2012 PSLE Discussions and Strategy
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Actually I was so sure since last year that there will be no vacation this June due to PSLE prep but when I see how hard dd works & the stress she faces (which we are unaware of), it pains my heart. The other day, she shared out aloud "you have no idea the amount of stress I face" & that broke my heart & set me thinking, ya as a mom & adult, I am very well aware of the stress of PSLE but am I truly aware of the stress that my dear child faces in school from her teachers & friends? And also her stress in managing & meeting our expectations of her? Yes, she is not even 12 yet but how should I expect my dear child to be able to handle all the stress as if it wouldn’t affect her more than it would on hubby & me?
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Honey:
Actually I was so sure since last year that there will be no vacation this June due to PSLE prep but when I see how hard dd works & the stress she faces (which we are unaware of), it pains my heart. The other day, she shared out aloud \"you have no idea the amount of stress I face\" & that broke my heart & set me thinking, ya as a mom & adult, I am very well aware of the stress of PSLE but am I truly aware of the stress that my dear child faces in school from her teachers & friends? And also her stress in managing & meeting our expectations of her? Yes, she is not even 12 yet but how should I expect my dear child to be able to handle all the stress as if it wouldn't affect her more than it would on hubby & me?
Hi Honey,
My heart goes out to you and your DD.. she must be feeling super stress to have that outburst. Have a good talk with her. A short holiday will be good so that your DD would get burn out.
DH and i have been assuring DD that we are all on the same boat with her, she is not alone dealing this PSLE. If DD feels lethagic, we either go for an evening jog, play badminton or take my dog out for a short walk just to relieve her stress. By spending some time outdoors can do wonders.
I have been telling myself and DD, we work hard as a team now and one thing for sure - everything will come to an end by 3 October. So give your best and have no regrets! :imcool:
All the best to you and DD ! Fighting ! :rahrah: -
fightingmom:
Honey:
Actually I was so sure since last year that there will be no vacation this June due to PSLE prep but when I see how hard dd works & the stress she faces (which we are unaware of), it pains my heart. The other day, she shared out aloud \"you have no idea the amount of stress I face\" & that broke my heart & set me thinking, ya as a mom & adult, I am very well aware of the stress of PSLE but am I truly aware of the stress that my dear child faces in school from her teachers & friends? And also her stress in managing & meeting our expectations of her? Yes, she is not even 12 yet but how should I expect my dear child to be able to handle all the stress as if it wouldn't affect her more than it would on hubby & me?
Hi Honey,
Ooops ! Should be :
A short holiday will be good so that your DD would get NOT burn out.
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In 2011, DD’s English teacher said 3 compos a term was what they were required to do. As I had DD1’s filing list for English compos from 2009, we already knew the topics [yes, they were writing the same compos 2 years on ].
In the P5 EOY hols, DD had some practice with these so when it came to the actual writing in school, DD was in a good position because she had (a) sighted Jie Jie’s writing (b) practiced at least once before on her own
had the benefit of my critique on her piece and (d) had done corrections for that piece. Her final work in school was thus above average.
The point here of course being that you can’t rely just on the school to get better at compo writing. It takes practice and as with all things, if you have an "expert" mentor at your side ( Eg Tutor/Mummy/Daddy) and/or better resources shown to you, your learning pace is accelerated.
I suggested many times to the teachers to flash the good pieces of writing for the kids and to take them through it so that they could see for themselves what others are capable of and also, what gets them the marks and what mistakes to avoid. The teachers smiled and nodded (from 2009 when I first raised it) but it was only in the last 5 months of DD’s P6 that this was done. I’m not sure what motivated the change.
Some teachers had earlier shared that if they showed the kids 'precedents", all the kids would write the same piece.
Well, the kids need to start somewhere and this helps the weaker kids a lot [ like how DD used the "memorising"/"regurgitation"/"cut & paste" technique for Chinese compos]. For the HA kids, you’ll be surprised how they 'learn" from seeing other pieces of good writing - it spurs them on to do better and they can internalise from seeing good writing.
Both DDs were fed a steady diet of Mummy’s compos [theirs were really crap at the beginning and I had to show them/explain to them what could be/had to be done]; yet in their secondary school writing, I can see how they’ve grown from taking bits of my writing and adding their own style to it.
DD did less Chinese compos than English ones but the Chinese teacher was excellent - she really went through each - both before and after.
I only had one minor issue with her in that she had commented that for one of DD’s compos, her conclusion was weak and DD said she was told to do "corrections" for that weak para by just writing some of the words she had written wrongly in green ink. I insisted DD re-write the concluding paragraph to "dian ti" and hand it in for re-marking and the teacher returned it some time later duly marked.
Needless to say, for Chinese compos, we had to practice lots of it at home too. My Chinese is poor but "good enough" for primary school so I still 'critiqued" DD’s pieces [in English] and since I was the one sourcing Chinese compos (or parts thereof) for DD to memorise, I would suggest in my critique which paras, phrases she could use to 'improve" her writing. That was one of the ways we 'practiced" for Chinese compo even though Mummy is a largely potato mum. -
Honey:
Actually I was so sure since last year that there will be no vacation this June due to PSLE prep but when I see how hard dd works & the stress she faces (which we are unaware of), it pains my heart. The other day, she shared out aloud \"you have no idea the amount of stress I face\" & that broke my heart & set me thinking, ya as a mom & adult, I am very well aware of the stress of PSLE but am I truly aware of the stress that my dear child faces in school from her teachers & friends? And also her stress in managing & meeting our expectations of her? Yes, she is not even 12 yet but how should I expect my dear child to be able to handle all the stress as if it wouldn't affect her more than it would on hubby & me?
Well said! Great reflections.Yes go for your break in June!
Some general comments: The poor kids face PSLE stress and after School, more tuition homework plus parents homework. Trying their best and yet still get verbal or physical abuse by some parents at home. Parents come home from work see them relax pile more work. Maybe they have finished their school work and are just taking a break watching tv. They are not machines, they need breaks and relaxation. Parents create expectations. But these kids are going through the PSLE, not the parents. Imagine day in day out is work work work. So please take a step back, lower our expectations, applaud our kids' efforts and learn to accept them for who they are. At the end they would have tried their best. If they can't hit 25x, 26x, it's ok, try again in O levels. Don't overkill at this age. Even if score 26x, also not a sure guarantee to do well in secondary school. Some 25x, 26x are not performing well in secondary school. Just go with their current ability. Try stepping into their shoes going through a major PSLE - much more major than the PSLE you have taken with huge expectations - how well do you think you can fare in this PSLE if you were them?! Give them a hug, a smile and some kind encouragement. :hugs: -
psle2011mum:
In 2011, DD's English teacher said 3 compos a term was what they were required to do. As I had DD1's filing list for English compos from 2009, we already knew the topics [yes, they were writing the same compos 2 years on ].
In the P5 EOY hols, DD had some practice with these so when it came to the actual writing in school, DD was in a good position because she had (a) sighted Jie Jie's writing (b) practiced at least once before on her own (c) had the benefit of my critique on her piece and (d) had done corrections for that piece. Her final work in school was thus above average.
The point here of course being that you can't rely just on the school to get better at compo writing. It takes practice and as with all things, if you have an \"expert\" mentor at your side ( Eg Tutor/Mummy/Daddy) and/or better resources shown to you, your learning pace is accelerated.
I suggested many times to the teachers to flash the good pieces of writing for the kids and to take them through it so that they could see for themselves what others are capable of and also, what gets them the marks and what mistakes to avoid. The teachers smiled and nodded (from 2009 when I first raised it) but it was only in the last 5 months of DD's P6 that this was done. I'm not sure what motivated the change.
Some teachers had earlier shared that if they showed the kids 'precedents\", all the kids would write the same piece.
Well, the kids need to start somewhere and this helps the weaker kids a lot [ like how DD used the \"memorising\"/\"regurgitation\"/\"cut & paste\" technique for Chinese compos]. For the HA kids, you'll be surprised how they 'learn\" from seeing other pieces of good writing - it spurs them on to do better and they can internalise from seeing good writing.
Both DDs were fed a steady diet of Mummy's compos [theirs were really crap at the beginning and I had to show them/explain to them what could be/had to be done]; yet in their secondary school writing, I can see how they've grown from taking bits of my writing and adding their own style to it.
DD did less Chinese compos than English ones but the Chinese teacher was excellent - she really went through each - both before and after.
I only had one minor issue with her in that she had commented that for one of DD's compos, her conclusion was weak and DD said she was told to do \"corrections\" for that weak para by just writing some of the words she had written wrongly in green ink. I insisted DD re-write the concluding paragraph to \"dian ti\" and hand it in for re-marking and the teacher returned it some time later duly marked.
Needless to say, for Chinese compos, we had to practice lots of it at home too. My Chinese is poor but \"good enough\" for primary school so I still 'critiqued\" DD's pieces [in English] and since I was the one sourcing Chinese compos (or parts thereof) for DD to memorise, I would suggest in my critique which paras, phrases she could use to 'improve\" her writing. That was one of the ways we 'practiced\" for Chinese compo even though Mummy is a largely potato mum.
:thankyou: for sharing
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Snow Crystal:
:goodpost:Honey:
Actually I was so sure since last year that there will be no vacation this June due to PSLE prep but when I see how hard dd works & the stress she faces (which we are unaware of), it pains my heart. The other day, she shared out aloud \"you have no idea the amount of stress I face\" & that broke my heart & set me thinking, ya as a mom & adult, I am very well aware of the stress of PSLE but am I truly aware of the stress that my dear child faces in school from her teachers & friends? And also her stress in managing & meeting our expectations of her? Yes, she is not even 12 yet but how should I expect my dear child to be able to handle all the stress as if it wouldn't affect her more than it would on hubby & me?
Well said! Great reflections.Yes go for your break in June!
Some general comments: The poor kids face PSLE stress and after School, more tuition homework plus parents homework. Trying their best and yet still get verbal or physical abuse by some parents at home. Parents come home from work see them relax pile more work. Maybe they have finished their school work and are just taking a break watching tv. They are not machines, they need breaks and relaxation. Parents create expectations. But these kids are going through the PSLE, not the parents. Imagine day in day out is work work work. So please take a step back, lower our expectations, applaud our kids' efforts and learn to accept them for who they are. At the end they would have tried their best. If they can't hit 25x, 26x, it's ok, try again in O levels. Don't overkill at this age. Even if score 26x, also not a sure guarantee to do well in secondary school. Some 25x, 26x are not performing well in secondary school. Just go with their current ability. Try stepping into their shoes going through a major PSLE - much more major than the PSLE you have taken with huge expectations - how well do you think you can fare in this PSLE if you were them?! Give them a hug, a smile and some kind encouragement. :hugs: -
Chenonceau:
Thanks Chenonceau! It's good to be back.
Welcome back!!psle2011mum:
Hi folks
I'm back! Moved in and counting on 2 weeks being the maid while juggling work - tired but coping
Hey P6 parents -watch the little ones for this SA1. I think all the schools we did a 'poll\" on in 2011 set 'killer\" SA1 papers as a \"last wake up call\".
This \"technique\" works for some but I think most kids don't benefit from it. DD did well enough but even she acknowledged she came from an \"easy paper school\" so she didn't celebrate.
But the truth was that even until the week before the PSLE, there were questions she couldn't solve [we didn't even try the Nanyang papers because Jeremy was \"late\" in getting them out], papers she was barely scrapping an \"A\" for.... we just soldiered on, keeping our focus on the PSLE and not wasting too much energy panicking. I put in lots of time on my knees too of course...
Hard to do but the kids pick up vibes really quickly from us so you need lots of support yourself to be that centre of calm in the eye of the storm for them. Take care. -
See my comments below.
psle2011mum:
In 2011, DD's English teacher said 3 compos a term was what they were required to do. As I had DD1's filing list for English compos from 2009, we already knew the topics [yes, they were writing the same compos 2 years on ].
In the P5 EOY hols, DD had some practice with these so when it came to the actual writing in school, DD was in a good position because she had (a) sighted Jie Jie's writing (b) practiced at least once before on her own (c) had the benefit of my critique on her piece and (d) had done corrections for that piece. Her final work in school was thus above average.
The point here of course being that you can't rely just on the school to get better at compo writing. It takes practice and as with all things, if you have an \"expert\" mentor at your side ( Eg Tutor/Mummy/Daddy) and/or better resources shown to you, your learning pace is accelerated.
I absolutely agree with this.
I suggested many times to the teachers to flash the good pieces of writing for the kids and to take them through it so that they could see for themselves what others are capable of and also, what gets them the marks and what mistakes to avoid. The teachers smiled and nodded (from 2009 when I first raised it) but it was only in the last 5 months of DD's P6 that this was done. I'm not sure what motivated the change.
Some teachers had earlier shared that if they showed the kids 'precedents\", all the kids would write the same piece.
It's amazing the excuses people give... Positive modelling is an effective teaching strategy. More motivating than making children learn from mistakes... and less stressful than failing kids. I use positive modelling a lot when teaching DS to write.
Well, the kids need to start somewhere and this helps the weaker kids a lot [ like how DD used the \"memorising\"/\"regurgitation\"/\"cut & paste\" technique for Chinese compos]. For the HA kids, you'll be surprised how they 'learn\" from seeing other pieces of good writing - it spurs them on to do better and they can internalise from seeing good writing.
I completely agree with this. They see first and then they can very quickly move to making nice yummy sentences of their own.
Both DDs were fed a steady diet of Mummy's compos [theirs were really crap at the beginning and I had to show them/explain to them what could be/had to be done]; yet in their secondary school writing, I can see how they've grown from taking bits of my writing and adding their own style to it.
DD did less Chinese compos than English ones but the Chinese teacher was excellent - she really went through each - both before and after.
I only had one minor issue with her in that she had commented that for one of DD's compos, her conclusion was weak and DD said she was told to do \"corrections\" for that weak para by just writing some of the words she had written wrongly in green ink. I insisted DD re-write the concluding paragraph to \"dian ti\" and hand it in for re-marking and the teacher returned it some time later duly marked.
Needless to say, for Chinese compos, we had to practice lots of it at home too. My Chinese is poor but \"good enough\" for primary school so I still 'critiqued\" DD's pieces [in English] and since I was the one sourcing Chinese compos (or parts thereof) for DD to memorise, I would suggest in my critique which paras, phrases she could use to 'improve\" her writing. That was one of the ways we 'practiced\" for Chinese compo even though Mummy is a largely potato mum.
I am illiterate in Chinese and can't do this. So I gave DS as many positive models as possible, making him read a China model compo everyday after school. He will then draw out nice phrases to use. -
psle2011mum:
Thanks Chenonceau! It's good to be back.
Welcome back!!Chenonceau:
[quote=\"psle2011mum\"]Hi folks
I'm back! Moved in and counting on 2 weeks being the maid while juggling work - tired but coping
Hey P6 parents -watch the little ones for this SA1. I think all the schools we did a 'poll\" on in 2011 set 'killer\" SA1 papers as a \"last wake up call\".
This \"technique\" works for some but I think most kids don't benefit from it. DD did well enough but even she acknowledged she came from an \"easy paper school\" so she didn't celebrate.
But the truth was that even until the week before the PSLE, there were questions she couldn't solve [we didn't even try the Nanyang papers because Jeremy was \"late\" in getting them out], papers she was barely scrapping an \"A\" for.... we just soldiered on, keeping our focus on the PSLE and not wasting too much energy panicking. I put in lots of time on my knees too of course...
Hard to do but the kids pick up vibes really quickly from us so you need lots of support yourself to be that centre of calm in the eye of the storm for them. Take care.[/quote]Yes... I agree. Right now, we have a regular work schedule. If he completes it, he plays... no extra work. The schedule includes days off in June and every week. I am doing all I can to hold the rudder steady and keep the ship on course.
Infusing the house with calm energy as we inch bit by bit towards the PSLE.
Parents can do a lot to temper the stress.
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