Letter to Heng Swee Keat

[Chenonceau]

cindylauper:

Schools should not be run like a business. Our children should not be \"milked\" by schools for academic rankings, sports medals, SYF medals, awards etc..

My daughter was a gymnast. In Sec 1, her school made her skip 2 hours of classes each day in the run up to competitions. Then, in honour of some charity fundraising effort, she had to train up to 8.30pm every weekday night. My girl had no time to study for exams, and she was so tired because she has to wake up at 5.30am every morning.

Training on Saturdays and Sundays were from 9 to 7.30pm. That was the ONLY time in both my children's academic careers that I kicked up a BIG stink, challenged the Teacher, wrote a complaint and remonstrated with the Principal. I NEVER do that - challenge Teachers. It was a big step for me and I would never have done it if the situation had any redeeming quality whatsoever.

School incentive systems have gone haywire. I should know. I am an I/O Psychologist specializing in motivation systems.

cindylauper:

Actually, what was wrong with our previous school system anyway. I remembered school life was much more relaxed and fun. Only academically weak students needed tuition then. Now almost every Primary 6 kid in singapore has tuition. It is tough being a child in Singapore.

We no longer have children. We have academic slaves... and parents have become the Slave Supervisors wielding the whip and constantly raising our expectations because the standards go up so fast.

[Chenonceau]

ChiefKiasu:

Civility is the basis for constructive discussions.

I agree with CKS. Tongue in cheek also can be hurtful to another's right to dignity. Once people are hurt, a whole suite of psychological processes kick in, and constructive dialogue is no longer possible, and the way forwards is clouded. If we want to really help our children, and if this thing is important enough, we need to control our urge to denigrate another.

My 2 cents.

[kwokwc]

cindylauper:

A friend of mine went to a teacher meet parent session in a prestigious primary school. Her primary 5 daughter's results were not good, so she asked the teacher for advice. The teacher told her to get private tuition for her daughter, and if the results were not better, to consider switching to another school. Obviously, the school is worried that this child's results was going to pull down the school's PSLE rankings.

haha, same here. My son result is not too bad, still ask me to send my son for tuition. Maybe hope that got 1 more student get higher mark, then rank up the school's PSLE rankings. It is just a neighbourhood school. Somehow feel lucky that I didn't send my kids to prestigious school. :lol:

[BlueBells]

janet_lee88:

Dear Policymakers,

I'm very pissed with the education system bcos of the way exam questions are set now...parents are forced to send their kids for enrichment lessons/tuition...or else prepare to see RED marks. My hubby is sole breadwinner, and I have 2 kids - P1 and P5. It's ridiculous that more than 20% of hubby's pay is spent on education (tuition) for older child (P5) alone.

With due respect, I don't think it is a fair statement to say that \"parents are forced to send their kids for enrichment lessons/tuition...or else prepare to see RED marks\". I think the mindset of parents need to be adjusted as well. If we asked our children, how many of them really want to have tuition? It is us, the parents, who put our children into tuition centres. Of course, if the kids asked for it themselves, then it is a different story. That having said, my children also have English enrichment but only this one at the moment. My P5 failed her CA1 Maths, passed her SA1, tuition for Maths ...? Err ..... not yet ....

[Chenonceau]

BlueBells:

We coached her ourselves and she passed her SA1, this is from child who consistantly scored high band 1s in maths from P1 to P4.

This is because you KNOW how to coach. Not every parent does.

[BlueBells]

Actually, I didn’t start of knowing how to coach, especialy Maths (err … I failed my maths) and science. I pick up their text books, assessments, spent lunch time reading / learning / doing, and visiting KSP forums, discuss with colleagues, email the teachers, join PSG in school, etc… These have provided me valueable networks and experience to tap into. There is a lot of trial and error in between to find the correct coaching method for each child.


My only drive behind this is : I can learn and teach my children better because I understand my children better.

[Chenonceau]

BlueBells:

Actually, I didn't start of knowing how to coach, especialy Maths (err .. I failed my maths) and science. I pick up their text books, assessments, spent lunch time reading / learning / doing, and visiting KSP forums, discuss with colleagues, email the teachers, join PSG in school, etc.. These have provided me valueable networks and experience to tap into. There is a lot of trial and error in between to find the correct coaching method for each child.


My only drive behind this is : I can learn and teach my children better because I understand my children better.

Hey... I understand... :hugs: Yes... I understand... this is what I do too. So I can't disagree with you. My child has no tuition except for Chinese. That is because I don't know Chinese. Even then, I resisted getting tuition for years. I actually make less effort than you. I only source for good resources - references, books etc... and I give them to my son. He does the rest. I dun bother to learn what he learns. However, the fact remains that not all mothers can do what we do. If you man a hawker stall the whole day, you can't even if you wanted to.

And some kids HAVE no mothers.

Actually, seen from an personal perspective, I also find the system quite ok. There are ways to work around it. All I have to do is to look ahead and teach my son what the teachers have no time to teach, but still will test.

I did that this time, and DS is 2nd in class. We lost our footing earlier this year (and was super stressed), but we have an even surer footing now (and are stressed no more). My son is actually quite relaxed because it seems that the worst is over.

Seen from a personal perspective, I also find the system quite good because my kids are doing well in it. One already has a scholarship. One might make it. Of not, she'll still make it to a good uni. The last child is identified as high potential. Not gifted but good enough to be able to enjoy some of the yummy opportunities the system has to offer. All 3 are highly motivated, enjoy learning and love being stretched between CCAs and interesting projects.

Seen from a personal perspective, I have no problems with Teachers either. DS FT was unfriendly and unhelpful. I persisted in being charming and understanding and considerate and respectful. She is slowly warming up to me. DS' last year's teacher and I became such good friends that I went to see her in hospital, lent her books... and she sms-ed me today to know DS' SA1 exam results. When she heard that he is 2nd in class, she was thrilled.

Seen from a personal perspective, I really have nothing to worry about. The worry starts when I think beyond my personal situation. If MY son fails exams because exams test what is not taught in class, then what about other people's children with equivalent intelligence but NO ONE to teach them at home?

Of course parents can individually choose to be less kiasu so that their kids are not stressed. But when we do that, we think only of our own children, no? It's a bit like \"Ok... the public transport is full up, so I will drive. This way, no stress.\" I have a car. I choose to drive to save myself the stress. Every individual with enough resources can afford to make choices.

Parents who can log into this thread to leave a comment, are at least literate enough to be understood, and can afford a computer. We have choices. We can choose to get tuition or teach ourselves. We can choose to tell our kids that grades don't matter. The picture is different when you are a cleaner earning $800/= a day, and you want a better life for your child. You cannot afford to say \"Let's expect less.\" The family has no buffer. No resources to say... well... if you dun do well, we'll give you some money to start a business. Or it's ok if you only have 'O' levels, we can migrate. If the child doesn't make it, he will be a cleaner too. I know a fellow (my batch) son of a laundry woman who went on to become a President's Scholar. I grew up in a system where the Teachers taught what was needed and so sons of laundry women and cleaners had a ticket out of poverty. I grew up in that system and I am sad that it is no longer true.

When schools don't teach everything they test, the child MUST have tuition to cope and do well. The laundry woman with no money for tuition may have a bright child, but that child will never be like my friend - today a President's Scholar. I think the discussion about stress misses the point. The discussion about how parents should be less kiasu also misses the point.

If PSLE standards are so high that
(1) some schools feel the need to start heuristics in P1 and P2 to help their children cope with PSLE
(2) some teachers have to choose to teach different sets of material to different classes because there is no time to cover all bases for all classes
(3) teachers have no time to mark and give feedback on skills practice in a syllabus that emphasizes skills
(4) textbooks don't document essential process skills in a skills heavy syllabus
then the Possible President's Scholar child of a laundry woman has NO CHANCE in today's system. And no voice to speak his lack of opportunity today because his laundry woman mother cannot write as well as Chenonceau.

I lament that our system has left behind something I always thought important - meritocracy. I lament it because I grew up with it and know people who would be nothing today without it. I have lived in USA and France. I know both countries to be elitist. Rich parents can afford better schools.

Living there, I was proud of being Singaporean and key to that pride was the notion that in Singapore, it didn't matter who you were born to, you would still make it. Is it still true today? I am not so sure. I feel this loss almost as a loss of national identity, as a betrayal of whom we are and what the word \"Singaporean\" stands for.

At the end of the day, I dun want a system where I have to teach my son academic stuff, even if I can teach, and dun need tutors. I would like textbooks to document what he needs to know so that I dun have to buy the extra resources for him. If textbooks documented what the kids need to know, it would already help a lot to level the playing field for disadvantaged kids.

I'm not writing this post to rebut you specifically. I write this hoping someone from MOE will read.

[BlueBells]

Chenonceau,


I fully agree with you. There are loopholes in the education system, not just at the Primary level, but beyond that as well. Personally, I have written to Mr Tharman, then minister of education, with some issues on certain loopholes, and am glad to see there have been some changes made for the betterment of the children.

Recently, I have also written in to our new minister of education, hoping some issues can be addressed; but these takes time, and we may not see it during our children’s primary school years. The point is, we put in our effort in helping to fine tune the systems for our future generations, and every small step of change for betterment is a small success in itself.

[Chenonceau]

BlueBells:

Chenonceau,


I fully agree with you. There are loopholes in the education system, not just at the Primary level, but beyond that as well. Personally, I have written to Mr Tharman, then minister of education, with some issues on certain loopholes, and am glad to see there have been some changes made for the betterment of the children.

Recently, I have also written in to our new minister of education, hoping some issues can be addressed; but these takes time, and we may not see it during our children's primary school years. The point is, we put in our effort in helping to fine tune the systems for our future generations, and every small step of change for betterment is a small success in itself.

Yay! Yay! Yay!

[corneyAmber]

BlueBells:

My P5 failed her CA1 Maths, passed her SA1, tuition for Maths ...? Err ..... not yet ....

Wow, you are steady bom pi pi... I will freak out if my child ever fail any subjects for an exam because she would have PREPARED for all the exams. If she can fail, something is wrong, either physically unwell on that day or the exam is unrealistic :rant: . If one has prepared for an exam, at its worst case, it is a low score if it is tough, failing is unthinkable.