Parents, not enrichment centres, are key to result
-
looking4Tutor:
All ex-teachers.
lagi wanna find out who are the suppliers of these lousy textbooks.Chenonceau:
Maybe we should get together and construct a case for Chen Show Mao. Give him the data and the logic, and then let him speak in Parliament. See... if this person (Ho Peng http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?p=698742#p698742, in charge of curriculum AND teachers' professional development) doesn't believe in our feedback (and believe me, I have given so much feedback both here and in meetings) and blocks all attempts to change, there is little Heng Swee Keat, Lawrence Wong and Sim Ann can do. They would have to move very carefully around Lee Hsien Loong's sister-in-law.
These issues deserve a parliamentary airing, and Chen Show Mao speaks well and convincingly. -
Chenonceau:
Just want to highlight that there is a growing population of elite new Singaporeans amongst us.
(2) Singaporeans are naive. Very. We believe everything people tell us. -
I have been wondering about these lousy textbooks issues. Why are the current teachers not complaining if it hinders their teaching progress? Is it not more effective for the pro to make this point strongly to MOE? Not that I am condoning the lousy textbooks, I am wondering if the teachers are using computer resources in school to supplement the textbooks which may be unknown to us? This is the digital age, could it be they put a lot of resources digitally? If so, perhaps it only takes a briefing to the parents to solve this? It suddenly dawn on me that my child has access to e-learning materials but I don't look at them so cannot comment much. I believe Marshall cavendish offers this digital service to schools. Our kids are young, we cannot expect them to be able to link up everything and tell us the full picture on resources.
Maybe we should request MOE to subsidise or give our kids e-textbooks instead, then info can be always updated and they can even video some teaching lessons from school and help parents to re-cap with their children at home since I hear so many parents are so hands on except me.
Of course the caveat here is any materials copied and used commercially will be heavily prosecuted. And parents have to discipline and ensure children go to school daily and not always think of homeschooling.
I am happy to offer myself for the trial.
-
2ppaamm:
... (as one of my China students related how naive Singapore parents are. We are a bunch of clowns.)
In what context is this student making that remark?
If this is about SG parents jumping on the enrichment bandwagon, or paper chasing, or... :scratchhead:
Parents from China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong... Not doing the same? Or even more extreme than SG? -
insider:
if policy is indeed 'clever', I still don't mind. But mostly 'all talks no pictures' kind of policies (that I view as formulated in their ivory tower, the 该死的闭门造车） that make me also go [Facepalm moment]...
Kee...hee...hee...quite a useful internet lingo ya?
-
2ppaamm:
There is no way I can argue or disagree with the above. But at the back of my mind, I have a very big question, that is, how about during my parents' time? How come I can go through the school system without much help from parents or tutors and yet can still reach the university? None of my schools were elite schools.The best schooled children are the ones with the most dedicated parents. The most fortunate ones. Look at the number of successes we get from children of KSP. This is very similar to homeschooled kids....
Parents are indeed the best teachers. No doubt about it. As for enrichment centers. Er... :censored: who wouldn't want money thrown at them? (as one of my China students related how naive Singapore parents are. We are a bunch of clowns.)
My mother is illiterate hence no way could she help with my school work except to provide a good home environment for us. Imagine my Chinese tutor telling my mother \"Parents, not tutors, are key to result\". Duh? :faint:
How come we are swallowing such shit hook, line and sinker now? Is it because we this generation of parents are educated and hence enrichment centres can sing us this tune and we trapped with guilt, then go home-school our kids? No accountability for results needed after paying hundreds of dollars.
My colleague with a P3 kid told me the school teacher called her and said her girl's Maths was not up to standard, did she send her for tuition? My colleague (who is a PR) asked the teacher, if she thought the girl's Maths not up to standard, then why don't the teacher/school give her remedial lessons? This PR colleague told the teacher, then you do something lah! I have to tell her that from all my readings at KSP, I have learnt that nowadays, teachers are all pushing it to the parents already and pushing parents to send kids to tuition agencies!
Philosophical arguments aside, what is at stack is my kids' learning hence if we need to \"home-school\" we need to \"home-school\" our kids other than going regular school. But lets not let the enrichment centres make suckers out of us throwing our hard-earned money their way with no accountability for results. -
Kekeke… I said exactly the same thing to my friend, who was the RGS HOD at dinner. He just stared at me and wondered whether to agree. I asked why our parents have to send kids to tuition, or why I have to teach my kids, when I too had illiterate parents but my teachers taught me everything. I needed no educated parents or tuition to finish two degrees.
I am tired of listening to teachers explaining why they have too many students in a class, or why they are asked to teach too many subjects. I told him that educators are not supposed to make excuses, they do their jobs and teach regardless. I’m an educator too, and my class size is much larger, I teach more subjects, but I’ve never given any such excuse. So he kept quiet lor… Either he is nicer than me or I have a point. Haha…
But that is exactly how I feel. Something is so wrong. Just because Singapore parents are great and take ownership, they just throw everything at us. How about getting the kid to stay back and finish his work? How about taking him aside and teaching him what he missed in class? How about skipping recess and copy a page of Chinese to improve on the language? And, I even have the GEP teacher complaining to me her class size is 25! It is a full class! She said. No wonder everyone needs outside school help. Feel like telling her, "Don’t teach!" -
Busymom:
This particular student made this comment about 3 years ago, and I can no longer track her to ask her why. If I remember correctly, we were talking about tuition, and she said that she and her friends found easy money just giving tuition to anxious Singaporean parents' kids. She was shocked by the tuition phenomenon, and how easy it was to make good money through these parents who won't teach their own kids, and schools that cannot teach effectively. I don't remember her talking about China.2ppaamm:
... (as one of my China students related how naive Singapore parents are. We are a bunch of clowns.)
In what context is this student making that remark?
If this is about SG parents jumping on the enrichment bandwagon, or paper chasing, or... :scratchhead:
Parents from China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong... Not doing the same? Or even more extreme than SG?
Today, I spoke to another Chinese student. She told me that many Sec students in China take tuition for English and Math only so that they can qualify for the university.
Haha...in Japan, the tuition centres are listed companies! I know how I can earn a lot of money if Singapore continues with the rate we are going. No wonder even principals who retire from schools go into these businesses.
I once read a certain enrichment/tuition centre's claim to be linked to Harvard in their flyer. I was so skeptical. How can that be true? Yet parents flock there and queue up for months to get their kids into that tuition centre. They only take in students who passed their exams. I think only their selective entrance method is similar to Harvard. I am not aware of Harvard having a documented method for Primary or Sec school or that they have ever run any such programs.
Since they are selective and take in good input, they get good output lah. They boast their students PSLE results and display them proudly on a big screen outside their center. They charge exhorbitent fees. I walked past this place with my daughter today, and I continue to despise the way they do business, yet I understand when money is concerned, it is really not fair to criticize other people's shrewdness. But hey, why would anyone send their kids to people who will make such shameless claims?
There. In schools, it is about KPIs, in tuition centers, it is about money. The safest haven is home. So what does this leave a kid without educated parents. A kid like me? -
2ppaamm:
Kekeke... I said exactly the same thing to my friend, who was the RGS HOD at dinner. He just stared at me and wondered whether to agree. I asked why our parents have to send kids to tuition, or why I have to teach my kids, when I too had illiterate parents but my teachers taught me everything. I needed no educated parents or tuition to finish two degrees.
I am tired of listening to teachers explaining why they have too many students in a class, or why they are asked to teach too many subjects. I told him that educators are not supposed to make excuses, they do their jobs and teach regardless. I'm an educator too, and my class size is much larger, I teach more subjects, but I've never given any such excuse. So he kept quiet lor... Either he is nicer than me or I have a point. Haha...
But that is exactly how I feel. Something is so wrong. Just because Singapore parents are great and take ownership, they just throw everything at us. How about getting the kid to stay back and finish his work? How about taking him aside and teaching him what he missed in class? How about skipping recess and copy a page of Chinese to improve on the language? And, I even have the GEP teacher complaining to me her class size is 25! It is a full class! She said. No wonder everyone needs outside school help. Feel like telling her, \"Don't teach!\"
Teachers are complaining too much to do in school and wonder why they still have time to give tuition or even open tuition centre?They charge sky high fee. -
ksi:
I have been wondering about these lousy textbooks issues. Why are the current teachers not complaining if it hinders their teaching progress? Is it not more effective for the pro to make this point strongly to MOE? Not that I am condoning the lousy textbooks, I am wondering if the teachers are using computer resources in school to supplement the textbooks which may be unknown to us?
I brought up the issue of the MPAL Science Textbooks to my DD1's Science T - the books have so many colourful pictures and notes are so insufficient that parents have to spend extra :moneyflies: :moneyflies: to get assessment and/or guide books! :mad:
Here is what the teacher replied,\" I understand your concern regarding MPAL Science textbooks. These textbooks are approved books by MOE, basically the textbooks cover the essential concepts pupils are expected to know for each theme and topic. The intention of having less written text in the textbooks is to allow pupils to learn Science in an inquiry way, thus in class, teachers do focus a lot on hands-on activities such as experiments conducted using the workbook.\"
Somehow...somewhere...I still do not agree fully to her reply :skeptical:
Hello! It looks like you're interested in this conversation, but you don't have an account yet.
Getting fed up of having to scroll through the same posts each visit? When you register for an account, you'll always come back to exactly where you were before, and choose to be notified of new replies (either via email, or push notification). You'll also be able to save bookmarks and upvote posts to show your appreciation to other community members.
With your input, this post could be even better 💗
Register Login