2009 GEP Screening And Selection

[Neko]

cluelessmama:

I really doubt that she will be able to cope with the rigours and demands of the GEP.

When I share my thoughts with friends and family members about her not going for GEP, I get scolding from everyone. It appears that if I let my DD make the choice of not going, I'm depriving her a chance of improving herself. Actually, I'm in a dilemma. :stupid: On the one hand, I want her to be able to improve; on the other hand, her happiness and well-being are important to me too.

Oh, you took the words right out of my mouth!

dh and myself initially decided we wld let dd make the decision, after telling her what to expect in GEP (on the first day dd was sure she did not want to chg sch so there was no issue ... then she had a chg of heart). we got scolded by friends and relatives that such a major decision shd not be left to a 9 y.o. hmmm, they seem to hv a pt, so we thought we wld make the decision together.

right now dh is all for GEP (all his friends encourage dd to take up the challenge); I am not for it cos I am afraid dd is not able to cope (i hv no doubt she is smart but is she suitable for GEP's environment given that she is not very hardworking and has the tendancy to choose the ez way out?) and most importantly whether she will hv time for play at all; dd is sitting on the fence.

we chose a neighbourhood sch (i am not sure what other term to use to descb her sch .... it is ard my neighbourhood, non SAP) so that she will not be stressed out and can hv more free time. Sekali she got into GEP.

I cannot imagine a life where she spends practically the whole day in sch 3 - 4 times a week and still hv to do hw/proj etc at home aft sch . but then again, these are my views and i do not want to be bias and influence the final decision unfairly

(btw dh is a risk taker, I am super duper risk averse).

knowing her current sch, she will not be 'developed' if she stays on. but is it impt to develop her to her so call fullest potential?

[cluelessmama]

Neko:

cluelessmama:

I really doubt that she will be able to cope with the rigours and demands of the GEP.

When I share my thoughts with friends and family members about her not going for GEP, I get scolding from everyone. It appears that if I let my DD make the choice of not going, I'm depriving her a chance of improving herself. Actually, I'm in a dilemma. :stupid: On the one hand, I want her to be able to improve; on the other hand, her happiness and well-being are important to me too.

Oh, you took the words right out of my mouth!

dh and myself initially decided we wld let dd make the decision, after telling her what to expect in GEP (on the first day dd was sure she did not want to chg sch so there was no issue ... then she had a chg of heart). we got scolded by friends and relatives that such a major decision shd not be left to a 9 y.o. hmmm, they seem to hv a pt, so we thought we wld make the decision together.

right now dh is all for GEP (all his friends encourage dd to take up the challenge); I am not for it cos I am afraid dd is not able to cope (i hv no doubt she is smart but is she suitable for GEP's environment given that she is not very hardworking and has the tendancy to choose the ez way out?) and most importantly whether she will hv time for play at all; dd is sitting on the fence.

we chose a neighbourhood sch (i am not sure what other term to use to descb her sch .... it is ard my neighbourhood, non SAP) so that she will not be stressed out and can hv more free time. Sekali she got into GEP.

I cannot imagine a life where she spends practically the whole day in sch 3 - 4 times a week and still hv to do hw/proj etc at home aft sch . but then again, these are my views and i do not want to be bias and influence the final decision unfairly

(btw dh is a risk taker, I am super duper risk averse).

knowing her current sch, she will not be 'developed' if she stays on. but is it impt to develop her to her so call fullest potential?

:celebrate: share the same thoughts as you ... the reason why she's in a so called neighbourhood non sap school.

Actually, within the \"family unit\" (me, dh and dd) the idea against going for GEP is stronger than going. My dh is super duper against the idea. In fact, he didn't even want her to take the test. I was the one who \"secretly\" sign the consent form. Every now and then, he would come back with \"horror stories\" about how his friends kids suffered in GEP.

So, all along I've taken the approach when dealing with dh:\"You think you dd is smart meh? you think she'll be so lucky to be in top 1% of co-hort ah?\"

With dd: \"Never mind, just go for the test; treat it as revision b4 SA2. :lol: Don't worry, I won't forced u to change school if u don't want to.\"

But now that she's selected, I'm really a little overwhelmed by the \"reactions\" by other family members and friends. :?: Having said this, I know their concern that she won't be \"mentally challenged\" if she stays on in current school. But, she's really like a baby. Can you imagine a baby going to GEP? :idea:

Anyway, there are only 4 schools i can look at coz I stay in the west - RGPS, NYP, NanHua and Henry Park. My impression is that NYP and NanHua's chinese standard is high.

[cluelessmama]

Tawtau:

THanks for your advice. I think she will freak out if I say she can't go back to her current school. She's one who explores the issues of \"life and death\" at the age of 5. Even till now, issues of \"departure\" saddens her.

[kposon]

go for it!!! :celebrate:

[vlim]

cluelessmama:

Tawtau:

THanks for your advice. I think she will freak out if I say she can't go back to her current school. She's one who explores the issues of \"life and death\" at the age of 5. Even till now, issues of \"departure\" saddens her.

aiyoyo, same as my son. At young age, he started asking me why there is life and he doesn't like life... thats worry me and sadden me. So knowing that he can get pretty pessimistic at times, I try to 'refrain' myself for giving him unnecessary pressure though sometime cannot help as near exam time. When we got to know that he was selected for gep last yr, my husband had a one-to-one talk with him telling him the pro of taking up gep.. eventually he agreed to take up. Though he said kind of stress along the way, but he was coping well. So we are definitely not regret sending him to gep as it is a good program which can further nurture and 'stretch' your gifted kids.. it has given them a chance to grow to its fullest potential... nevertheless... do give them moral support along the way and see if they need any help for their work..as afterall gep work is definitely more difficult and challenging then mainstream.. :celebrate:

[tony]

Seriously, Cluelesmama and Neko, perhaps your dds’ are starting to underperform because they’re bored? It’s very hard for anyone, kids or adults, to continue to work hard when they think the material is boring or uninteresting.


I was reading somewhere else - for some of these kids, it’s like us going to the doctor’s for 9mths and finding that there are no new magazines to read. Makes me feel fidgety just to think about it! Along the same lines, perhaps your kids need a higher level of complexity to be engaged? Give them more challenging material and they might perk up again. You might be thinking that they’re not scoring so well - maybe it’s because they can’t be bothered to make the effort rather than a case of not being able to. I’m very sure the GEP was structured to cater to kids like yours/ours. Like what some of the other mums said - can always go back if they are struggling.

I learnt a lot from my son’s Montessori teacher back then - he just plain refused to write. She said his reading level was very high, so rather than make him copy passages, she let him try comprehension and essay writing. I was shocked with the output - he had good understanding, his stories were fun, and even his spelling was reasonably good! This school never had spelling tests, so he must have picked it up through his reading. As he gets older, the jumps will be less clear cut since the material is more complex. So hopefully, the GEP curriculum, with its history and experience of meeting the needs of these kids, can help.

[mathsparks]

Zann:

Hi mathspark,

Thanks for the useful tips. Regarding above mentioned, may I ask if your son still do mainstream subject assessment books? IF so, which ones do you reccomend? When you say 80% in point 7) , are you referring to total average including SS? Or the percent of each subject? What CCA did your son join and which GEP centre were he from?

Nope, he doesn't do any mainstream assessment books. He'll be so bored. Both of us would rather he spend the spare time on his other interests.

However, in p4, I bought the andrew er maths to let him do the level 3 and creative thinking sections. But he didn't have time for it. So we left the book mostly untouched. Then this yr, I bought a synthesis n transformation book, which turned out to be useless as we became more confused than ever. That book doesn't explain the rules, simply gives you the answers which at times, leave us :? I'm still looking for a good book on this. Any recommendations?

Don't worry about catching up with mainstream syllabus. With the psle drill starting in Jun P6, they've enough practices.

Average of all subject (eng, cl, maths, science exclude ss and hcl). Pls see step 3 http://www.raffles.sg/dsasec1.html

However, to be eligible for scholarship in an independent school in sec, he must pass (> 70%) ss in P6.

Son's from tao nan and in a non-sports cca.

[mathsparks]

buds:

No controversy from me!


But rather.... :thankyou: for sharing your experience, mathsparks.
I've learnt something enlightening from you tonight.. and i shall rest
(sleep) in peace now, after hearing it from you. :please: :snooze:

My dear sweet buds, hope you've slept well....otherwise can nap later.
Learnt something enlightening from me? :? I'm trying to figure out what that may be. But...but..I liked the ksp forum so much I can't really stay away. And if I've to take back my words just to help convince some parents, I would. But I feel so :oops: Never keep my word to stay away.

[mathsparks]

vlim:

:rahrah: :rahrah: :rahrah:

Hi vlim,
:rahrah: :thankyou: to you too for sharing yrs with clueless parents.

[tony]

Yes Mathsparks,


Tks so much for your insights and willingness to share!!