2011 PSLE Discussions and Strategy

[wonderm]

phtthp:

Thank you very much, Nebbermind and wonderm, for all your valuable contribution. Appreicate! you're right. have to think carefully ... perhaps O level route may be a safer, better route after all for the child.

phtthp, I can understand that you are just thinking out loud, laying down all possible options and getting feedback on the pros and cons of each option. Some of our comments are rather direct, please do not feel too bad as they are all given with good intentions.

Even though the choice of Sec school or education path is important, let's all remember it is not as important as the learning attitude of the child going forward. None of the path one chooses at this point is a dead-end. As long as one has a positive attitude and works hard and makes the best of the opportunities given to him in his school, he will be fine.

All the best to your child whichever route he finally chooses to go!

[Newlykiasu]

phtthp:

Thank you very much, Nebbermind and wonderm, for all your valuable contribution. Appreicate! you're right. have to think carefully ... perhaps O level route may be a safer, better route after all for the child.

Hi phtthp, i thnk we r in e same boat, bsides thnkg abt which sch to choose, hv to think abt 'O' or IP. Hope u can arrive at a happy solution soon :grphug:

[2ppaamm]

jtoh:

Newlykiasu:

Hi all, i need some serious advice. DS scored 255+2. Like many other boys, his dream sch has always been RI (i hope 2ppaamm, pen88 & a few othr like-minded ones are not rolling yr eyes already ^_^). We live in the east & VS is really close, but DS was fr CHS & he is really comfortable there. He was thnking of putting CHS as 1st choice, & hope to transfer to RI at yr 3 or 5. Btw, he prefers all boys sch and we consider HCI too far away. What do the experts out there think? I wld esp like to hear the measured response of 2ppaamm, pen88, jtoh & of course all other feedback wld b appreciated. Tk u.

I think if your son really likes CHS, he should stay there. A comfortable environment with familiar faces would allow him to develop his potential. You don't have to be in the best school to do well. It's about inner drive.

You can transfer to RI in year 3 via DSA but I think it's very difficult. I don't know how many places are offered but I think quite a few will be taken by China and Vietnamese scholars. The other option is to work hard at O levels, do well and apply for RI(JC) then. There'll be about 450 places available then. But you'll also have to compete with top O level girls as well at this stage.

Maybe other parents who have experiences at CHS, VS, HCI and RI can comment as well?

Ok, now I speak as a parent of an RI boy. RI's curriculum is 'interesting', interesting in that some people cope and some people don't, like in all cases. Who are the ones who cope? No necessarily the ones who do well for PSLE, to some extent. Hence, from what I notice and what the teachers tell me, anyone above 250 has an equal chance of success.

Now, my son. He is not a top scorer but he did very well in his first year. Exceptionally well, he did not study much, but he scored close to full marks for GPA. Very nice. But the second half of Sec 1, he lost interest, and then in Sec 2, he started forgetting tests dates and assignments. He did not like the school. He was picked for things he thought was senseless - holding a bottle and crossing the field (but the bottle was not opened), he wore unmatching shoes one day, he did his Maths using dots instead of brackets, because he was taught to do that in P5 when he was on a differentiated program. Now it was all ok, until the teachers started to tell him that his mum (ME!) is no professional in Maths (when I used to teach tertiary maths!) and he was the expert. My son had different ways of doing things, but the teacher would not listen, and knowing my son, he even challenged all the way to HOD. Not good lah. The principal subsequently apologized to me for that, but my son lost interest in Maths completely because of this one teacher. (He was the top Maths student for Prelim in P6). We always thought he might be happier in ACSI, where all his friends went. At every competition, he would be the only all-white sitting amongst the white and blues. My son is now in his final year in the uni.

Another boy. This boy is the top boy. His score was way above the average. In Sec 1, he lost interest in everything, does not want to study, does not want to talk much. He went into hibernation. I think he was burnt out. I think he has not recouped from the 'always on the go'.
Yet another boy. Struggled like crazy through RI, now in year 5. He wanted to go to Sports School, top sportman. Barely makes in every year, tons of tuition. Parents want him in RI. Tense, very quiet, always very stiff. Hm... how to loosen him up.

The RI curriculum is over-pitched. Too crazy for my liking. I often wonder why pitch so high. But all the top schools here are like that! Consequently, our top students' GPA becomes too low to be admitted to overseas universities that look at them, local unis don't. So even students who score perfect scores for SAT (2400), they cannot get into Ivy Leagues. By the time these students realize, it is game over. I receive many letters asking for help, I cannot help.
Good side of RI, there are a plenty, and I believe many parents have already sung all the praises. I received a good education as a Rafflesian, I believe my son did as well, but he had no close friends from the school, he remains good friends with his primary school mates and uni classmates. Maybe he is just different, he is funny, playful and have tons of fun and fight back when he truly believes in something. The RI English teacher/Year Head loves him and still talks about him to other students.

That Maths teacher hates him. He also have some teachers he loves and hates. So just like another school.

RI is no heaven, neither is it hell. It is just another school, and yes, it makes mistakes, huge ones as well, despite all its successes.

[Herbie]

jtoh:

phtthp:

pls refrain from using words like 'Poor planning' - it is very rude of you !

you make people feel badly insulted.

pls watch your emotional tone, even if you need to give advice or counsel - pls give kindly and codially. There is no need to put people's comments down.

Thank you for kind understanding.

But it is poor planning to go to an IP school with the intention of switching out at Sec 3/4 to take O levels. We're not talking about inability to cope but entering with the intention of switching out.

I agreed with jtoh,is really poor planning.

[phtthp]

dear wonderm and Newlykiasu,


Thank you very much again for your support via kind comments.

dear sister jtoh,

i apologise to you if those things i said sound harsh. I’m now going to purge away all those things that i had said earlier. Bec in my heart, I still regard you highly, because you’d given wonderful, precious great advice to me in the past many times before. Thank you very much, dear sister jtoh.

[Edureach]

jtoh:

Newlykiasu:

Hi all, i need some serious advice. DS scored 255+2. Like many other boys, his dream sch has always been RI (i hope 2ppaamm, pen88 & a few othr like-minded ones are not rolling yr eyes already ^_^). We live in the east & VS is really close, but DS was fr CHS & he is really comfortable there. He was thnking of putting CHS as 1st choice, & hope to transfer to RI at yr 3 or 5. Btw, he prefers all boys sch and we consider HCI too far away. What do the experts out there think? I wld esp like to hear the measured response of 2ppaamm, pen88, jtoh & of course all other feedback wld b appreciated. Tk u.

I think if your son really likes CHS, he should stay there. A comfortable environment with familiar faces would allow him to develop his potential. You don't have to be in the best school to do well. It's about inner drive.

You can transfer to RI in year 3 via DSA but I think it's very difficult. I don't know how many places are offered but I think quite a few will be taken by China and Vietnamese scholars. The other option is to work hard at O levels, do well and apply for RI(JC) then. There'll be about 450 places available then. But you'll also have to compete with top O level girls as well at this stage.

Maybe other parents who have experiences at CHS, VS, HCI and RI can comment as well?

In CHS, rarely the top boys ask to be transfered to RI after sec2. Vast majority try to ace their O-level and proceed to jc of their choices. Is better to stay put and continue with their good progress since already half way thru might as well finish it.

[2ppaamm]

Edureach:

In CHS, rarely the top boys ask to be transfered to RI after sec2. Vast majority try to ace their O-level and proceed to jc of their choices. Is better to stay put and continue with their good progress since already half way thru might as well finish it.

I know someone from ACSI IB who did not like it, decided to take O levels last minute and then went to RJC. This is a GEPer who topped PSLE, who did not do well for O levels (but became a sports man to DSA to RJC), and also did not do well for A levels, so went to a weak uni overseas.

[Nebbermind]

2ppaamm:

I know someone from ACSI IB who did not like it, decided to take O levels last minute and then went to RJC. This is a GEPer who topped PSLE, who did not do well for O levels (but became a sports man to DSA to RJC), and also did not do well for A levels, so went to a weak uni overseas.

I guess there will always be a few of these cases everywhere...

but then again, that is just the beginning even if it's just a weak uni deg. ya?

[Newlykiasu]

phtthp:

dear wonderm and Newlykiasu,


Thank you very much again for your support via kind comments.

dear sister jtoh,

i apologise to you if those things i said sound harsh. I'm now going to purge away all those things that i had said earlier. Bec in my heart, I still regard you highly, because you'd given wonderful, precious great advice to me in the past many times before. Thank you very much, dear sister jtoh.

:goodpost: . Glad to see the misunderstanding cleared up so quickly:-)

[2ppaamm]

Nebbermind:

2ppaamm:

I know someone from ACSI IB who did not like it, decided to take O levels last minute and then went to RJC. This is a GEPer who topped PSLE, who did not do well for O levels (but became a sports man to DSA to RJC), and also did not do well for A levels, so went to a weak uni overseas.

I guess there will always be a few of these cases everywhere...

but then again, that is just the beginning even if it's just a weak uni deg. ya?

Remember, we are talking about boys who will become men by the time they have gone through sec school. They would have been influenced by friends, the CCA they join, the folks they mix with, their friends. They will not be your obedient little boy forever.

Be ready for change. If he turns up one day and decides to do something totally different (like switch to O levels) for some strange reasons you cannot see eye to eye with, so how do you cope and support him? Sometimes it is not planning, it is pure change. I think as parents, we must be ready for any kind of change, and be ready to support our children no matter what these are.

I have seen too many top PSLE students 'stray' off, and parents just cannot do anything. Especially those from middle class families and above. So be happy with your PSLE results, plan for the best, but be ready for the worst. Be resilient. This is from a mum who has kids ranging from primary school to university... ha ha... (like big deal )