Education as an equalising instrument for society
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[quote]
Makes plenty of sense.
I will push my kids, sometimes quite hard, but at the end of the day, the piece of paper is just a piece of paper. If they are good, they will succeed, regardless of how many A's they scored, and vice-versa.
Which is why I am sanguine about how the system is. My kids get enrichment in only one subject, mother tongue, for 2 hours a week.[/quote]There is more than 1 way to success and values are much more impt than scores on a paper.
So students with better values, e.g. hardworking, honest, never-say-die, resilient, respectful will and may translate these values to whatever they are doing - e.g. exams - grades, etc
Sometimes the rich remain rich and the poor remain poor not because of the innate wealth but because of the values transferred...
But having said that, parents are the ones that translate the values.
So you all, being members of a forum called 'kiasu'parents, should do all right, correct? -
Joule:
There is more than 1 way to success and values are much more impt than scores on a paper.[quote]
Makes plenty of sense.
I will push my kids, sometimes quite hard, but at the end of the day, the piece of paper is just a piece of paper. If they are good, they will succeed, regardless of how many A's they scored, and vice-versa.
Which is why I am sanguine about how the system is. My kids get enrichment in only one subject, mother tongue, for 2 hours a week.
So students with better values, e.g. hardworking, honest, never-say-die, resilient, respectful will and may translate these values to whatever they are doing - e.g. exams - grades, etc
Sometimes the rich remain rich and the poor remain poor not because of the innate wealth but because of the values transferred...
But having said that, parents are the ones that translate the values.
So you all, being members of a forum called 'kiasu'parents, should do all right, correct?[/quote] :goodpost: -
get the first and most important thing right, i.e teach - impart knowledge and nurture, and do that as a priority in terms of your resource and time .
certain policies are implemented not because it please everybody , but becos it is good for the majority , it does not matter if the majority know it, or like it .
But, if one is not doing what his or her primary job is, this person is a free-rider and taking advantage of the system , knowing full well that they have a very good chance of getting away with it, shame on them.
When you are paid to go on stage to address a group of people, it is not just about what you say, it is ultimately what the majority of the group of people get out of that talk. If they dont, you are not doing your job.
Fortunately for the speaker, he will get paid for it nonetheless .
Time is differant thing to differant people. In the real world most do not have the luxury of time and time, and time again.
If you are working in the real world, you would know that academic excellence is not the end, it is a mean to the end. If anything, the people who are doing really well, most do have good results and a good degree, but only a small number have excellent results.
So, my point is not about getting that A star.
My family and I have spent some years abroad, working, schooling and living life . I missed Singapore terribly during those years when we do not know for sure when we will be returning .
Because we have the benchmark for comparison, we know what we have, and what we do not have. When the opportunity came for us to return, we had no second thoughts .
If the family is the core of the society, then, education is at worst, a close behind. It not just about knowledge and mental abilities . In the course of education, the young ones are expose to the good, the bad, and the ugly .
They will either learn the good, or they may learn from the bad and the ugly. Be it they teachers, or the parents.
The illusion that the education system have no major flaw is, in itself an illusion. -
Thanks 3Boys.
I'm still trying to find my balance
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Education will not guarantee equalisation, but it will help greatly. On the other hand, a society without education will perpetuate inequality.
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ConcernedDaddy:
Education will not guarantee equalisation, but it will help greatly. On the other hand, a society without education will perpetuate inequality.
Well said!
But i think the concern being voiced out in this thread is how skewed the Singapore education system has become.
a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
what annoys me is the wayang and sheer waste of resources that goes into packaging when a minister etc visits. all these excel fests and what not.
back to basics people!! let the teachers who love teaching do what they are hired to do.
i have quite a few teacher friends and family, and hearing what they have to do makes me mad. my kid's not in pri sch yet, but reading these few pages makes me feel depressed. -
toddles:
It is honestly my view that the education system does what it is supposed to, and does it well, and I am not saying this to be gratuitously offensive.
Well said!
But i think the concern being voiced out in this thread is how skewed the Singapore education system has become.
a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
what annoys me is the wayang and sheer waste of resources that goes into packaging when a minister etc visits. all these excel fests and what not.
back to basics people!! let the teachers who love teaching do what they are hired to do.
i have quite a few teacher friends and family, and hearing what they have to do makes me mad. my kid's not in pri sch yet, but reading these few pages makes me feel depressed.
Do all the children enter P1 with the same abilities?
Definitely not. So the early P school teachers spend an inordinate amount of time doing 'rescue' work on the poorer students that are failing their subjects. This in itself is already some form of equalisation. My DS1's P1 teacher told me very frankly, she had 7 students in her class with poor fundamentals, she had to make sure that they get her attention. She encouraged me to push my DS1, who had a higher academic baseline, harder at home and via external sources, as she would not have time to do so much in class. I think this is a reasonably fair approach, don't you? Yes, it is skewed, but in a fair and right way.
I will write my thoughts on this later when I get some time. -
No worries 3boys!!
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As parents, we can disregard the system and seek a balance … but the impact of the system on our society as a whole will have impact on us in someway. Being competitive (aka "kiasu") is how we work. But must we start kiasuism so young?
I think our education systems perpetuates inequality. It divides kids into different abilities, provides different resources - these in turn drives parents to ensure their children have an advantage and the viscious cycle, raising the bar year on year.
In Finland, "the first six years of education are not about academic success … It’s about being ready to learn and finding your passion." Is this too idealistic for us? -
3Boys:
well i guess my beef is not so much with streaming but with the waste of time on wayang activities.
It is honestly my view that the education system does what it is supposed to, and does it well, and I am not saying this to be gratuitously offensive.toddles:
Well said!
But i think the concern being voiced out in this thread is how skewed the Singapore education system has become.
a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
what annoys me is the wayang and sheer waste of resources that goes into packaging when a minister etc visits. all these excel fests and what not.
back to basics people!! let the teachers who love teaching do what they are hired to do.
i have quite a few teacher friends and family, and hearing what they have to do makes me mad. my kid's not in pri sch yet, but reading these few pages makes me feel depressed.
Do all the children enter P1 with the same abilities?
Definitely not. So the early P school teachers spend an inordinate amount of time doing 'rescue' work on the poorer students that are failing their subjects. This in itself is already some form of equalisation. My DS1's P1 teacher told me very frankly, she had 7 students in her class with poor fundamentals, she had to make sure that they get her attention. She encouraged me to push my DS1, who had a higher academic baseline, harder at home and via external sources, as she would not have time to do so much in class. I think this is a reasonably fair approach, don't you? Yes, it is skewed, but in a fair and right way.
I will write my thoughts on this later when I get some time.
also, all I'm asking for is a system that does not take tuition as a given, and for the non-tuition folks to be the anomaly rather than the norm... I never had tuition but it seems that gone are those days... teachers are asking everyone to get 'extra help'...
a move towards a tuition-less education system - too much to ask?
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