All About Dyslexia
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i guess it’s different when your child has learning difficulties.
my brother suffers from dyslexia. on top of that, he was some auditory difficulties.
unfortunately, his condition isn’t serious enough to go to a special school; and international schools wouldn’t take him in either because they have hit their capacity.
he just entered secondary 1 this year, and we are very concerned that he will not be able to cope, given that measures to help children with learning disabilities aren’t sophisticated enough in Singapore.
in that sense, i think the issue of more foreign students taking up places in Singapore schools - NOT top schools, but even regular schools - was brought up in my household.
we are trying our very best to help him overcome his learning disability. but it is very challenging and taxing. hopefully we can get more help from the Ministry so he won’t always fall behind the pack.
it’s heartbreaking to see him demoralised and have others call him "stupid" or "slow" -
curiousone:
sorry Curiousone- your brother case was probably a different one and call for a very very supportive family and friends alway behind him to supporti guess it's different when your child has learning difficulties.
my brother suffers from dyslexia. on top of that, he was some auditory difficulties.
it's heartbreaking to see him demoralised and have others call him \"stupid\" or \"slow\"
him emotionally as he learn to cope with the outside tough world.
my sister hubby business fail and at that time she have a pair of very
young twin on top of three other kids -all 5 and she took 2 jobs to make ends meet while the hubby hibernate , her 3 younger kids were branded stupid and slow in school but my sister did not gave up ,
her support in the mist of all these remarks for her child finally see them through to adulthood.
If your brother is now in sec 1, he is indeed doing well, no child should be pitch against another standard, this I believe but at his own standard and timing.
In time to come if there are enough encouragement, love and support,
I am sure your brother will excel by his own standard but people
around him must believe in it, his closest and dearest.
The world outside is tough but all the more the child should learn independent in the mist of all the misunderstanding from outisder that
do not know him.
I hope I am not just been non understanding becasue I am not in your family shoe , was just trying to give my 2cents opinion.
Faith, Hope and Love do see us through many a time, and I wish your brother, your family and you well
:hi5: -
curiousone:
Hi curiousone,i guess it's different when your child has learning difficulties.
I somehow agree with what Kiddo had written.
I guess the world outside is always tough for everyone, special needs or not. So, it is not so much about the influx of foreign talents nor the influx of foreign students. To rephrase, whether or not there is/are foreign talent/students, life ahead will always be more challenging for special needs children & their families coz we are living in the real world. Naturally, in a real world, competition is everywhere and it is such competition that helps Singapore stay ahead. Your brother is already very lucky to have a sibling like you who think & worry for him.
I am a mother to an autistic child. Life has been tough since his diagnosis... and as I understand, it will continue to be tough and it will be a long journey ahead, with or without influx of foreign talent.
The fact that your brother is now in Sec 1 is already an achievement in itself. My son can't even do mainstream preschool. If God permits, and by some strokes of miracle, I am hoping that he can eventually make it to a mainstream primary school. Never mind if people calls him \"stupid\". To me, the fact that he is in that (mainstream) school tells me he is not stupid! Never mind what others say. I will make sure I rationalise with him that he is not stupid and that he is just \"special\". I will be there to encourage him & egg him on (well, hopefully, since life & death is unpredictable)
Such enrolment (of foreigners) also exist in the \"already scarce special needs schools in Singapore\" but this is the real world we are living in, so we should expect there'll always be competition around us.
Of course, there are moments where I worry what's to become of him when i have to leave. Can he even find a job at the supermarket since by then, these jobs should have been \"taken up\" by the foreign talent? But that's just me in my quiet moments, with my own silly thoughts when i am in \"depressive mood\". However, I do quickly snap myself out of it & tell myself that instead of thinking ahead & worrying incessantly, I should just focus on helping him now. You & your family's endless support matters more to him than the presence of foreign talent and likewise, you & your family's unconditional love matters more to him than those \"senseless\" labels/ names others put on him. Of course, it's easier said than done. Trust me, I'm going through it & it's definitely definitely an absolute challenge! Well, such is life! C'est La Vie!
So, continue to be there for him & forget about the presence of foreigners. They are here to help us too and should not be seen as a threat. Think positive. Your brother will be fine with a fine sibling like you
Remember, given his condition, he is already doing very well. May the force be with him, you & your family. ... and May the Force be with me too! hahaha Cheers !
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I think when we talk about foreign students, there are 2 types;
- the normal foreign students like what I had as my classmates in the 60s and 70s. They pay higher school fees, no subsidies, no priority. Their results like average locals though some may fare better.
- the other group are the foreign scholars that our country sourced for them to study in Singapore. They are usually older and have completed most of the syllabus of the same level and just need to "buck up" on their English subjects. Some schools offer them extra supplementary classes at night and of course vacancies are reserved for them.
1. Won’t some of the schools vacancies be affected because of them?
2. If their numbers are included in the computation of MOE scholarship, wouldn’t the number of local students eligible be affected too though these scholars are not eligible for bursaries and scholarships?
3. Education is basic needs and heavily subsidised in Singapore, so our local priorities should be protected. This is different from working later in life where there is competition with FT. We should not compare these 2 as it’s unfair comparison. It’s a fact as my son just completed his O level and in his school, the teachers are spending more time with scholars than trying to improve the poorer results students or encourage them. -
curiousone:
curiousone,i guess it's different when your child has learning difficulties.
my brother suffers from dyslexia. on top of that, he was some auditory difficulties.
unfortunately, his condition isn't serious enough to go to a special school; and international schools wouldn't take him in either because they have hit their capacity.
he just entered secondary 1 this year, and we are very concerned that he will not be able to cope, given that measures to help children with learning disabilities aren't sophisticated enough in Singapore.
in that sense, i think the issue of more foreign students taking up places in Singapore schools - NOT top schools, but even regular schools - was brought up in my household.
we are trying our very best to help him overcome his learning disability. but it is very challenging and taxing. hopefully we can get more help from the Ministry so he won't always fall behind the pack.
it's heartbreaking to see him demoralised and have others call him \"stupid\" or \"slow\"
I think you are beating the wrong horse. If your brother has a learning disability, it does not change whether or not there are foreign students in the school. It has been said the Singapore somewhat lacks the infrastructure and skill sets to manage those with learning difficulties. We can't build that from ground zero, and one of the ways to quickly get up to speed to to import the requisite skill sets, as we build our own. So I hope you see why there is a need for our country to stay open. Yes, the competition gets stiff, but then again folk like your brother may get access to help that may otherwise be difficult to find locally. -
I agree with 3boys, and my son has learning issues similar to your brother. My son is only 7, I don’t know how he will progress, and I have my worries, but foreigners are not one of them. I don’t see education as a competition for places to university, but learning because it’s good to lead a life with awareness.
If you observe trends around the world, there are actually a surplus of graduates, and graduates not being able to find a job is becoming more and more common in many developed nations. Does this mean I don’t want my son to go to university? No it doesn’t. It does mean that I think it’s more important I help my son find his areas of interest and aptitude and help him excel in it. It doesn’t have to be pure academics, it can be design and graphics, or even a sports like taekwando (the owner of his taekwando school is doing very well now!). I want him to have a fulfilling life with his self-esteem intact, and it’s just as important to help him identify his strengths as it is to shore up the weaknesses.
If you have the inclination, I suggest taking a look at these two books: Overcoming Dyslexia; In the Mind’s Eye. The first has the latest research findings on dyslexia, most useful strategies for the dyslexic child, and how to build up the child’s confidence. In the Mind’s Eye gives you a historical perspective and it suggests that dyslexic individuals are highly creative with atypical neurowiring. When we look only at the weaknesses, we are wasting their innate talents.
If your brother has a formal diagnosis, all the teachers should have been informed. Dyslexic children are often also visual-spatial learners, and the relationship between teacher and student is very important. I select therapists and teachers (art/swimming etc) for my son according to whether they fit him. Not the other way round. You must protect their self-esteem (but in my ds’ case it’s getting a bit too inflated so must deflate a bit, aiyah!). You must also find the learning paths that work for him. You cannot expect mainstream school to be able to teach him the materials. My son’s teachers were honest enough to tell me they don’t know how to teach dyslexic children, but that’s ok, I don’t expect that. All I want is for them not to put him down. I taught him myself at home and once we found the methods that work for him, the progress was good.
Another mum also gave me a good reminer - don’t allow the dyslexic/ learning difficulties become a crutch for the child. They must know that they CAN despite their learning difficulties, not that they cannot because of it. I tell my son that all it means is that mainstream teaching methods doesn’t SUIT him, and we’ll use the methods that suit him at home because poor teacher cannot teach 30 students one by one. Finally, never discuss the child in front of him. I liase with the teachers and therapists privately. -
the discussion thread starter should have been more upfront with the subject matter for discussion instead of headlining it as "Foreign students making life more stressful for our child?"
what is the purpose of baiting a "wrong" response ?
beating the wrong horse or dead horse ? why call donkey a horse in the first place ? -
i guess we saw foreigners as a problem because international schools wouldn’t take him in either.
they have a curriculum that is less written-based but more aural and fun - with presentations, speech and drama etc.
it’s unfortunate that he doesn’t qualify for an international school because their cohort is maxed out.
he has progressed to Secondary 1 with much difficulty. everyone gets frustrated when he can’t get it right. sadly, going overseas is too expensive either. it’s been a trying experience for my family, but thankfully we haven’t given up.
there’s been talk of late about meritocracy and how it’s so good.
but i have my doubts. i feel we should have greater measures to protect and help students or children who are special and require more aid and time. -
International schools are meant for foreigners’ children. Don’t blame the foreigners for taking places meant for them.
If you really want to blame someone, I would suggest blaming MOE for not doing enough ( in your opinion ) to help our children that have special needs. -
tankee:
Yes, totally agree with tankee!! Take it as healthy competition for us!!it is the same at the workplace with foreign talents.
the only way is to sharpen our sword and compete head-on.
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