All Schools are GOOD Schools
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Let me share my conversation with my P2 dd’s english teacher during the meet-the-parents session. Please note that this teacher really meant well - that she was sincerely telling me that that’s the state of education right now.
Me : How’s my dd doing?
Teacher : She is doing well, among the top 5 but if you want her to do well in the top class in P3, she will need to improve her English especially composition.
Me : What can be done to improve her English? The stuff taught in school are very basic and not challenging.
Teacher : While I would like to give different worksheets for students of varying standards, parents may complain. The standard of the students in the class is too varied. Why don’t you try sending her to TLL? With her scores, she will definitely get in.
Did I send my daughter to TLL? No, not yet… and hopefully never. I view it as a failure on my part if I show my daughter that if one could not do well, enrichment/tuition is the way to go. I am encouraging her to try to learn from friends and ask the teacher. On my part, I know I need to guide her towards where to find help (on an adhoc basis so that they learn to explore what is learning!) since she is still so young.
Proper resources for the students is so critical to encourage self learning! -
try:
Thank you for the unequivocal statement.Let me share my conversation with my P2 dd's english teacher during the meet-the-parents session. Please note that this teacher really meant well - that she was sincerely telling me that that's the state of education right now.
Me : How's my dd doing?
Teacher : She is doing well, among the top 5 but if you want her to do well in the top class in P3, she will need to improve her English especially composition.
Me : What can be done to improve her English? The stuff taught in school are very basic and not challenging.
Teacher : While I would like to give different worksheets for students of varying standards, parents may complain. The standard of the students in the class is too varied. Why don't you try sending her to TLL? With her scores, she will definitely get in.
Did I send my daughter to TLL? No, not yet.... and hopefully never. I view it as a failure on my part if I show my daughter that if one could not do well, enrichment/tuition is the way to go. I am encouraging her to try to learn from friends and ask the teacher. On my part, I know I need to guide her towards where to find help (on an adhoc basis so that they learn to explore what is learning!) since she is still so young.
Proper resources for the students is so critical to encourage self learning! -
Last year during my boy’s ptm, I heard his teacher discouraged a parent from sending her kid for science tuition because she said if the tuition centre or tutor do not know what is expected in psle answering technique, it’ll do more harm than good. She said leave it to sch to teach. She is the same teacher who told me that so long kids focus in class , kid should know how the answeing technique. It iscommendable that she discourages tuition n such, but the amount of notes n guided answering worksheets, I still think if withouty guidance at home on answering techniques, my boy would not have done as well. So no matter what the teachers said, don’t we still have our own intepretation of whether our kids need tuition.
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Try… you have PM… Don’t delete your post!! Bring it back!! I want it back. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez.
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jedamum:
Last year during my boy's ptm, I heard his teacher discouraged a parent from sending her kid for science tuition because she said if the tuition centre or tutor do not know what is expected in psle answering technique, it'll do more harm than good. She said leave it to sch to teach. She is the same teacher who told me that so long kids focus in class , kid should know how the answeing technique. It iscommendable that she discourages tuition n such, but the amount of notes n guided answering worksheets, I still think if withouty guidance at home on answering techniques, my boy would not have done as well. So no matter what the teachers said, don't we still have our own intepretation of whether our kids need tuition.
No one said parents cannot still want tuition. The parents who dun want would now have a choice if resources and teaching are sufficient for exams. Fix these lacunae FIRST before saying parents have the wrong perspective about tuition. -
UncleLim:
Is this good enough? Compiled by forumer KSII would like to see a breakdown of schools the our top civil servants attended...
If ALL SCHOOLS are well represented, I will be convinced that ALL SCHOOLS are good schools. If most of the senior government come from a few BRANDED SCHOOLS, then I guess our current perception is accurate.
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4174 -
Article by Monica
http://www.hedgehogcomms.blogspot.com/2012/03/death-by-tuition.html
Quote:
DEATH BY TUITION
I've always maintained that our education system and over-reliance on tuition is getting out of hand but a few New Paper articles I've read lately convinced me that we've officially entered Loony Toons levels. Here they are:
Parent pays nearly $6,000 a month in tuition fees
Parents hire tutors do do kids school and tuition assignments
Kids take test to qualify for top tuition centres
From reading these articles, it would seem like yesterday's deplorable is actually mild by today's standards.
Yesterday: Kids mugging to qualify for top schools
Today: Kids mugging to qualify for top tuition centres
Yesterday: Parents hiring tutors to help their children do homework
Today: Parents hiring tutors to do their children's homework
In fact, as I write the last one, it has already become obsolete, replaced by a new normal:
Yesterday: Parents hiring tutors to do their children's homework
Today: Parents hiring tutors to do their children's tuition homework
So basically, we now need tuition to keep up with tuition? Am I the only one who thinks we have completely lost the plot?
The tuition culture has become so commonplace that even teachers have come to use it as a crutch. A friend of mine told me her son's Chinese teacher asked her to hire a tutor for kid. I've even heard an anecdote where a teacher asked the kids to get their tutors to check the homework before handing it up.
Andre's science teacher is probably an exception. She told me, \"don't give him tuition! Sometimes they teach the wrong thing. I'll teach all that he needs to know.\" She's a lovely teacher and I obeyed. Well, sort of. Andre does have a science tutor - it's me. Does that count?
It really irks me how some of these tuition centres blatantly boast about the top scores of their students, when they do screening tests to take in only the top students in the first place. I might as well put birds in a cage and then claim that I taught them how to fly.
But what concerns me more is the type of values that are emerging from this tuition culture. What was once supposed to be a source of help to aid those who have learning difficulties, has evolved into a monster entitled mentality. Basically, if you have the money, you can hire someone to do anything for you, including doing the homework. (And apparently there is no shortage of tutors willing to do this). Why not hire someone to take your child's exam for you, while you're at it?
At JCs, I've heard it's increasingly common for parents to hire professionals to complete project work for their kids, some of which form part of the final grade. I find it difficult to believe that the teachers don't know or even suspect that this is going on. I guess it's easier to turn a blind eye, since the students' grades affect teachers' KPIs. There's a huge difference between not knowing and not wanting to know.
I find it ironic that the MOE claims to want to place an emphasis on values but do nothing to curb these unethical practices. The tuition industry is morphing out of control and yet MOE continues to remain mum. It frustrates me to no end.
I know MOE feels that they cannot regulate the tuition industry but I've told Sim Ann previously that by not speaking up and making a stand, MOE is actually condoning such practices - it's ok to coach your child into the GEP, it's ok to have your tutor do your homework for you. It's like telling your child stealing is bad and then doing nothing when rampant thefts take place.
The tuition industry did not just happen by accident. It is a direct result of an education system that obsesses over scores and systematically sieves children using this measure until only a few get the prize. Inevitably, there is a huge stampede for the prize. If you create a system that consistently rewards and hence, reinforces such behaviour, you cannot say you are not accountable for the backlash. I picture the MOE officials rolling their eyes and exclaiming, \"All these kiasu parents!\" and then washing their hands.
Newsflash: Pilate was culpable too.
I'm not saying the tuition industry should be regulated (I'm not sure you can, anyway). All I'm saying is MOE should make a stand openly that they frown on such practices because it is against their education philosophy, and hold any wrong-doers accountable. Then perhaps, parents and tuition centres will not flaunt these practices so openly.
According to reports, Singaporeans now spend about $820 million a year on tuition. Education has become a commercial enterprise and the problem with this, is that it only benefits those with resources. Want to close the rising income gap? Start with the tuition industry.
To me, the PSLE is the biggest contributor to this escalating insanity, but I'll probably address that another time.
Unquote -
try:
thank you for sharing!Let me share my conversation with my P2 dd's english teacher during the meet-the-parents session. Please note that this teacher really meant well - that she was sincerely telling me that that's the state of education right now.
Me : How's my dd doing?
Teacher : She is doing well, among the top 5 but if you want her to do well in the top class in P3, she will need to improve her English especially composition.
Me : What can be done to improve her English? The stuff taught in school are very basic and not challenging.
Teacher : While I would like to give different worksheets for students of varying standards, parents may complain. The standard of the students in the class is too varied. Why don't you try sending her to TLL? With her scores, she will definitely get in.
Did I send my daughter to TLL? No, not yet.... and hopefully never. I view it as a failure on my part if I show my daughter that if one could not do well, enrichment/tuition is the way to go. I am encouraging her to try to learn from friends and ask the teacher. On my part, I know I need to guide her towards where to find help (on an adhoc basis so that they learn to explore what is learning!) since she is still so young.
Proper resources for the students is so critical to encourage self learning!
certainly the teacher has meant well, identifying that your girl is capable of handling stuff beyond her academic yr.
So as kiasu parents, if we are not equipped with the skill to coach and push our kids harder, then I guess we may look for professional help. -
Chenonceau:
:spank: :spank: :torchme: the Ministerjenao:
From what I read from the papers, I don't think MOE is going to read much into this thread as Mr Heng himself said \" the problem lay less with the system, than with those who use it.\" So, from MOE point of view, the system does not need fixing but rather the users of the system need to change their mindset!!!!
This riles. We elected a Minister to help us and he turns around to tell us it's our fault.
WE used to have good textbooks, and Teachers whom we felt LOVED us, and did not use us for KPIs. -
may be our experience with the teachers and the school system is extremely rare based on the sharings on this thread
at no time were we asked to send the kids to xxx tuition centre, neither were we asked where we sent them for tuition
we did meet with all the subject teachers at regular interval and no doubt there were feedback on improvement areas and inevitably the teachers would email the supplemental materials needed for the improvement area
the teachers also made power point slides summarising key areas of concentration and MUST KNOW area, especially near to exam time
and no, the teachers never ask anyone in the class for any notes from tuition centre - in fact the teachers said the notes from the xxx tuition centre were outdated. and my kid noticed that those who went to xxx tuition centre did not top the class
these are really fantastic teachers our kids had and some of them have been award winners in their area of expertise
don't think we are the exception, as the teachers were always available and respond to emails - not within 24 hours, but within reasonable time with all questions answered. Students could also email the teachers any time. Once I received a call not from the teacher after the email but a call from a board member of the school ........ to thank me for the email to the teachers :shock:
as I mentioned before, the partnership between teachers and parents is important, with mutual feedback
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