Overseas Kids are better?
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SAHM_TAN:
seriously!!verykiasu2010:
so now I am thinking whether to send the kids out from singapore after their sec 4 and sec 2 respectively ....
seriously?
in order not to be \"boxed up\" in their thinking by the system -
verykiasu2010:
But....but....if remembered correctly from your other posts, your kids are in very very very good school, there also kena boxed?seriously!!
in order not to be \"boxed up\" in their thinking by the system -
verykiasu2010:
seriously!!SAHM_TAN:
[quote=\"verykiasu2010\"]so now I am thinking whether to send the kids out from singapore after their sec 4 and sec 2 respectively ....
seriously?
in order not to be \"boxed up\" in their thinking by the system[/quote]Really depends on your family support structure. Don't just send the kids out and then expect miracles to happen. You are a great parent, so don't stop being one. I've also seen some parents who sent their kids overseas and left them there with relatives thinking everything will be ok. Well, most times everything can be ok, sometimes not. So I won't take chances.
In most countries, the problem with them, in my opinion is soft parenting. I am never a fan of any education system, so I believe parents play the biggest role. If the kid goes overseas and you follow along, I think it is important not to follow their soft parenting style. It is not difficult for our kids to excel in almost any country, as long as we continue to be vigilant parents and encourage our kids to work hard to achieve their dreams.
However, going overseas gives the children a chance to learn independence, even if the parents go along. Outside Singapore, children are allowed to make errors so they learn more, especially in the important life skills department. Certainly and ironically, they think more, and are more confident to speak up. I hope our Singaporean children absorb more of such a culture without losing our own specialty in studying hard. When they come back, they will really shine if we parents do our jobs well. :celebrate: -
daisyt:
Its not that our kids are not better but our education system suppress their thinking and views. Our kids are quite smart though... They know what can be said and what cannot during discussion in class in order not to be marked. What types of model answers the teachers want to hear. Even you want to raise your view on issue you disagree, must do it the right way and not the left way. I love to listen to her telling me about their lesson on Singapore Studies and the type of so called model answers and how the classmates behave in this lesson. Must salute these 15 year old kids!
I think Singapore has more than smart kids. We have the best parents in the world. That is a problem itself, leaving educators to always fall back on parents and kids, and they do not take responsibility in teaching sometimes. If the kid does not do his homework, call the parent, if his work is poor, call the parent, if he misbehaves, call the parent. Teachers seem 'impotent' these days.
Teachers, because of their KPI system, are becoming less and less influential in academic areas, afraid to make mistakes. Even if they think the child's answers are right sometimes, they hesitate to stick their heads out and mark the child correct, because the model answer is right. Of course lah, who wants to take responsibility for being different, just follow the model answer is always safe and someone else's problem.
This kind of culture than got passed on to our children. Everyone becomes kiasi and then it becomes second nature. After some time, they cannot and don't know how to unlock that creativity and thought process anymore. Takes a lot of time at tertiary to unlock that. Compared to overseas student who do not have this burden. This afraid-to-be-wrong culture was not as real in other countries, and hence they can explore a lot more.
So yes, we have students who perhaps are born smarter, but our system certainly do not allow the unlocking of this potential. Our students are not very prepared for tertiary, and certainly very ill prepared for post grad, unless that culture within them change. -
Pam, thanks for the comment
my kids and their friends could be going together … these few days are like having conferences of families liddat … debating on which school is better, what are the options on which uni to go and which course …
the main thinking has been along the line of whether can get into the desire courses in local u…if not then why go through the pain and then eventually end up with the same path 2 years later …
probably will make a trip there to see the places and see how ready they are to go … one at a time, the younger one won’t be going so soon but all these discussions have opened up their options . -
overseas or local studies, i think parents make the difference la. my PIL hands off all decision right after PSLE, so my husband planned his own education route. he skipped one O-level paper to focus on the rest and went non-main stream route after O-levels. i asked him why he think gahman (supposedly red tape people) want to employ him he said cos sometimes they want someone to think out of the box to improve work processes....whether they adopt suggestions is another matter. i find him very creative ...the way he hang laundry using half the number of clothes pegs and clothes hangers....very inspiring :rotflmao:
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Fellow parents…why worry? Look at yourselves(when I read all your debates), aren’t we all brought up in the same system? Is our thinking boxed up? I believe we were all suppressed but our natural self will precede no matter what…so take heart, no need to be so worried. I used to think like all of us, then I realised I swam in the ink daily for so many years but the ink did not stick on me. Independent thinking is all it takes.
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ksi:
Fellow parents...why worry? Look at yourselves(when I read all your debates), aren't we all brought up in the same system? Is our thinking boxed up? I believe we were all suppressed but our natural self will precede no matter what....so take heart, no need to be so worried. I used to think like all of us, then I realised I swam in the ink daily for so many years but the ink did not stick on me. Independent thinking is all it takes.
You know, very good reminder that overseas is NOT the only path. I went overseas because there was no more sensible/logical path for me here in Singapore. So when do you go overseas, let's brainstorm:
1. The child cannot find fulfillment (even with us planning external activities) in the local system.
2. No more path for advancement in the area he/she is interested in.
3. Other kids are going, good support system in place.
4. Children's psychological state is affected by the local system
5. Parents are working overseas.
6. New opportunities for student there, e.g. scholarships.
7. Yep, indeed if there's little chance or if it takes so much less effort academically (and therefore can spend more time focus on other aspects of life) to get into the same course, might as well go earlier if support is in place.
I call my case 'right side move', because a lot of people go overseas because they cannot make it in Singapore's system. We go because we want a different kind of education, not because my kids cannot make it. They certainly would have made it in Singapore as well. But for us, going overseas made it so much harder for me, but I believe it is for the better of the children, not because they won't survive here (3 of my kids go to very, very good secondary schools), but because we choose a better lifestyle and want to work on other things (like social stuff, sports, independence thinking etc). The 'left side move' is quite different, many went overseas because there were no more opportunities in Singapore for the kids' education.
So yes, staying in Singapore does not necessary mean we all get 'inked', but if the opportunity presents, then I'd prefer to go overseas albeit with some sacrifices. It does not mean those who stay behind on the system are necessarily inferior, I was brought up in this system, so were you. I can agree that both of us really think out of the box.
But all my life, I thought I was stupid even though I went to the best schools. Because my teachers made me feel this way everyday. I thought how my life would have been different just if I knew I was not stupid. But it was too late. I discovered I was just at least normal at 40 years old. -
why are most of the gov’t scholars headed overseas ?
what does that imply ?
risks of going overseas : the kids won’t come back to SG after graduating …
they find their niche overseas and become very mobile with a global perspective which is of course good but … -
verykiasu2010:
That has been an observation for so long, I just find it interesting that our 'common kids' are fighting to get into the local universities but then all our best scholars and 90% of our political leaders are from overseas. Think about it: when you look at the resumes of the person, won't you be more impressed to see some quality overseas universities than local ones?why are most of the gov't scholars headed overseas ?
what does that imply ?
risks of going overseas : the kids won't come back to SG after graduating .....
they find their niche overseas and become very mobile with a global perspective which is of course good but ........
Some years back, there were some big storm about overseas scholars who refused to return to Singapore. I don't think I have that problem with my children even though they left young. If we have grounded our children with the right perspectives and values, then I think they will always love their country. In fact, some of my kids were given opportunities to be in the national team of another country, but they are reluctant to renounce their citizenships for personal glory. If the child decides to leave, then he is not worth keeping. It also reflects the effectiveness of our national education. :sad: It is sad that the gahmen seem to associate all who disagree with them to be 'opponents'. Fortunately, the 'broadmindedness' in us believes that though we disagree with a thing or two, we still respect and support our leaders. Think how much they would have gained if they are able to digest this fact and choose to seek counsel of those who have different views.
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