All About Learning Tamil

[jacsplace]

Hi, thanks very much for sharing.


So your hubby can speak, read, write Tamil?

[Sun_2010]

Similar state


DS is in P2. I can speak pretty well but cant read or write
DH can read and write wellbut he is doesnt teach as he hardly finds the time to

Holding out tution till now but probably will need to get next year …

[Sun_2010]

An tips on how to improve standard?

Trying to get him to reading regularly, but somehow cannot get him to do it. Only some days he does then its back to no reading, sigh!

[jacsplace]

Dear Sun_2010,

At least you can speak Tamil! My husband and I can’t speak, read and write it. We tell teachers that, but their only advice is that at least one of us must speak Tamil to the kids so that they will pick it up eventually.

[Sun_2010]

jacsplace:

Dear Sun_2010,

At least you can speak Tamil! My husband and I can't speak, read and write it. We tell teachers that, but their only advice is that at least one of us must speak Tamil to the kids so that they will pick it up eventually.

How old is your child ? Is he/she good in languages, that will help a lot.
Otherwise ,oh boy, you face an uphill task.

I have sent you a pm .

[jacsplace]

Hi Sun_2010, I have replied to your pm, thanks for that.


My children are eight and six, in P3 and P1. They’re good in English, but have no interest in other languages.

Yes, we face an uphill task, which is why I created this topic in the hope that others like me can share their experiences.

[Sun_2010]

jacsplace:

Hi Sun_2010, I have replied to your pm, thanks for that.


My children are eight and six, in P3 and P1. They're good in English, but have no interest in other languages.

Yes, we face an uphill task, which is why I created this topic in the hope that others like me can share their experiences.

Hi jacsplace,

Thanks for starting this.
Does the school have MT activities ?

In my son's school, last month they had MT week . So they had 3 days of activities and then one day of competitions by level. That kind of helped in developing a little more interest in Tamil for my son.

So far he is ok with school work, but refuses to speak at home, so his actual grasp of the language is low. I am trying to develop that for once in upper primary onwards that is what is going to help ...


Still a long way to go.

When I went to the book shop on Serangoon road, the lady there said how the syllabus has been dumbed down for P1/P2s . But even with that our kids are finding it tough to master. Sigh!

[HAPPYH]

Our mother tongue is not Tamil as well. My DD suffers a lot too. But the syllabus is quite reasonable. The easiest way to pick Tamil easily is watch Tamil movies and Tamil channels (make sure they are age appropriate:) It might help.

[jacsplace]

Dear Sun_2010,


My son’s school has an MT week each year. This year, he was given a little badge but when I asked him for details of what happened each day, he just looked away and said "nothing". He’s okay with school work too. He’s very concerned about tests and will study for them.

My daughter’s school doesn’t have such a thing. She’s been fine with school work until P3 this year. Now she fails almost everything, or just passes (6 upon 10, for example).

They both don’t like watch kids’ Tamil TV shows. I wouldn’t mind watching an adult show with them, but most of them are too melodramatic – too much crying! There was a Singapore-made drama set in a school, but I think that’s over now.

If Vasantham showed kids shows on Saturdays and Sundays, I would tune in to those. I don’t understand why they don’t bother. SINDA doesn’t provide any Tamil assistance either. It’s like we’re thrown into the sea and not taught how to swim because the assumption is that we must know how to swim because we were born on an island. But skills need to be taught, right? We’re not born knowing them! Walking, talking – these are all skills that babies need to be taught. They are not taught knowing them. So why should speaking, reading, writing Tamil be any different? Yet this is what my kids’ Tamil teachers tell me. I simply must do it. Even when I tell them I don’t know how to, they simply say I must do it.

[HAPPYH]

jacsplace:

Dear Sun_2010,


My son's school has an MT week each year. This year, he was given a little badge but when I asked him for details of what happened each day, he just looked away and said \"nothing\". He's okay with school work too. He's very concerned about tests and will study for them.

My daughter's school doesn't have such a thing. She's been fine with school work until P3 this year. Now she fails almost everything, or just passes (6 upon 10, for example).

They both don't like watch kids' Tamil TV shows. I wouldn't mind watching an adult show with them, but most of them are too melodramatic -- too much crying! There was a Singapore-made drama set in a school, but I think that's over now.

If Vasantham showed kids shows on Saturdays and Sundays, I would tune in to those. I don't understand why they don't bother. SINDA doesn't provide any Tamil assistance either. It's like we're thrown into the sea and not taught how to swim because the assumption is that we must know how to swim because we were born on an island. But skills need to be taught, right? We're not born knowing them! Walking, talking -- these are all skills that babies need to be taught. They are not taught knowing them. So why should speaking, reading, writing Tamil be any different? Yet this is what my kids' Tamil teachers tell me. I simply must do it. Even when I tell them I don't know how to, they simply say I must do it.

I can understand your situation and we are sailing on almost the same boat. You can ask them to watch chotta beem on friday evenings.