery is something young people grow away from.
To answer the question: neither school provides greater holistic education, but they certainly try to provide one.
To answer the allegation of excellence at all costs: RGS girls do excel, and it would be silly to tell them they are not expected to — but not at all costs; MGS girls excel too — they have been a top-10 school for many years, often doing better than ACS(I).
To answer the allegation of snobbery: perhaps a few MGS girls can be seen as snobbish, but this is true of some people in any situation where social networks are an important part of the story; RGS girls do come across sometimes as valuing their own opinions rather highly — but that's true of many gifted and talented people.
How's that?
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autolycus:
Much obligedIn any school, historical culture and social environment play a large part in determining the overall educational experience. For these two grand old schools, it is no different. So the best approach to answering such a potentially explosive inquiry is to just state some facts. Disclaimer: my family has members from both schools (as well as others).
RGS has no feeder school (no, RGPS is not an affiliate). It has a high COP and hence an academically more homogeneous population. It is not unusual to expect these students to do well academically; as long as there is some relationship between skills required at higher levels and PSLE, they will continue to excel. RGS (like RI) suffers from not having a feeder school in the sense that the networking ties between individuals and generations tend to be weaker than those in premier schools which do have feeders.
MGS has a feeder school and comes from a family of Methodist schools. It has a lower (but still reasonably high) COP for non-affiliated entry and a much lower COP for affiliated entry. This gives it an academically more heterogeneous population. Since the primary school is in a generally more up-market area than most, it is likely that primary school admissions come from homes with above-average income levels. MGS (like ACS) has a strong social network that acts to conserve and protect a certain kind of culture and tradition.
In both schools, you will find a desire to educate young women as holistically as possible. RGS maintains a secular perspective, based on excellence in and for society. Since MGS is a Methodist institution, a certain degree of Christian education tends to seep in. As with ACS, there are actually two intertwined traditions of material as well as spiritual excellence. (I call it 'missionaries and merchants' for fun.)
Because of these somewhat different backgrounds, perhaps, RGS girls tend to do things as individuals more than as parts of a group or network, compared to MGS girls. As society as a whole gets more socially networked, this slight tendency should make less of a difference.
Similarly, you can find snobs in any elite school. It is often a function of the families they grew up in. However, snobbery is also a function of income disparity and the way children are brought up to view it. It is most intense when income disparity is less, surprisingly, because then the need to discriminate between 'high class' and 'low class' becomes greater. That is why in some societies upper middle-class people will find ways to distinguish themselves from not-so-upper middle-class people.
But there are many forms of snobbery — class snobbery, wealth snobbery, academic snobbery, and even 'what football team do you support' snobbery. Sometimes, snobbery is something young people grow away from.
To answer the question: neither school provides greater holistic education, but they certainly try to provide one.
To answer the allegation of excellence at all costs: RGS girls do excel, and it would be silly to tell them they are not expected to — but not at all costs; MGS girls excel too — they have been a top-10 school for many years, often doing better than ACS(I).
To answer the allegation of snobbery: perhaps a few MGS girls can be seen as snobbish, but this is true of some people in any situation where social networks are an important part of the story; RGS girls do come across sometimes as valuing their own opinions rather highly — but that's true of many gifted and talented people.
How's that? -
Hotspurs68:
My personal opinion is \"it is true\". However, I think, they don't do it \"at all costs\" - too extreme. Neither do I think that the school teaches them to be so. It is the result of the congregation of a group of girls with \"like-mindset\". Kids that do well in their study usually has such mentality - a key factor that makes them do well. i.e. \"If you can do it, I can do it too, if not better.\"......
Please correct me but i keep hearing that at RGS, girls are taught to expect to excel at all costs. Please help me dispel this if it is not true
.....
Is such attitude good or bad is subjective, depends on the angle we are looking from. However, I do find them more resourceful. For example, last year, HCI's teachers came out a very good summary on Organic Chem. In no time, you find all the RJ students armed with the same book. Unfair? Yes. But that is life.
As for innovative, I still think it is ACS (I). Just to clarify on the difference between resourceful and innovative. Resourceful is the ability to find what is already available. Innovative is the ability to think of something that is not available or not commonly thought of. -
atutor2001:
Thanx! Glad you mentioned ACS (I), I was from ACSS.
My personal opinion is \"it is true\". However, I think, they don't do it \"at all costs\" - too extreme. Neither do I think that the school teaches them to be so. It is the result of the congregation of a group of girls with \"like-mindset\". Kids that do well in their study usually has such mentality - a key factor that makes them do well. i.e. \"If you can do it, I can do it too, if not better.\"Hotspurs68:
......
Please correct me but i keep hearing that at RGS, girls are taught to expect to excel at all costs. Please help me dispel this if it is not true
.....
Is such attitude good or bad is subjective, depends on the angle we are looking from. However, I do find them more resourceful. For example, last year, HCI's teachers came out a very good summary on Organic Chem. In no time, you find all the RJ students armed with the same book. Unfair? Yes. But that is life.
As for innovative, I still think it is ACS (I). Just to clarify on the difference between resourceful and innovative. Resourceful is the ability to find what is already available. Innovative is the ability to think of something that is not available or not commonly thought of. -
Hotspurs68:
I am not related to ACS nor my DH / kids. I have made the comments based on feedback from my kids through their interaction with students from other schools. So maybe that would make my opinion more impartial.
Thanx! Glad you mentioned ACS (I), I was from ACSS. -
I disagree with the statement that \"RGS girls are taught to expect to excel at all costs.\" I believe they are taught to give of their best in whatever task they undertake, be it in academics or sports etc. But they are also frequently reminded to give back to society and to be humble.
As for snobbery in MGS, wealth snobbery does exist in MGS to a certain extent, partly because of the background of the alumnus and also the location of the school. But the same can be said of a couple of other schools with a well-off alumnus in the same district.
Interestingly, intellectual snobbery also exists in the MGS, with SBC girls viewing themselves as intellectually superior to the other classes. -
jtoh:
Thanx! Like I said, I just want some advice for my girl.I disagree with the statement that \"RGS girls are taught to expect to excel at all costs.\" I believe they are taught to give of their best in whatever task they undertake, be it in academics or sports etc. But they are also frequently reminded to give back to society and to be humble.
As for snobbery in MGS, wealth snobbery does exist in MGS to a certain extent, partly because of the background of the alumnus and also the location of the school. But the same can be said of a couple of other schools with a well-off alumnus in the same district. Interestingly, intellectual snobbery also exists in the MGS, with SBC girls viewing themselves as intellectually superior to the other classes. -
jtoh wrote:
I disagree with the statement that \"RGS girls are taught to expect to excel at all costs.\" I believe they are taught to give of their best in whatever task they undertake, be it in academics or sports etc. But they are also frequently reminded to give back to society and to be humble.
As for snobbery in MGS, wealth snobbery does exist in MGS to a certain extent, partly because of the background of the alumnus and also the location of the school. But the same can be said of a couple of other schools with a well-off alumnus in the same district. Interestingly, intellectual snobbery also exists in the MGS, with SBC girls viewing themselves as intellectually superior to the other classes.
Hey... we don't view ourselves as intellectually superior to other classes.. well, in case you're wondering, i'm a sbc student in the school k? and snobbery... i'm a new student, like from some neighbourhood primary school, and i don't find people exactly flaunting their wealth around. well, but i think that MGS and RGS are same as in they want us to do well. and I believe RGS would tend to be richer than my school actually, and with our christian background... like why would we view ourselves as better than others? and anyway, everyone will have the mentality of 'i can do better'. -
RGS -
excel, yes;
at all cost ? not at all
student population is more homogeneous due to no feeder school
MGS -
mission school,
feeder school from MGS Pri Sch
considering that they have students from wider range of ability and still managed to excel, meaning the value-add by the MGS system & processes is good
RGS ==> feed into RI for year 5 & 6
MGS ==> year 5 & 6 goes to ACSI ?
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