Asia spending billions on tutors: study

[Champion]

SAHM_TAN:

Kids are being exposed to science as early as kindy. The difficulty level can be adjusted but I think it's not fair to the kids to totally exclude science till P3.

:hi5: SAHM_TAN I had a \"culture shock\" when my youngest, now barely coming to 3 years old brought back a All about Science colouring book from his playgroup last Term! :yikes: Both my P1 and P4 DDs were \"curious\" and started flipping thru the pages and commented,\" Aiyoh, how di di will know about trees, plants, etc. He still so young!\"

SAHM_TAN:

I have believed that P1 should be introduced to science before I have these 2 pieces of information. This is just one example to show helping kids to prepare consistently and gradually for PSLE.

:evil: :evil: That why we are all seeing P1 or Pre-Primary Science Assessment books at Popular Bookstore. I believe Science is a everyday thing so by observing and talking, think kids will be exposed to Science in one way or another; JMHO

SAHM_TAN:

One more thing, I spoke to a P4 kid from one of the popular schooland she told me PSLE preparation starts in P4, and she was rather serious when she told me. She's a rather normal kid too. So working backwards, I have to start now for my P1 kid. It's not about kiasu or kiasi. It's about gradual preparation in view that the papers are no longer the standard of our times.

My dd1 does not have tuition for every subject. She has maths because I do not understand models and all the new stuff that it's maths that's suppose to make it easier for kids to learn maths. For science I subscribe to magazines and have science kits for the kids. The kits, I've yet to let her try becos bb is rather destructive now. I do not test my dd1 on the science facts that she read, I just give her the stuff to read. She's the very girly type but she's still ok to read abt science. Like I post in my earlier post, kids have a natural curiosity.

:salute: :celebrate: Jiayou, mummy SAHM_TAN! For P1, we still have a long way to go so we shall not be stress out here but continue to move with them in a steadfast and gradual manner that best suits him/her.

My elder is P4 this year and I can feel the \"heat\" coming up but I am more a supporting role to her and I always have this to say,\" I will render all kinda of help to you within my means to you but ultimately you are the sitting for the exam so be the best you can!\" :please:

[limlim]

tuition_czar:

laughingcat:

[quote=\"Melodies\"]However, I noticed that these kids are very good in coping with heavy workloads/programs when they grown up and always full of energy...

For short term.....maybe. But in the long run, i am not surprise that the child will develop burn-out studying.

Very valid point. I am an advocate of hard work, but starting tuition so young is............ ridiculously absurd, for both child and parent. If this becomes a widespread trend, the government can forget about boosting the population numbers. [/quote]Maybe the kids when they grow up will be

会做事，不会\"做人\"。

[limlim]

verykiasu2010:

blame MOE ? blame the parents' kiasu mentality is more like it

ouch, the truth hurts :siam: :siam:

Surely, the \"kiasu\" parents have a hand in it.......

However, shd the state stand by and do nothing..?

it's not whether the truth hurts.. but what can be done to alleviate the problem..

Instead of just declaring that \"oh, it is cause by parents.. end of story..\"

When there is a social problem, the state have an obligation to deal with it..

[janet88]

limlim:

verykiasu2010:

blame MOE ? blame the parents' kiasu mentality is more like it

Surely, the \"kiasu\" parents have a hand in it.......

However, shd the state stand by and do nothing..?

it's not whether the truth hurts.. but what can be done to alleviate the problem..

Instead of just declaring that \"oh, it is cause by parents.. end of story..\"

When there is a social problem, the state have an obligation to deal with it..

To what extent do we follow the rest of the herd?
Logically we tell ourselves we cannot follow blindly. When these 2 scenarios happen, it's not logic if we sit back anymore:
1) When kids get 80+ in class from tests and parents think it is 'wow, not bad for a P1/2'. Only to realise 80+ is actually near the bottom of class. Then they get sucked into the school environment AFTER PTM.

2) The child fails. He/she is miserable. Teacher doesn't seem to be able to get him/her up on par with the rest. Can any parent possibly sit back and do nothing? During PTM, teacher tells you he/she should do something. Whose responsibility is it?

[larkspur]

my cousins and my uncle are primary school teachers. They would tell me that a lot of parents of p1 to p3 kids engage tutitions and it is really "good business" for them. In fact my cousins and uncle give tuitions at night after school hours and what they earn from tuition at night is more than their basic salary as a school teachers. My whole clan are talking as to how they earning big money to an extent that one cousin give her mum pocket money of $1k every month and she staying in condo with 1 kid and both herself and her hubby are primary school teachers. Sometimes my parents would be in an envy , i told them no choice your daughter me dun like teaching and i am paying tuition teacher to teach my girl

[Laura02]

My dd is in P4 but does not have any tuition in any of the 4 academic subjects. Having said that, dh and I teach her, or should I say guide her. I do not fault parents who send their kids for 2 kindergartens program everyday. Some of dd classmates in kinddy did so, even back then. Their parents were working, and simply didn't want the kids to go home to sit in front of the television. They treated it more like child care. But of course, different people have different motivations.


As for science, it simply explains how and why things around us happen. I did triple science for \"A\" levels. But I started reading philosophical text while in JC. And it just blew me away. Ancient philosophers asked questions about the natural world, which scientist of later centuries answered, and some that modern scientist are still trying to answer! If teaching \"science\" to preschool children simply means getting them curious about the world around them, or getting them to simply to observe the world around them and come up with \"out of the box\" answers; then I say it's good, go for it. If teaching them science involves making them memories facts, then I think it's a little too early.

I am a FTWM, with a MIL who has dementia staying with us. I fully understand the stress and pure exhaustion that comes with work. However, every now and then I try to step back and ask myself what skill sets I want my child to acquire. I do not aim to change the situation, which I am not satisfied with, but I try to change the things I can control. For now, it means no tuition for dd, trying to impart values, trying to teach her the concepts, and lots of free time (which, unfortunately, she uses to play computer games or watch Telly). Then again, maybe next year, I'll get so terrified about the PSLE that I'll send dd for tuition for everything.

[janet88]

Laura02:

Then again, maybe next year, I'll get so terrified about the PSLE that I'll send dd for tuition for everything.

I refused to believe in tuition for subjects like Math, Science and English...thinking I can read, get assessment books, past year exam to coach my kids. Son did ok up till P4. He didn't fail but just couldnt break out of the 60 mark range. Last year P5, I still coached him for Science and English...hubby helped when it came to topics like Electricity.
After failing P5 Math twice...CA1 and SA1, hubby die die refused to get tutor. In June last year, he gave up. After tutor came into the pic, son could slowly start to do his daily homework and passed his SA2 though very marginal.

What has been done to the education system that we need tutors to coach our kids ?

[Funz]

janet_lee88:

Hubby told me his colleague's child attends 2 kindergarten...morn is to attend one which conducts lessons in mandarin, then another kindy which is English-speaking. Child eats biscuits or sandwiches on the way to attend afternoon session.
This is before P1. When the 5 year old boy in ST goes to p1, wont he be having tuition for all 3 subjects ? Not surprising.

So is this cos the child needs it or cos the school is not teaching or cos the parents want it?

[iRabbit]

SAHM_TAN:

My point is that from my observation of my kids, I know small until cannot be small sample size, kids by nature love and want to learn. They are terrible curious creatures. It's not a typo when I state terrible. We do not need to nurture their love for learning. We just need to make sure we don't extinguish it.

I so totally agree with you on this one. This is also what Glenn Doman preached about early childhood education. The thing is, a child's educational journey doesn't start when he reaches P1. It starts way before that and we parents play a big part in the grooming and motivational aspects [though I reserve judgement on the effectiveness of sending kids to 2 kindy per day].

If we put in consistent effort to educate our kids during the early years, in future no matter what external competition they face such as in the form of smart foreign students coming in, I believe they will hold their own and fulfil their potential. Isn't that enough?

Some sure ways to extinguish the fire in our kids are a) expect perfection all the time, nit-picking every small mistake that they make b) bore them by only exposing them to content found within MOE's exam syllabus c) physcially punishing them when they don't meet our expection [to me, this is the biggest disincentive to learn for the quest of knowledge].

[janet88]

Funz:

janet_lee88:

Hubby told me his colleague's child attends 2 kindergarten...morn is to attend one which conducts lessons in mandarin, then another kindy which is English-speaking. Child eats biscuits or sandwiches on the way to attend afternoon session.
This is before P1. When the 5 year old boy in ST goes to p1, wont he be having tuition for all 3 subjects ? Not surprising.

So is this cos the child needs it or cos the school is not teaching or cos the parents want it?

This looks more like kiasu...Only 5 (K1). Parents afraid the son will lose out in P1. Nothing to do with school not teaching at this point.
When my kids were in kindergarten, we will have fun after school...no enrichment whatsoever. Television, computer games, swimming and cycling.