Letter to Heng Swee Keat
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cwc:
I think it takes a lot of confidence to NOT be interested
Personally, no... I am not interested in how they stand in their cohort. I didn't bother in P1 and P3 because I knew there was no streaming (at least for my kids, there weren't). I had to pay attention in P2 and P4 because they streamed into ability classes. If (hypothetically, because a pure form of mixed ability teaching may have serious downsides) all secondary schools were created equal, and the opportunities in secondary didn't differ greatly from one school to another... then I wouldn't even bother about PSLE.Chenonceau:
[quote=\"cwc\"]When our children are doing well in school, are WE NOT interested to know where they stand in their cohort?
From the various threads and post, I believe you are highly educated, understand and has confidence in what you do, hence you are able to 'let go'.
Often, I ask myself, am I coaching correctly, am I instilling the right learning attitude, how do I motivate them to learn for themselves, to have the desire to learn, am I depriving them etc etc ..... 70% of the time, I doubt myself :oops: Hence, I need to know there my kids stand cos that is probably the benchmark I can use else I really dunno how to gauge.[/quote]Actually... I would not be interested, not because I am confident, but because in that hypothetical situation where secondary schools are all the same... there is no practical value to be interested. If all secondary schools are same, and all access to tertiary education and jobs are same and random... then why bother?
If everybody earns the same pay, why bother to be better?
This is probably the other extreme we must guard against, where the system is so \"fair\" that no matter what you do or don't do, it doesn't matter. It's all in the incentive system. There is no incentive to bother, so I won't bother.
Similarly, in P1 and P3, no streaming... I took my eyes of academics and focused on building self-motivation instead. Streaming is done based on P4 end-of-year average only. So, there was no practical value in knowing how my kids stood vis-a-vis the cohort in P1 and P3. -
BlueBells:
[quote]I think it will be less of a stress if MOE just do away with foundation course, it's ridiculous to pigeon-hole children at such a young age
Actually I am all in for the foundation course. It has a purpose to serve. If we do away with this, and have the academically-inclined children grouped together with non-accademically inclined (or late bloomers) children, what will happen? The non-accademically inclined children may become demoralised, and the academically inclined children may become complacent, then we will have different problems to deal with. Children who are placed into foundation classes are typically children who score in the low or under 20 range for a 100 mark paper, otherwise, they are still given a chance at P5 to go for standard classes. That having said, the school will only recommend; it is the parents who made the ultimate decision to accept or reject the school's recommendation.[/quote]
We are talking about primary school education, don't you think it's strange for a child, with no learning disability and normal IQ, to score 20 or below for a 100 mark paper?
This is what I believe, every child, with no learning disability and normal IQ, can pass PSLE in the standard curriculum. MOE must have the proper support to give to teachers, so that they can teach, really teach.
The environment and thinking in a class must change. There is no need for academically weak child to feel demoralise if they are helped by not only the teachers but by the academically stronger child. Through this process, the academically stronger child benefit as well, in terms of better understanding and development of character.
There is nothing to stop the teacher to give extra work to the academically strong student, so that the student is engaged.
For example, in a Montessori environment, a class of mixed age children have no problem learning. Closer to home, my kids are in a montessori kindergarten, for maths, my DD is behind compared to her classmates. She is not demoralise, she is motivated to catch up. Her teacher is forcusing her on addition and substraction, while her classmates are moving on to multiplications. My DD is motivated to prove to her teacher she can master addition and subtraction, so that she can move on to multiplications. She even ask me about multiplications.
If you think my DD is a very confident child, she's not really, her teachers all commented that she has confidence issue, as in not really believing that she can accomplish certain task. But she still want to learn what the others are learning. She does not think that she's stupid because her teachers are supporting her in her learning journey.
A teacher cannot be in an environment whereby maintaining a particular average is more important then a child. For example, my niece's teacher told her parents, she's not fit to be in her class and scolded my niece for pulling down the class's average. I mean doesn't this show that the teacher's focus is not right? I heard from my aunt, that the teacher is not answering my niece's questions because the teacher does not think my niece can understand.
At primary level, what we need are teachers who believe in the ability of children to learn. We need teachers with the heart to teach, to see that the kids are not numbers, not statistics, marks.
This will sound mushy but children just need someone to believe and love them. That's all they need to enable them to do their best. -
SAHM_TAN:
:goodpost:We are talking about primary school education, don't you think it's strange for a child, with no learning disability and normal IQ, to score 20 or below for a 100 mark paper?
This is what I believe, every child, with no learning disability and normal IQ, can pass PSLE in the standard curriculum. MOE must have the proper support to give to teachers, so that they can teach, really teach.
The environment and thinking in a class must change. There is no need for academically weak child to feel demoralise if they are helped by not only the teachers but by the academically stronger child. Through this process, the academically stronger child benefit as well, in terms of better understanding and development of character.
There is nothing to stop the teacher to give extra work to the academically strong student, so that the student is engaged.
For example, in a Montessori environment, a class of mixed age children have no problem learning. Closer to home, my kids are in a montessori kindergarten, for maths, my DD is behind compared to her classmates. She is not demoralise, she is motivated to catch up. Her teacher is forcusing her on addition and substraction, while her classmates are moving on to multiplications. My DD is motivated to prove to her teacher she can master addition and subtraction, so that she can move on to multiplications. She even ask me about multiplications.
If you think my DD is a very confident child, she's not really, her teachers all commented that she has confidence issue, as in not really believing that she can accomplish certain task. But she still want to learn what the others are learning. She does not think that she's stupid because her teachers are supporting her in her learning journey.
A teacher cannot be in an environment whereby maintaining a particular average is more important then a child. For example, my niece's teacher told her parents, she's not fit to be in her class and scolded my niece for pulling down the class's average. I mean doesn't this show that the teacher's focus is not right? I heard from my aunt, that the teacher is not answering my niece's questions because the teacher does not think my niece can understand.
At primary level, what we need are teachers who believe in the ability of children to learn. We need teachers with the heart to teach, to see that the kids are not numbers, not statistics, marks.
This will sound mushy but children just need someone to believe and love them. That's all they need to enable them to do their best.
Believe in them... love them, and so they reach their FULL potential whilst feeling good about themselves. Right now, even for rather above average students like my DS, school is painful. -
nowdays, teachers no need teach so much, just give them super hard tests and exams, the more jialat the better. No matter how jialat, parents die die want their children to score high high. I told you oredy, tuition centre sure make money one! :evil: :evil: :evil:
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Chenonceau:
Thanks for your good post remark.
:goodpost:SAHM_TAN:
We are talking about primary school education, don't you think it's strange for a child, with no learning disability and normal IQ, to score 20 or below for a 100 mark paper?
This is what I believe, every child, with no learning disability and normal IQ, can pass PSLE in the standard curriculum. MOE must have the proper support to give to teachers, so that they can teach, really teach.
The environment and thinking in a class must change. There is no need for academically weak child to feel demoralise if they are helped by not only the teachers but by the academically stronger child. Through this process, the academically stronger child benefit as well, in terms of better understanding and development of character.
There is nothing to stop the teacher to give extra work to the academically strong student, so that the student is engaged.
For example, in a Montessori environment, a class of mixed age children have no problem learning. Closer to home, my kids are in a montessori kindergarten, for maths, my DD is behind compared to her classmates. She is not demoralise, she is motivated to catch up. Her teacher is forcusing her on addition and substraction, while her classmates are moving on to multiplications. My DD is motivated to prove to her teacher she can master addition and subtraction, so that she can move on to multiplications. She even ask me about multiplications.
If you think my DD is a very confident child, she's not really, her teachers all commented that she has confidence issue, as in not really believing that she can accomplish certain task. But she still want to learn what the others are learning. She does not think that she's stupid because her teachers are supporting her in her learning journey.
A teacher cannot be in an environment whereby maintaining a particular average is more important then a child. For example, my niece's teacher told her parents, she's not fit to be in her class and scolded my niece for pulling down the class's average. I mean doesn't this show that the teacher's focus is not right? I heard from my aunt, that the teacher is not answering my niece's questions because the teacher does not think my niece can understand.
At primary level, what we need are teachers who believe in the ability of children to learn. We need teachers with the heart to teach, to see that the kids are not numbers, not statistics, marks.
This will sound mushy but children just need someone to believe and love them. That's all they need to enable them to do their best.
Believe in them... love them, and so they reach their FULL potential whilst feeling good about themselves. Right now, even for rather above average students like my DS, school is painful.
It's sad that school is painful for your son who is an above average student.
It must be hell for students who fare worse. They are too young to be in such a situation. I see my niece's face and she just look so sad and discouraged. I tried to explain to my aunt that it's not my niece's fault. We are close to the aunt but not her daughters. So hope, my niece will have more support. -
WCW:
i have a frd open tuition centre till live in bunglow
Not suprising lah! One guy teaching jc physics at Bishan, just one class x 2 hrs once per week can generate 10k. No wonder hard to get good teachers to teach in school over a prolonged period. -
WCW:
i have a frd open tuition centre till live in bunglow
That's not surprising. There's this local physics tutor, rather famous, heard reported, his monthly gross income is 50k. -
Edureach:
I think when I was young, I made a wrong move. I was thinking of going to study in NIE to become a teacher then, but my bf (husband now) objected strongly to it, saying that study so hard in EEE, then become teacher and earn less. Hmm, if have became a teacher, then do tuition, maybe now earning so much more now. :evil:WCW:
i have a frd open tuition centre till live in bunglow
Not suprising lah! One guy teaching jc physics at Bishan, just one class x 2 hrs once per week can generate 10k. No wonder hard to get good teachers to teach in school over a prolonged period. -
kwokwc:
I think when I was young, I made a wrong move. I was thinking of going to study in NIE to become a teacher then, but my bf (husband now) objected strongly to it, saying that study so hard in EEE, then become teacher and earn less. Hmm, if have became a teacher, then do tuition, maybe now earning so much more now. :evil:[/quote]Edureach:
[quote=\"WCW\"]i have a frd open tuition centre till live in bunglow
Not suprising lah! One guy teaching jc physics at Bishan, just one class x 2 hrs once per week can generate 10k. No wonder hard to get good teachers to teach in school over a prolonged period.
Ha ha! Tip of the day- ask your kids to do well and finish a local uni course science or humanities also boleh, graduate with honours and than join NIE. After teaching in jc for min 5 years, can sign on as private tutor, hourly rate min 70 bucks and as high as 120 bucks. Good money! -
WCW:
:yikes: 50k... ok now train DS to be tuition teacher, not teacher :lol:[/quote]It took him some time to build up his reputation. He did not earn so much in the begining. Need to slog before he reap the rewards and trust from parents.SAHM_TAN:
[quote=\"WCW\"]i have a frd open tuition centre till live in bunglow
That's not surprising. There's this local physics tutor, rather famous, heard reported, his monthly gross income is 50k.
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