Why students study more during school holidays
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bbbay\" post_id=\"2135342\" time=\"1718933540\" user_id=\"175278:
FSBB does not allow an O level student the social mobility to upgrade to IP track. This is the frustration and causes the high stakes mentality of PSLE.
I think students are given further chances after PSLE to do better. Now with full subject base banding, students are only place into lower stream for the subject(s) didn’t perform well during PSLE. Other subjects are streamed into G3 level. And if students improve subsequently they can rejoin G3 band.
If the stress is due to not able to get into IP schools, I think we can see it in different light. Just like only the top income bracket can afford to purchase landed property. The majority of us (90%?) stay in public housing. Life still goes on for the 90% of us and it is commonly acceptable by us adult. Why not view our children not able to get into IP schools in the same light as most adult can’t afford landed property?
I think the issue lie in students at PSLE age are immature in handling being compared to those that have done relatively well. We adults can help them by not adding the pressure onto them
If u want to use landed property as a parallel, what if i were to tell u that if by age 40 u arent rich enough to buy landed, u forever cannot buy landed, even if u strike toto or finally promoted to CEO at age 50, how fair would that sound? -
ChiefKiasu\" post_id=\"2135339\" time=\"1718932933\" user_id=\"3:
Repeating A levels is demoralizing for an 18 year old (who is nearly an adult).
I feel repeating levels is extremely demoralizing for kids, despite its obvious forgiving nature. Even if you get good results at the repeat, I think employers would nitpick the fact.
Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that students are being streamed too early into various categories. I think more should be done to expose kids to more possible routes earlier in Secondary school so that they can become more sure of what they want their career to be.
And being streamed at PSLE into a non choice school, or failing to get into IP, is not demoralizing for a 12 year old?
Which is more damaging?
As far as I can tell, the tuition fever is not as severe or intense in the A level / IB stage (it is still present, just not as pervasive) than at the PSLE stage. There are a number of subjects that have no tuition services at those levels either, unlike the PSLE. Noone has a choice of subjects at the PSLE - it is the bluntest form of streaming. At the A levels/IB stage, there is some leeway to pick subjects according to your interests and inclinations. -
bbbay\" post_id=\"2135342\" time=\"1718933540\" user_id=\"175278:
Fully agree with your last point.
I think students are given further chances after PSLE to do better. Now with full subject base banding, students are only place into lower stream for the subject(s) didn’t perform well during PSLE. Other subjects are streamed into G3 level. And if students improve subsequently they can rejoin G3 band.
If the stress is due to not able to get into IP schools, I think we can see it in different light. Just like only the top income bracket can afford to purchase landed property. The majority of us (90%?) stay in public housing. Life still goes on for the 90% of us and it is commonly acceptable by us adult. Why not view our children not able to get into IP schools in the same light as most adult can’t afford landed property?
I think the issue lie in students at PSLE age are immature in handling being compared to those that have done relatively well. We adults can help them by not adding the pressure onto them
The reason why I could refrain from pressuring the kids too far, aside from religious perspectives, is because since our kids were born, we had made preparations that we may have to seek alternative paths for the kids as they may not thrive in the system. This is because my son had global developmental delay and we were told to prepare that he could not join in mainstream P1. If I didn't have the mentality and if I had not deliberately put aside resources, I am very sure I would also be swept into the narrative of the FOMO and asking kids to aspire towards this and that. I was also greatly humbled and cognizant of how tough things could be for a child who is academically slower at the start. Till today, I still have to remind myself to be careful what I say or how I convey things to my kids, especially the one taking national exams, in case I inevitably pass my anxiety and kiasu-ness on to them, or misconvey what I value about them and their journey.
On landed property, I shudder to think if kids would also continually nag at us adults to do our best in our careers, to fulfil our potentials, to try our best to get that landed property. I would have died of stress if this is how my kids view me. -
I think the IP idea is great! Frees up curriculum time to provide broader education within the limited timeframe. Resources are always finite so eligibility via meritocracy is by far the most unbiased method of allocating the resources. If a child does not qualify at P6, there is always transfers at sec Sch or O level, a second chance. Otherwise not getting into IP is also not a big deal because all roads lead to Rome. We may or will end up with a degree somehow otherwise there’s always continuous learning or upgrading opportunities after working
NB: I have never thought being eligible for IP is a big deal or vice versa and I am sure many parents feel the same so not sure what’s the grind here? -
I do not think PSLE will be removed from our educational system anytime soon because it just went through a reform (from tscore to AL banding) just couple of years back.
One suggestion I can make is to make the AL bands wider. For example, just need 85 marks (from current 90) to score AL1. Exams should just be used to test a 12yo proficiency in the subject and not rank them.
In the old tscore system, 91% is almost as good as getting an A-star. There is not much of a difference between scoring 90% and 91%. If a parent is hoping for 90, it is as good as asking the kid try to score 4 A-stars. Of cos child would need to go for tuition lah. As to why MOE sets AL1 at 90 it could be that they still want to keep RI and HCI as the top top schools. Or else, as long as a kid can hit a proficiency of 85 marks, just let them have a chance to be balloted into these top top schools too.
A difference of 5 marks could drop to next AL banding, is likely to give PSLE parents heart attack because 5 marks it’s like one cannot afford to get additional 2 MCQ wrong for every subject!! -
zac's mum\" post_id=\"2135343\" time=\"1718934169\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2135343 time=1718934169 user_id=53606]
Good morning Zac's mum,
FSBB does not allow an O level student the social mobility to upgrade to IP track. This is the frustration and causes the high stakes mentality of PSLE.
If u want to use landed property as a parallel, what if i were to tell u that if by age 40 u arent rich enough to buy landed, u forever cannot buy landed, even if u strike toto or finally promoted to CEO at age 50, how fair would that sound?[/quote]
, it seems you are 有点在钻牛角尖 . Not allow to upgrade to IP track does not mean kids cannot go or not allow to go for university in future. There are so many students in NUS, NTU and SMU are not from IP track.
Whether people will consider kids in O / N level are second-rate and those in IP track are first grade - Yes, some people may think in this way - but I believe not most people - at least, for me - I believe Zac and the 2 dds from Mrs. Kiasu are the best after staying in this forum for 2 years.
Sometimes, we cannot too care how other people think - if you 活在別人的想法中, then it will be a hard life for you and Zac.
I have a classmate - who is a very famous professor in university now - did not have a very good results in his A level. He had 3 attempts to sit for A Level exam before he went to university for degree. Most people will appreciate his 毅力 and not one will have any adverse feeling on him. -
zac's mum\" post_id=\"2135343\" time=\"1718934169\" user_id=\"53606:[quote=\"zac's mum\" post_id=2135343 time=1718934169 user_id=53606]
If a person strike Toto or become a CEO later in life, I think he may do even better - will go beyond landed property or not. While others’ option may be limited, to continue to work to pay for the landed property mortgage, the Toto winner may even decide landed property is not for him/her anymore, choose to live in a yacht that can berth anywhere him/her fancy, or a bigger farm with change of seasons instead. The CEO may even wonder why did he work so hard to aim for a landed property when he can now travel around the world during work, taste the culture of different cities, for the joys these excitements bring.
FSBB does not allow an O level student the social mobility to upgrade to IP track. This is the frustration and causes the high stakes mentality of PSLE.
If u want to use landed property as a parallel, what if i were to tell u that if by age 40 u arent rich enough to buy landed, u forever cannot buy landed, even if u strike toto or finally promoted to CEO at age 50, how fair would that sound?[/quote]
What I think is, IP schools is one of the many means, to the end. We may be even glad we did not decide over committed to a landed property early, have to work hard to service it, and miss the opportunity to have less baggages, for a lighter heart to travel around the world -
bbbay\" post_id=\"2135357\" time=\"1718946989\" user_id=\"175278:
塞翁失马,焉知非福. :roll:
If a person strike Toto or become a CEO later in life, I think he may do even better - will go beyond landed property or not. While others’ option may be limited, to continue to work to pay for the landed property mortgage, the Toto winner may even decide landed property is not for him/her anymore, choose to live in a yacht that can berth anywhere him/her fancy, or a bigger farm with change of seasons instead. The CEO may even wonder why did he work so hard to aim for a landed property when he can now travel around the world during work, taste the culture of different cities, for the joys these excitements bring.
What I think is, IP schools is one of the many means, to the end. We may be even glad we did not decide over committed to a landed property early, have to work hard to service it, and miss the opportunity to have less baggages, for a lighter heart to travel around the world -
lee_yl\" post_id=\"2135350\" time=\"1718938419\" user_id=\"17023:
The costs of each PSLE Multiple choice wrong answer is ... 2 marks.
I do not think PSLE will be removed from our educational system anytime soon because it just went through a reform (from tscore to AL banding) just couple of years back.
One suggestion I can make is to make the AL bands wider. For example, just need 85 marks (from current 90) to score AL1. Exams should just be used to test a 12yo proficiency in the subject and not rank them.
In the old tscore system, 91% is almost as good as getting an A-star. There is not much of a difference between scoring 90% and 91%. If a parent is hoping for 90, it is as good as asking the kid try to score 4 A-stars. Of cos child would need to go for tuition lah. As to why MOE sets AL1 at 90 it could be that they still want to keep RI and HCI as the top top schools. Or else, as long as a kid can hit a proficiency of 85 marks, just let them have a chance to be balloted into these top top schools too.
A difference of 5 marks could drop to next AL banding, is likely to give PSLE parents heart attack because 5 marks it’s like one cannot afford to get additional 2 MCQ wrong for every subject!!
If a student get more than 5 MCQs wrong in PSLE Science, bye bye, there goes his (her) AL 1.
(90 marks & above) -
so many different roads (route), different path to walk upon, lead to the same Rome, eventually.
Will you die, if you don’t end up in IP ?
Whether u come from IP or from O level track, at the end of aged 18, what is the name of that common A level National exam to sit for ?
Answer -
GCE “A” level
So,
will you die, if u don’t end up in Sec 1 (IP) programme?
Of course not !
so, why or what’s this sudden fuss over this “IP” thing?
If you,
as a parent (whether u are a father or a mother) ,
start to have this warped (wrong) thinking that your own kid not able to end up in Sec 1 (IP) programme, is a source of embarassment to yourself
Or
you begin to feel inferior for your child for not being able to join the “IP” league
and
somehow during the course of conversation(s) with your own child, you seem to focus on this “LACK”,
then,
sad to say, I feel very Sorry, for your kid.
Why ?
Because
you as a parent, are passing on or rubbing on your sense of inferiority complex of not being able to join IP onto your poor child. And your poor child can sense it immediately, because you are the one in the family, closest to him (her).
So,
get rid of this NEGATIVE thinking, Negative emotion inside you (parents). Every child Is uniquely created by God. Everyone has own unique talent, whether they come from O level track, or otherwise.