Parents, not enrichment centres, are key to result

[buds]

NSK! Waaahhh... hear oredi so sad.


Really arh...

[2ppaamm]

ksi:

2ppaamm:

Our children are our future. When I am old, and I hope to retire in Singapore, I will be in their hands. And, it's gotta be good hands, I hope. Hence, I must not give up. So for my own future, to bring up great future leaders, I will bring up only 5 points. I have 3 of my own already, now add yours.

Hope you can make some levers move.. :rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah:

Don't move also never mind. Just doing my part. Take some precious time and attend such things. :skeptical:

[2ppaamm]

buds:

NSK! Waaahhh... hear oredi so sad.


Really arh...

your kids still small. I think even the neighbourhood kids also know this. Imagine the dent to their ego. :sad: That stupid PSLE that divides and builds a caste system.

[DesertWind]

2ppaamm:

These soft skills should be taught in schools. As it is, many of our elitist kids think too highly of their mental prowess to care about 'selling' their knowledge to the less knowledgeable, often focusing on how 'right' they are rather than how convincing they are. And as if this does not matter, Singapore schools don't bother to inculcate these skills.

Mmm....and probably such kids may end up with public scholarships and then off they go to a cushioned path in the civil service and then formulate clever policies and shove it down our throats.....no wonder! [Facepalm moment].

[corneyAmber]

insider:

I referring to the sec schools as well. Cannot put all the 'elites' together else the 'worst elite' among them can be one whose score is 265 and can only manage ONE ballet Gold... According to my daugher from her observations, many elite kids (in her sec school) look down on neighbourhood school children and I learnt the term \"NSK' from her when they talked among themselves don't like 'NSK' (neighbourhood school kids). Oohhh...the air of superiority...how to be the future leader of Singapore...

I understand where you are coming from. Personally, I hear such comments about NSK from parents, not the children. Over time I believe the children pick up from the parents. If trusted adults colour people at home with labels, chances is that the children will pick up faster than in school from the peers. Here is something I share from a group of \"elite\" kids told to me and it raised my eyebrows. They are all in the same elite class but they make a list of classmates in the class that they would warn others about. This is not taught in school and they are of similar calibre but they also have prejudices formed about one another, after 3 weeks of school. So I think children generally are not taught or emphasized enough on values and how to value their friends regardless of who they are, not so much whether they are in elite group or non-elite group. I think diversity resulting in good synergy is not emphasized enough in schools. No doubt we live in a multi-everything country, I feel that children have not been taught to embrace diversity in a positive way sufficiently. In fact, most children ARE TAUGHT to stay away from ANYONE that NO ONE finds acceptable. This teaching might be a must when a child has no ability to assess people well enough yet but as they move up the levels, they should be RE-TAUGHT to look at people's strength and integrate with them as diversity can bring about magical outcome.

As for your example of the child who does not know poor people exist, that child has been living with his/her eyes closed which is not possible. So it is a mindset, he/she refuses to take in the information that poverty exists, even reading can tell alot(comprehension passages? stories?) and parenting also fails, cos I am sure this child would have travelled a fair bit in this new age but nothing has been highlighted to the child.

Just mixing the kids alone is not a solution, some sound and solid principles must be inculcated together with it, otherwise it is only a matter of who has stronger influence in the mixture of children to land the children into either way which may not be desirable still.

[2ppaamm]

DesertWind:

2ppaamm:

These soft skills should be taught in schools. As it is, many of our elitist kids think too highly of their mental prowess to care about 'selling' their knowledge to the less knowledgeable, often focusing on how 'right' they are rather than how convincing they are. And as if this does not matter, Singapore schools don't bother to inculcate these skills.

Mmm....and probably such kids may end up with public scholarships and then off they go to a cushioned path in the civil service and then formulate clever policies and shove it down our throats.....no wonder! [Facepalm moment].

O yeah hor... never thought about this part. This is so true. Sometimes, the policies look so scarily experimental and academic. That's why it is good to see them in the eye and see how sincere they are in what they say. I sometimes read their article, and wonder if they think we are really stupid?! So often 牛头不对马嘴。 Sometimes conflicting themselves. And I thought only we on the forums are like this. They send out well typed out message with scores of proof-readers also like that. :scratchhead:

[pepper spice]

insider:

When I first knew of the term 'NSK', I just have such a heavy feeling in my heart...

[/quote]

Today, now, I learnt this term \"NSK\", and am now having a heavy feeling in my heart like you.

Few years back, son asked me which are neighbourhood schools which are not, I replied, all schools in Singapore are neighourhood schools. Eg, NYPS and RGPS in the bukit timah neighbourhood; Catholic High in the Bishan neighbourhood.

[corneyAmber]

2ppaamm:

DesertWind:

[quote=\"2ppaamm\"] These soft skills should be taught in schools. As it is, many of our elitist kids think too highly of their mental prowess to care about 'selling' their knowledge to the less knowledgeable, often focusing on how 'right' they are rather than how convincing they are. And as if this does not matter, Singapore schools don't bother to inculcate these skills.

Mmm....and probably such kids may end up with public scholarships and then off they go to a cushioned path in the civil service and then formulate clever policies and shove it down our throats.....no wonder! [Facepalm moment].

O yeah hor... never thought about this part. This is so true. Sometimes, the policies look so scarily experimental and academic. That's why it is good to see them in the eye and see how sincere they are in what they say. I sometimes read their article, and wonder if they think we are really stupid?! So often 牛头不对马嘴。 Sometimes conflicting themselves. And I thought only we on the forums are like this. They send out well typed out message with scores of proof-readers also like that. :scratchhead:[/quote]Err...such kids already existed during my 'mata wear shorts' days. We have had scholars appointed to executive positions but developed policies that did not work so this is not unique to the children today. At least the children today learn high-order thinking and heuristics!!!! :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

[2ppaamm]

ksi:

insider:

I referring to the sec schools as well. Cannot put all the 'elites' together else the 'worst elite' among them can be one whose score is 265 and can only manage ONE ballet Gold... According to my daugher from her observations, many elite kids (in her sec school) look down on neighbourhood school children and I learnt the term \"NSK' from her when they talked among themselves don't like 'NSK' (neighbourhood school kids). Oohhh...the air of superiority...how to be the future leader of Singapore...

I understand where you are coming from. Personally, I hear such comments about NSK from parents, not the children. Over time I believe the children pick up from the parents. If trusted adults colour people at home with labels, chances is that the children will pick up faster than in school from the peers. Here is something I share from a group of \"elite\" kids told to me and it raised my eyebrows. They are all in the same elite class but they make a list of classmates in the class that they would warn others about. This is not taught in school and they are of similar calibre but they also have prejudices formed about one another, after 3 weeks of school. So I think children generally are not taught or emphasized enough on values and how to value their friends regardless of who they are, not so much whether they are in elite group or non-elite group. I think diversity resulting in good synergy is not emphasized enough in schools. No doubt we live in a multi-everything country, I feel that children have not been taught to embrace diversity in a positive way sufficiently. In fact, most children ARE TAUGHT to stay away from ANYONE that NO ONE finds acceptable. This teaching might be a must when a child has no ability to assess people well enough yet but as they move up the levels, they should be RE-TAUGHT to look at people's strength and integrate with them as diversity can bring about magical outcome.

As for your example of the child who does not know poor people exist, that child has been living with his/her eyes closed which is not possible. So it is a mindset, he/she refuses to take in the information that poverty exists, even reading can tell alot(comprehension passages? stories?) and parenting also fails, cos I am sure this child would have travelled a fair bit in this new age but nothing has been highlighted to the child.

Just mixing the kids alone is not a solution, some sound and solid principles must be inculcated together with it, otherwise it is only a matter of who has stronger influence in the mixture of children to land the children into either way which may not be desirable still.

:goodpost:
Now I relate another story before I go to sleep. Hee hee...

I have a student who was from an elite school. He had a wonderful education and childhood. And of course he knew there were poor people around. But his life changed only when he was 19.

19 - go army lah. He said he had no idea there were really such people around. Poor, really poor, and they are his army friends! These people really do exist physically, not in just text books, or from his Vietnam trips. His life changed forever from the army days. He started to do a lot of social work - from the heart, and he was involved in many out reach programs, for no CCA points.

He graduated last year as a top student. Befitting his brain prowess. He said he was so glad he had an awakening during the army days, as he was sent to the poorest/weakest part (I'm not familiar with his terms but basically where all sorts of people exist). It brought home the point his existence, his purpose and his position in life.

If only he knew this earlier, he said, it would have changed the way he conducted himself through his studies, and all those CIP would have meant a lot more. For his case, better late than never. But how many every get awakened?

[corneyAmber]

pepper spice:

insider:

When I first knew of the term 'NSK', I just have such a heavy feeling in my heart...

Today, now, I learnt this term \"NSK\", and am now having a heavy feeling in my heart like you.

Few years back, son asked me which are neighbourhood schools which are not, I replied, all schools in Singapore are neighourhood schools. Eg, NYPS and RGPS in the bukit timah neighbourhood; Catholic High in the Bishan neighbourhood.

Yalor this would be the answer I give if my child ever asks but I think she is too blur to know there is such a thing as elite versus neighbourhood schools now...all these terms are only used when adults chit chat....so who started it?