All Schools are GOOD Schools

[limlim]

Ichigokun:

That's me!
I don't work hard on my own accord. Only attend enrichment lessons (forced by my mom)

may I ask.. would you be happy if enrichment centers are banned or made non-existent..?

Then you need not worry abt falling behind coz of not attending extra classes while all others are attending it (maybe apply to you parent too.. the \"need not worry\" part..)..

so.. less stressful and more fulfilling childhood..

Parents more time to play with kids..

[Zanonbu]

Parents have such high expectations from their children these days. Most of them mean well, but the methods are really questionable

[Chenonceau]

Zanonbu:

Parents have such high expectations from their children these days. Most of them mean well, but the methods are really questionable

Why blame parents only?

[huanghou]

Chenonceau:

Zanonbu:

Parents have such high expectations from their children these days. Most of them mean well, but the methods are really questionable

Why blame parents only?

Agree with chenonceau

[1amber]

Chenonceau:

Zanonbu:

Parents have such high expectations from their children these days. Most of them mean well, but the methods are really questionable

Why blame parents only?

Agree. Most times parents are just trying to help their kids navigate the system.

[concern2]

Has anyone read this article from Today?


Skills imbalance due to Education System
Letter from Gerrard Ball 04:46 AM Mar 03, 2012


THE commentary \"China should take a lesson in US creativity\" (Feb 15) applies to the Singapore education system, too.

First and foremost, international companies based in Singapore want managers who can communicate effectively in English, solve problems and initiate creative ideas.

These are prerequisites for every international business.

Regrettably, the education system here does not provide these three skills to the degree that international employers require.

That is why expatriates make up the lion's share of senior management positions at multi-national companies and will do so until the local education system is changed.

The influx of overseas talent to fill the skills gap left by an education system that is churning out the wrong type of employee has driven up the cost of living, and senior overseas managers earn three to five times more than locals in junior positions.

It does not appear that this skills imbalance is being addressed.

(source: http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120303-0000029/Skills-imbalance-due-to-education-system)

[Chenonceau]

I am not surprised. I teach adults. Unless you’re a grad, Singaporeans cannot write English. This is the result of years and years of pouring resources to help the best get world class but leaving the masses to plod along. The Finnish however, work towards a small variance between top scores and bottom scores but tries to level the WHOLE workforce UPWARDS to a high average.


This differentiation between top and bottom can be seen immediately in the differences between
(1) GEP resources, mainstream resources and normal stream resources
(2) top secondary schools VS other secondary schools
(3) top JCs VS other JCs

There is some drive this year to even out these differences by the Straits Times’ refusal to showcase the top scorers and top JCs at this year’s A levels. This is encouraging but the damage of the past 2 decades has been done. Let us hope that MOE will henceforth really even out the distribution of educational resources and not concentrate copious amounts of it at the top schools.

Next, there is issue in the past 7 years with Teach Less Learn More. Those of us who speak and write good English at home will teach it to our kids. Teachers EXPECT parents to carry the academic load. Too bad if you don’t speak and write good English at home… the school doesn’t teach sufficiently.

Look at our best, we are world class. Just because 2 students every year get into Harvard… and one gets into Princeton does not make us a world class educational system. Look at our masses and let me tell you that I mark exam scripts written by working adults that no one can understand.

[alng]

Chenonceau, I totally agree with you except for the part on grads as many grads do not write and speak well too. There are employers who have provided feedback to the universities that the fresh business graduates do not know how to write appropriately. They use smses and email languages to write formal reports. Business graduates are known to be better in communications, as compared to other graduates.

[MummyThreeStreams]

I agree that the language skills of many of our grads leave much to be desired. At one time, I was involved in recruitment. One applicant (bless her initiative) decided that in order to stand out from the rest of the candidates she would write essays on various topics for our reading pleasure. It was an exercise in "how to use the most bombastic words, with the most complicated and illogical syntax, in as long a sentence as possible, without really making any point of real substance". She was a graduate. I could not hire her as good writing skills were a job requirement. The sad thing was that many of the applicants fared no better. They may come with good grades, but at the interviews, they just could not express themselves well enough.


I hope it will be different for my son’s generation. But I hear from mums with older kids that the use of fancy words is highly valued. I hope it is not at the expense of logical thought and clear language.

[jedamum]

MummyThreeStreams:

I agree that the language skills of many of our grads leave much to be desired. At one time, I was involved in recruitment. One applicant (bless her initiative) decided that in order to stand out from the rest of the candidates she would write essays on various topics for our reading pleasure. It was an exercise in \"how to use the most bombastic words, with the most complicated and illogical syntax, in as long a sentence as possible, without really making any point of real substance\". She was a graduate. I could not hire her as good writing skills were a job requirement. The sad thing was that many of the applicants fared no better. They may come with good grades, but at the interviews, they just could not express themselves well enough.

maybe for these applicants who use bombastic words, they do not have the access to external training to brush up their writing skills and what they have learned are all self taught?
if so, it goes to shows that the process of learning is not as significant when compared to the end results cos at the end of the day, it is the results that interviewers are looking for. time to send kids to etiquette/writing/speech course and what not to learn how to make that first impression? :skeptical: