All Schools are GOOD Schools

[Maxine]

Wow - Strparent, thanks for the article. I didnt think such extremist parents really exist. Cant imagine how stressed the kids would be. My DH already disallows tuition on Sundays saying its a day of rest for the kids and family.

[toddles]

verykiasu2010:

there is a need to separate tuition from enrichment classes


swimming, ballet, piano, violin, math olympiad, learning ahead of the cohort etc etc is enrichment

catching up with school curriculum or to perfect the scores in it, is tuition

thought the way it's commonly used now is:

tuition = remedial
enrichment = must pass test to get into \"enrichment\" centre

\"learning ahead of cohort\" and \"perfect the scores within sch curriculum\" rather similar no?

guess ultimately, the enrichment centre owners are the ones that are confirmed getting ENRICHED.

[concern2]

Chenonceau:

concern2:

Have you guys read the article about how words in a sentence can be spelt wrongly, and you could still make sense of the sentence because of perception? I have to say your company name is really an eyesore.. But I have a consolation for you: at one glance, I only saw the word 'kudohomework'.

:razz: :rant: :nunchuk: I love emoticons. :love:

:rotflmao: :rotflmao:

[Chenonceau]

concern2, may I please have the link to the article on Singaporeans’ poor English again?

[Chenonceau]

toddles:

verykiasu2010:

there is a need to separate tuition from enrichment classes


swimming, ballet, piano, violin, math olympiad, learning ahead of the cohort etc etc is enrichment

catching up with school curriculum or to perfect the scores in it, is tuition

thought the way it's commonly used now is:

tuition = remedial
enrichment = must pass test to get into \"enrichment\" centre

\"learning ahead of cohort\" and \"perfect the scores within sch curriculum\" rather similar no?

guess ultimately, the enrichment centre owners are the ones that are confirmed getting ENRICHED.

Just stop testing stuff that enrichment centres have taught but schools have not. We can't stop people from going to enrichment... ballet, archery blah blah... if my child were a Math genius, I would also enrich him...

BUT

I dun expect his enrichment material to be tested in school. His enrichment should just be for fun. Some kids just wanna be normal... the way the train is going, everyone is forced to enrich. Why is the system trying so hard to keep up with enriched kids? Let them pull ahead! Let them have fun!

MOE just wants to be involved in the fantabulous successes of prodigies without understanding that its major focus should be on the masses and how well they do. No international awards there you see.

[concern2]

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)

This article?

[sean wife]

Strparent:

though all these bonding talks is making me a bit excited :evil: , I just wish to deviate back to highlight this part of the said article. :oops:


http://i42.tinypic.com/10f5dv7.jpg\">

5 to 6yrs old ? spending like more than 2k monthly on tuition and preparations ??? All these money can be used to pay 2 units of 2-rm HDB flats liao lor

sorry boy, the people laughing at the end will most likely not be Mrs Ho, it will be all the tutors and centres..... :faint:

In this Kiasu forum, we seem to be hearing a lot of voices from the not-so-kiasu parents i.e. those who think that it is torturous and crazy to have multiple tuitions etc etc…what about those real kiasu parents whom we read about in these newspaper reports? Dun dare to voice out to defend themselves maybe? So in a way, they also think it is wrong/crazy?

I also feel that such reports will simply increase the awareness of more people to such practices/services, and thus making more parents jumping on the same bandwagon (especially if desperate enough). Such is the influence of media and I do not believe that MOE or the government is not aware or have not considered the repercussion of this indirect ‘ advertising’ of such practices. So maybe they are trying to encourage rather than to discourage the trend of seeking more external help earlier?

[Chenonceau]

concern2:

This article?

Thanks much much...

[Chenonceau]

sean wife:

Strparent:

though all these bonding talks is making me a bit excited :evil: , I just wish to deviate back to highlight this part of the said article. :oops:


http://i42.tinypic.com/10f5dv7.jpg\">

5 to 6yrs old ? spending like more than 2k monthly on tuition and preparations ??? All these money can be used to pay 2 units of 2-rm HDB flats liao lor

sorry boy, the people laughing at the end will most likely not be Mrs Ho, it will be all the tutors and centres..... :faint:

In this Kiasu forum, we seem to be hearing a lot of voices from the not-so-kiasu parents i.e. those who think that it is torturous and crazy to have multiple tuitions etc etc…what about those real kiasu parents whom we read about in these newspaper reports? Dun dare to voice out to defend themselves maybe? So in a way, they also think it is wrong/crazy?

I also feel that such reports will simply increase the awareness of more people to such practices/services, and thus making more parents jumping on the same bandwagon (especially if desperate enough). Such is the influence of media and I do not believe that MOE or the government is not aware or have not considered the repercussion of this indirect ‘ advertising’ of such practices. So maybe they are trying to encourage rather than to discourage the trend of seeking more external help earlier?

Check out this parent's sharing and you will realise that the schools DEFINITELY encourage seeking external help by setting exams that test beyond what is taught....

http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?p=724048#p724048

This is not an isolated case.

[concern2]

There is another article that I came across, very relevant too. It talks about effective communication in English as a global phenomenon, not just exclusively to Singapore. Due to copyright reasons, I am unable to paste the whole article here, so here is the link.


Here is an extract:
\"But there is another group of non-native English speakers. Their vocabulary is bigger than 1,500 words. They engage with native English speakers with confidence. They are taking over the world\".

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/634db9a6-57eb-11e1-ae89-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1oJUKzgYy