<![CDATA[Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building]]>:!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!: :!:

A local primary school student shocked his classmates when he broke down in class and threatened to jump off the building.

The 12-year-old dashed out of the classroom and dangled half his body out the fifth-floor corridor railing before a teacher managed to pull him in.

The incident occurred last Wednesday afternoon at a primary school in Tampines.

When interview, the teacher who declined to be named, said the primary six student suddenly “lost control” in class and began crying and screaming, scaring his classmate and teacher.

He then rushed out of the classroom and leaned over the railings. A physical education teacher who was nearby managed to catch hold of his legs and pulled him back in time.

Students in adjacent classes were alarmed by the commotion and stepped out of their classrooms to see what was happening.

After he was pulled to safety, the boy received counselling for more than an hour that same afternoon. But he seemed restless and requested for breaks to get food and water from the canteen, the teacher told local Chinese paper, Wanbao.

“He seemed to have calmed down by then, and was seen laughing with his classmates and teacher.” :?

According to sources, it was reported that the boy had an outgoing character and was mischievous. Parents of students at the school who were interviewed say they had heard of the incident from their children. :roll:

“The child may not really intend to commit suicide, but was just being naughty”, said one parent. 😐

Students these days are more influenced by the media, according to a counsellor interviewed by the same paper. “Whereas before, children were more ‘innocent’, the kids these days are more exposed to negative influences from the media”, he said.

They may copy what they see from TV or the Internet, without fully realising the consequence of their actions. “It could also be that the child is under tremendous pressure due to the Primary School Leaving Examination (PLSE), or he could be facing family problems that led to his outburst.” :?:

He said it is important that schools make it easier for students to consult their teachers or counsellors at school when they have a problem.

Source : http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2011/02/22/primary-6-student-tried-to-jump-off-school-building/

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/19489/primary-6-student-tries-to-jump-off-school-buildingRSS for NodeMon, 27 Apr 2026 14:28:30 GMTTue, 22 Feb 2011 03:57:17 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 05:25:20 GMT]]>Again, mentioned somewhere by me, personally I do not like the Singapore Education System, from K1 all the way to Uni. Its a load of rubbish.


Our kids at young age have been pushed too hard, although we maybe ahead of other kids from other country (except maybe behind PRC, an even greater pressure cooker), the end point in the Uni is the same, because all the Humans knowledge is capped at that level.

So really do not understand what’s the rush at early years.

The so call "Learn More Study Less" is also rubbish. The school KPI is to produce good results, so many more supplementary and remedial until the kids may just go crazy. Somemore some have tuition.

And our Singaporean kids, some are lazy and some have too much other distraction (like TV and Games), of course cannot cope. So many schools try their luck, hopefully to jump from neighbourhood school to branded school, by getting in more foreign students, most of them are good students of their country respective sshools. They come here with nothing except study and of course do better than the our spoiled kids.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368692https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368692Sun, 27 Feb 2011 05:25:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 05:10:28 GMT]]>

insider:

hahaha...teachers caught in the system then too bad for them.
I do catch myself thinking that way too... but I try to be gracious and helpful despite the system. I have come to be good friends with some of my son's teachers and cannot help but care for them too.
insider:
... think and challenge (or if you prefer to use a 'milder' word, maybe 'question'?)...
Nothing wrong with this as long as the child does it respectfully. It is not easy for a child to have it out with the Teacher and then still see the Teacher every day. The Daughter went to an elite primary school and because I was working full time then, I asked her to tell one teacher something unpleasant. For 3 years after, that teacher gave her a hard time, and there was nothing I could do because there wasn't really any concrete evidence to catch on. These are real and unpleasant consequences if a parent does not buffer the child.
insider:
I seldom appear in my kids' schools and my kids are empowered (with info) to go and propose things themselves first (I know is not easy but I take it as training) before I get involved.
I do make an effort to build a good relationship with my children's teachers so that when there are unpleasant things to say, I can say them and have the teachers' whole-hearted co-operation and support. It is easier when bucking the trend to have understanding teachers.

I am not trying to say your way is wrong. I am just saying that for other parents faced with the same situation, there are other less combative ways to handle it without putting our kids in a spot.

Putting an extra box to tick is one of them... but it is still my hand that signs the form, not my son's.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368689https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368689Sun, 27 Feb 2011 05:10:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 04:23:13 GMT]]>

Chenonceau:
alng:

I heard about this from a former teacher from my girl's school. She is tutoring my girl now.


Schools tend to drill their PSLE students with other school's prelim papers weeks/days before the PSLE. This former teacher told me that a few years ago, there was this mother who pulled her girl out of school one week before the PSLE so as to prevent her girl from being overly drilled by the school teachers and to get too stressed up. The end result was the girl top in that school for PSLE! 🙂

I know exactly what you mean. Little Boy's grades drop with every new supplementary class. He pontangs school and his grades stay UP. How to perform when you're so tired you can't write straight.

That is probably because when you keep on drilling the child with practice paper after practice paper, there is no time for the child to reflect on why they have gotten certain questions wrong. And it is only when they have understood why they have gotten those questions wrong (could be that they could not understand the concept, they have omitted key words, they have been careless etc), then are these kids able to learn from their mistakes and become better (correct the misconception or learn the concept, know what key words to use, how to check to avoid identify careless mistakes etc). That, to me, is when true learning occurs.

Sometimes, I wonder why teachers bother to do another revision paper when they have yet to mark and go through the previous one with the students. If students do not know what mistakes they have made in the previous paper, how would doing the next revision paper help the students? They will end up making the same mistakes over and over again... Flashing the model answers on the overhead projector is only part of the learning equation as kids need to know why is their answers wrong.

Also agreed with insider that there is no such thing as \"compulsory\". I am one of those \"paisi\" parents who alter the consent forms. But I also take responsibility as a parent for my action. So if I told the teachers I want my kids to opt out from a school's \"compulsory\" activity, then I won't complain about my kid losing out because teachers covered concepts which are within the curriculum during these activities.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368667https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368667Sun, 27 Feb 2011 04:23:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 04:18:59 GMT]]>Chenonceau,


Thanks for sharing.Very true.


Rgds
Leanne

Chenonceau:
insider:

[quote=\"Leanne\"]I also wish to withdraw ds from supp class but its compulsory.

My kids may be 'frightened' at the beginning to challenge authority but I did teach them not to obey authority if authority is obviously wrong.

I don't allow Little Boy to challenge his teachers. Teachers too are caught in the system.

I use my own authority as his parent to fight for him. It's a religious thing. My religion teaches me that it is virtuous to submit to authority as long there is no sin involved. And when I speak out for him, I try to be respectful and gentle with the Teachers. The system is not their fault.[/quote]

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368665https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368665Sun, 27 Feb 2011 04:18:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 04:16:10 GMT]]>

insider:
Leanne:

I also wish to withdraw ds from supp class but its compulsory.

My kids may be 'frightened' at the beginning to challenge authority but I did teach them not to obey authority if authority is obviously wrong.

I don't allow Little Boy to challenge his teachers. Teachers too are caught in the system. And also, it is a battle that is hard for Little Boy to win.

I use my own authority as his parent to fight for him. It's a religious thing. My religion teaches me that it is virtuous to submit to authority as long there is no sin involved. And when I speak out for him, I try to be respectful and gentle with the Teachers. The system is not their fault.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368664https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368664Sun, 27 Feb 2011 04:16:10 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 04:12:54 GMT]]>

Leanne:
I also wish to withdraw ds from supp class but its compulsory.

Chenonceau:

[quote=\"alng\"]I heard about this from a former teacher from my girl's school. She is tutoring my girl now.

Schools tend to drill their PSLE students with other school's prelim papers weeks/days before the PSLE. This former teacher told me that a few years ago, there was this mother who pulled her girl out of school one week before the PSLE so as to prevent her girl from being overly drilled by the school teachers and to get too stressed up. The end result was the girl top in that school for PSLE! 🙂

I know exactly what you mean. Little Boy's grades drop with every new supplementary class. He pontangs school and his grades stay UP. How to perform when you're so tired you can't write straight.

[/quote]It cannot be compulsory. You are the legal guardian and what you say goes.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368662https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368662Sun, 27 Feb 2011 04:12:54 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 03:53:22 GMT]]>I also wish to withdraw ds from supp class but its compulsory.

Chenonceau:
alng:

I heard about this from a former teacher from my girl's school. She is tutoring my girl now.

Schools tend to drill their PSLE students with other school's prelim papers weeks/days before the PSLE. This former teacher told me that a few years ago, there was this mother who pulled her girl out of school one week before the PSLE so as to prevent her girl from being overly drilled by the school teachers and to get too stressed up. The end result was the girl top in that school for PSLE! 🙂

I know exactly what you mean. Little Boy's grades drop with every new supplementary class. He pontangs school and his grades stay UP. How to perform when you're so tired you can't write straight.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368658https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368658Sun, 27 Feb 2011 03:53:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 03:45:46 GMT]]>

alng:
I heard about this from a former teacher from my girl's school. She is tutoring my girl now.


Schools tend to drill their PSLE students with other school's prelim papers weeks/days before the PSLE. This former teacher told me that a few years ago, there was this mother who pulled her girl out of school one week before the PSLE so as to prevent her girl from being overly drilled by the school teachers and to get too stressed up. The end result was the girl top in that school for PSLE! 🙂
I know exactly what you mean. Little Boy's grades drop with every new supplementary class. He pontangs school and his grades stay UP. How to perform when you're so tired you can't write straight.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368655https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368655Sun, 27 Feb 2011 03:45:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 03:09:06 GMT]]>I heard about this from a former teacher from my girl’s school. She is tutoring my girl now.


Schools tend to drill their PSLE students with other school’s prelim papers weeks/days before the PSLE. This former teacher told me that a few years ago, there was this mother who pulled her girl out of school one week before the PSLE so as to prevent her girl from being overly drilled by the school teachers and to get too stressed up. The end result was the girl top in that school for PSLE! 🙂

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368647https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368647Sun, 27 Feb 2011 03:09:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 02:13:46 GMT]]>I always prided myself as a mother who sets high standards for her children and pushes them to achieve their best.


It comes as a jolting surprise to realize that in the past 3 years, I collude with my children more and more to PONTANG school so that they can retain some semblance of emotional balance. I am not the only one. The Daughter’s classmates pontang with parent letters. One mother huffily told the teacher "I am quite sure that if my daughter misses school, she knows what she is doing". And when I see Little Boy too tired, I keep him home too.

The standards are so high that time becomes a critical resource. The hours spent travelling to and from school… is time away from practice, and time not spent sleeping. You don’t have time like in the past to bear patiently and respectfully with poor teachers who waste time because time becomes precious given the demands of the exams.

It is terrible when parents have to protect their kids this way from a system meant to help them.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368635https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368635Sun, 27 Feb 2011 02:13:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 01:39:15 GMT]]>So important is that we must always communicate with the children and understand what is the stress or problem that they are facing. Always tell dd to treat PSLE like the SA1 or SA2 that she has been going through since P2. Exam is just an exam and we would not scarify her favour show time and leisure time lah.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368623https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368623Sun, 27 Feb 2011 01:39:15 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 01:12:28 GMT]]>Just gotten the latest news, the boy is from Chong zheng in Tampines. My friend’s child is from that school. Pr 6 is damn stressful, I really hope those P6 children are not victims of school trying too hard to gain top place. I also heard that the boy was called to the stage and get scolded by the new principal…new boss at work…

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368610https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/368610Sun, 27 Feb 2011 01:12:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:57:25 GMT]]>

Chenonceau:
alng:

As our children grow up, they become more and more unhappy with all the homework and stress that they are facing. As a parent, I have to constantly remind myself that my greatest wish for my children is for them to be happy and healthy. Even that simple wish is not easily materialised.


Must give them enough time to play. Little Boy's teacher suggested that he do practices on Sunday when I complained that supplementary classes interfered with his home practice schedule and he was very tired. Sunday is play day... all day. Little Boy knows it is play day and I will never touch his play day so the rest of the week, he is prepared to work all day.

If I take away play day, he will be desperate for play and will try and squeeze out play wherever he can. This sets the child up for disobedience. Children do need to play and parents should respect and protect play time.

In the end, I told Teacher that I didn't want supplementary classes for Little Boy. After all, his grades are in the 90s and his Chinese is improving by leaps and bounds with our Compo Memorizing Experiment. He has been much happier and more willing to focus and work after I pulled him outta supplementary class.

I totally agree with you about play day. We also try to keep the weekends free so that no. 1 can finish all his work by Saturday so that Sunday is just of rest for the entire family. Therefore, we ensure that whatever enrichment classes any of the kids sign up would have to be on a weekday.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367242https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367242Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:57:25 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:39:02 GMT]]>

alng:
As our children grow up, they become more and more unhappy with all the homework and stress that they are facing. As a parent, I have to constantly remind myself that my greatest wish for my children is for them to be happy and healthy. Even that simple wish is not easily materialised.

Must give them enough time to play. Little Boy's teacher suggested that he do practices on Sunday when I complained that supplementary classes interfered with his home practice schedule and he was very tired. Sunday is play day... all day. Little Boy knows it is play day and I will never touch his play day so the rest of the week, he is prepared to work all day.

If I take away play day, he will be desperate for play and will try and squeeze out play wherever he can. This sets the child up for disobedience. Children do need to play and parents should respect and protect play time.

In the end, I told Teacher that I didn't want supplementary classes for Little Boy. After all, his grades are in the 90s and his Chinese is improving by leaps and bounds with our Compo Memorizing Experiment. He has been much happier and more willing to focus and work after I pulled him outta supplementary class.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367006https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367006Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:39:02 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:33:12 GMT]]>

ANobleNerd:
verykiasu2010:

I always remember a story I read some time ago.


A father would now and then take the boy to playground but only for a little while because he wanted to boy to work hard and not play too much

Kids being kids and you know, when you are at the playground with the kids, it is hard to pull them away.....

One day, as usual the father hurried his boy to go home.....and his boy pleaded with him...\"Dad, 5 more minutes 😉 \" but the Dad soon got angry and so the son obliged to go home quickly while he went to a nearby store to get some grocery...

After the father reached home with his grocery, he did not see his son at home, thinking his son was still at the playground. So with an angry mood he went back to the playground to look for his son but he was not there.

Not far away a crowd was gathering. It was a traffic accident. The father thought nothing about it and went home, angry. Later, the police came knocking at his door .......

His son took a short cut trying to get home earlier to please his dad but was knocked down by a speeding car .... the crowd he saw gathered at the road was it ...... by then it is too late, if only he agreed to give his son that \"5 more minutes\" .......that \"5 more minutes\" became a lifelong regret

Parents, sometimes that \"5 more minutes\" really meant a lot more than 5 more marks in the exams

In this story, it's obvious that the fault lies solely with the son. He was disobedient - and his disobedience was compounded by his taking a short cut, and his not taking note of the road conditions in crossing the road.

Why blame the father for enforcing what is right?

Why should the father feel guilty in expecting the son to obey him?

The only regret is that the father didn't allow the son's 5 minutes - but on the other hand, if the father gave in that 5 minutes, the son might also exhaust that 5 minutes and do the same thing and return via the short cut and cross the road without thought.

The point I'm making is this, the parent-child relationship is dynamic. There are factors outside the relationship that would also affect this relationship. The father expecting the son to obey him, is doing it out of love because he grants the son time to play, but there is the need to work. Why vilify his actions? Why create doubts for what he did out of love?

As for child suicides, there are factors living in this day and age that influence our kids that as parents we may find it difficult to counter. The media, for one is such an influence. The cry for help is exponentially depicted in the form of attempted suicides, self-mutilation or rebellion. Media characters turn to their friends for resolution to conflicts, but their parents are usually portrayed as clueless, villians or neglectful.

It becomes for parents a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. If you push your child to excel, you're afraid of pushing him too far. If you don't push your child to excel, you're afraid that he never attempt to realise his full potential.

Because excellence in Singapore is so narrow - PSLE results, schools that you can go to - it reduces the vision we have for our kids. We find it difficult to celebrate our kids' talents simply because most of their other talents are not officially recognised and our tunnel vision refocus on those elusive A*s, skimming over whatever achievements they have already garnered.

We need to take a step back and re-envision what success means for our children. I agree with the parents here who note that effort, rather than grade is the key to what we need to teach our kids.

However, that is not enough.

As parents, we need to continue advocating a change in our education system, not only for our children - but also for our children's children. We need to continue expecting our govt to make positive policies to expand the areas where we can celebrate our children's efforts and talents. SOTA and the Sports School is a step, but we need to dream bigger. We need to
believe that every child matters, and not only the gifted, the academically inclined or those who can regurgitate information. We need to celebrate the kids on the fringe, the dreamers, those that see things differently.

After all, those kids not only think outside the box, they practically live outside the box.

:goodpost: Nice balance.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367003https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/367003Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:33:12 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:18:46 GMT]]>As our children grow up, they become more and more unhappy with all the homework and stress that they are facing. As a parent, I have to constantly remind myself that my greatest wish for my children is for them to be happy and healthy. Even that simple wish is not easily materialised.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366989https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366989Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:18:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:02:07 GMT]]>

verykiasu2010:
I always remember a story I read some time ago.


A father would now and then take the boy to playground but only for a little while because he wanted to boy to work hard and not play too much

Kids being kids and you know, when you are at the playground with the kids, it is hard to pull them away.....

One day, as usual the father hurried his boy to go home.....and his boy pleaded with him...\"Dad, 5 more minutes 😉 \" but the Dad soon got angry and so the son obliged to go home quickly while he went to a nearby store to get some grocery...

After the father reached home with his grocery, he did not see his son at home, thinking his son was still at the playground. So with an angry mood he went back to the playground to look for his son but he was not there.

Not far away a crowd was gathering. It was a traffic accident. The father thought nothing about it and went home, angry. Later, the police came knocking at his door .......

His son took a short cut trying to get home earlier to please his dad but was knocked down by a speeding car .... the crowd he saw gathered at the road was it ...... by then it is too late, if only he agreed to give his son that \"5 more minutes\" .......that \"5 more minutes\" became a lifelong regret

Parents, sometimes that \"5 more minutes\" really meant a lot more than 5 more marks in the exams
In this story, it's obvious that the fault lies solely with the son. He was disobedient - and his disobedience was compounded by his taking a short cut, and his not taking note of the road conditions in crossing the road.

Why blame the father for enforcing what is right?

Why should the father feel guilty in expecting the son to obey him?

The only regret is that the father didn't allow the son's 5 minutes - but on the other hand, if the father gave in that 5 minutes, the son might also exhaust that 5 minutes and do the same thing and return via the short cut and cross the road without thought.

The point I'm making is this, the parent-child relationship is dynamic. There are factors outside the relationship that would also affect this relationship. The father expecting the son to obey him, is doing it out of love because he grants the son time to play, but there is the need to work. Why vilify his actions? Why create doubts for what he did out of love?

As for child suicides, there are factors living in this day and age that influence our kids that as parents we may find it difficult to counter. The media, for one is such an influence. The cry for help is exponentially depicted in the form of attempted suicides, self-mutilation or rebellion. Media characters turn to their friends for resolution to conflicts, but their parents are usually portrayed as clueless, villians or neglectful.

It becomes for parents a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. If you push your child to excel, you're afraid of pushing him too far. If you don't push your child to excel, you're afraid that he never attempt to realise his full potential.

Because excellence in Singapore is so narrow - PSLE results, schools that you can go to - it reduces the vision we have for our kids. We find it difficult to celebrate our kids' talents simply because most of their other talents are not officially recognised and our tunnel vision refocus on those elusive A*s, skimming over whatever achievements they have already garnered.

We need to take a step back and re-envision what success means for our children. I agree with the parents here who note that effort, rather than grade is the key to what we need to teach our kids.

However, that is not enough.

As parents, we need to continue advocating a change in our education system, not only for our children - but also for our children's children. We need to continue expecting our govt to make positive policies to expand the areas where we can celebrate our children's efforts and talents. SOTA and the Sports School is a step, but we need to dream bigger. We need to
believe that every child matters, and not only the gifted, the academically inclined or those who can regurgitate information. We need to celebrate the kids on the fringe, the dreamers, those that see things differently.

After all, those kids not only think outside the box, they practically live outside the box.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366979https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366979Thu, 24 Feb 2011 11:02:07 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 10:23:36 GMT]]>

verykiasu2010:
I always remember a story I read some time ago.


A father would now and then take the boy to playground but only for a little while because he wanted to boy to work hard and not play too much

Kids being kids and you know, when you are at the playground with the kids, it is hard to pull them away.....

One day, as usual the father hurried his boy to go home.....and his boy pleaded with him...\"Dad, 5 more minutes 😉 \" but the Dad soon got angry and so the son obliged to go home quickly while he went to a nearby store to get some grocery...

After the father reached home with his grocery, he did not see his son at home, thinking his son was still at the playground. So with an angry mood he went back to the playground to look for his son but he was not there.

Not far away a crowd was gathering. It was a traffic accident. The father thought nothing about it and went home, angry. Later, the police came knocking at his door .......

His son took a short cut trying to get home earlier to please his dad but was knocked down by a speeding car .... the crowd he saw gathered at the road was it ...... by then it is too late, if only he agreed to give his son that \"5 more minutes\" .......that \"5 more minutes\" became a lifelong regret

Parents, sometimes that \"5 more minutes\" really meant a lot more than 5 more marks in the exams
This story made me cry.

Yes... it's always good for parents to LISTEN to the urgency in a child's voice or his fear or his disappointment and give in. We always think we wanna mould our children and we know what is best. Sometimes, we know too little to be effective... because we don't LISTEN and HEAR the unsaid.

Children all want their parents' approval... and sometimes it is touching to see the lengths to which mine go to make me happy. Ohhhh... this is so so sad.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366960https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366960Thu, 24 Feb 2011 10:23:36 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:48:44 GMT]]>I always remember a story I read some time ago.


A father would now and then take the boy to playground but only for a little while because he wanted to boy to work hard and not play too much

Kids being kids and you know, when you are at the playground with the kids, it is hard to pull them away.....

One day, as usual the father hurried his boy to go home.....and his boy pleaded with him...\"Dad, 5 more minutes 😉 \" but the Dad soon got angry and so the son obliged to go home quickly while he went to a nearby store to get some grocery...

After the father reached home with his grocery, he did not see his son at home, thinking his son was still at the playground. So with an angry mood he went back to the playground to look for his son but he was not there.

Not far away a crowd was gathering. It was a traffic accident. The father thought nothing about it and went home, angry. Later, the police came knocking at his door .......

His son took a short cut trying to get home earlier to please his dad but was knocked down by a speeding car .... the crowd he saw gathered at the road was it ...... by then it is too late, if only he agreed to give his son that \"5 more minutes\" .......that \"5 more minutes\" became a lifelong regret

Parents, sometimes that \"5 more minutes\" really meant a lot more than 5 more marks in the exams

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366932https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366932Thu, 24 Feb 2011 09:48:44 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 07:38:22 GMT]]>

schweppes:
verykiasu2010:

it is one thing to stress on grades and good schools......but of equal emphasis must be to tell the kids as long they have done their best (not the parents' best), it will be okay and not loved less.don't expect the kids to reach the sky if he / she can't.

:goodpost:

Fully agree with you vk2010. I came across this phrase once and I find it so meaningful.

\"Too often, parents worry about what our children will become tomorrow, and yet we forget that they are someone special today.

It's very sad to read about what that boy tried to do. It shows that students today are under so much stress and pressure from school, peers and parents.


Totally agree with both of you. I think it's very sad when kids are so stressed about their grades and exams that they don't have time to just enjoy their childhood.

There's no doubt that our education system is top-quality and efficient, and our standards are among the highest in the world. But at what cost?

As parents, we want the best for our kids so we often push them. But we must also remind ourselves not to get so caught up in this rat race that we rob our kids of their childhood.

It's our responsibility to ensure that our kids grow up with a balanced and healthy outlook. Yes we need to encourage them to work hard and do their best, and some amount of competitiveness is always good. But we must never forget to appreciate them for who they are and to remember that every child has different gifts and different interests.

My hubby and I always tell ourselves that we must never kill our child's passion for learning. But it's easier said than done, I know...

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366779https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366779Thu, 24 Feb 2011 07:38:22 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:52:24 GMT]]>

Chenonceau:
This is my son's opinion about why children commit suicide...


http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2011/02/more-on-useless-textbooks.html
I don't know whether to cry or to laugh at what your dear son said. There is innocent truth and wisdom in what he said (and at such a young age) but it is all so sad too 😢

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366454https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366454Thu, 24 Feb 2011 01:52:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:59:13 GMT]]>This is my son's opinion about why children commit suicide...


http://petunialee.blogspot.com/2011/02/more-on-useless-textbooks.html

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366185https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/366185Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:59:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 01:25:35 GMT]]>

verykiasu2010:
it is one thing to stress on grades and good schools......but of equal emphasis must be to tell the kids as long they have done their best (not the parents' best), it will be okay and not loved less.


don't expect the kids to reach the sky if he / she can't.

parents ought to be realistic with their expectation based on the kids' ability

and please don't compare between siblings. they can rival among themselves but parents must set the tone and the overriding consideration is doing one's best and be honest about it, esp in the same household with kids of different ability in different schools
Totally agree with you! I know some parents put emphasis on results (my husband is guilty of this) but I put emphasis on EFFORT. Once the kids have put in their best effort, whatever results they get is what we'll have to accept. I only wish our school system would recognise that too.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/365391https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/365391Wed, 23 Feb 2011 01:25:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Primary 6 student tries to jump off school building on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:41:58 GMT]]>This is really sad. Whether the boy fully intended to throw himself off the building, or if he was doing it out of mischief, it’s still a cry for help. And the parents, teachers and friends have to keep a close eye on him.


There have been too many cases of schoolkids committing suicide. Many are not even reported in the papers. Sad.

]]>https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/365003https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/365003Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:41:58 GMT