2012 PSLE Discussions and Strategy

[NY1969]

I am afraid if rest for too long till December , will it cause the child to become lartagic?

[Chenonceau]

NY1969:

I am afraid if rest for too long till December , will it cause the child to become lartagic?

Dun think so lah.... In my experience with DS, when he gets enough play... REAL play... where he does not have to worry about work at all, he feels recharged and all ready to get back to work again. These days, he goes to school to play all sorts of games with his friends... Virus, rubber band wars, RISK, Monopoly Deal.

I'm quite glad that the school did not organise anything. I am also glad the P did not ban all sorts of children initiated activities. This leaves the kids opportunities for unstructured play. DS and his friends have enhanced the rules of RISK in really inventive ways... and they've even made their own game pieces to go with the new rules. He can't stop talking about his day all the way home. Once home, he snuggles into bed still dirty and smelly... and reads to his heart's content. He isn't learning academic stuff... but he is still learning stuff through playing with his friends.

It is so very nice to see him so carefree like this. I have proposed all sorts of activities (horse-riding, canoeing, rock climbing...) only to be rebuffed. \"Mom, I dun wanna do what you want me to do. I wanna do what I wanna do so just leave me alone. I am good at playing. No need you to guide me.\"

Gee... I wish I had the ability to play with such wild abandon myself!!

[janet88]

My daughter though in P2, also has to attend school till 16 Nov.

With the move to the temp holding school, I thought holiday starts 1st Nov. Anyway, it's not a bad idea for her to go to school...I get peace

[Nebbermind]

sunnymumsy:

I think most of the kids are just enjoying the time they have to themselves and doing what they like. My girl has been reading non-stop and going to her friends' house to play, swim, watch movies. i am happy to see that she is enjoying her well-deserved break!

Yes, most of them will go they own way after s1 posting....let this moment Of bonding be sweet memories for the kids

[Mama Mania]

a child:

And I write again. I have posted a few times already, and I am not sure if anybody reads, and probably you are tired of me writing. But for those who have not yet had children go through secondary school, I hope I can offer a helpful opinion. I have only been here for two years, and I do not claim to be representative of the entire population. But these are my views.


To all those who have recently completed their PSLE, and the parents, congratulations! Those were months of hard work, work, and more work. Now there are times of rest, and freedom, all very well-deserved.

And last Friday was Children’s Day, the last Children’s Day that will be celebrated. There are no more Children’s Days in secondary school. What I have been writing must make secondary school sound like a prison in which young souls are imprisoned, where fires of passion are not lit but tamed. These are true, but only if you let them be true. Secondary school is different, it is the start of a new chapter, it is a period of constant change and rapid adaptations. When you enter secondary school, primary school and PSLE scores no longer matter. I have friends with nearly 30 marks difference in their PSLE - these now mean nothing. Instead, secondary school is diverse, dynamic, and it changes you.

Firstly, independence. I realize that many parents choose to continue to send their children for tuition, and I have heard horrors of pupils with 11 different tuition teachers. I am vehemently against this, because really it is not needed, and it destroys a lot of your schooling experience. Here, there will be a drastic increase in workload, and it is impossible to have so many tuition classes without your extracurriculars giving. It is impossible unless your live revolves around work and more work, in which case I would think it is rather synonymous with not living at all. This is because secondary school is different. A 4.0 GP is 80 at my school, 75 at others. We do not train perfection; but rather this tests your ability to grasp big concepts. To learn fast. To listen in class, and learn independently. If you have to learn things twice, once in school and once at tuition, that is a lot of time spent!

There will be times when things do not go well. In the first semester of Year 1, during one particular double block lesson my teacher went extraordinarily fast. We covered most of the digestive system, the enzymes - though we did revisit those later. But what made it really bad was that so many of my friends had apparently read ahead, they were asking questions that were rather in-depth and I understood nothing. I don’t usually take notes; rather I try to understand and learn it the first time. But this time I was taking notes frantically. Things do get better, though. Do not give up. Do not resort to tuition. I borrowed my friends notes, and I asked them to explain to me. I read up the textbook. I was fine. Studying really involves a lot of adaptation. And due to the PSLE, you will probably end up with friends as good or even better than you. So learn from them.

Thirdly, love learning. One of the most important things to succeed I can think of, yet often the most neglected also. If you love learning, you will be desperate to learn, you will read ahead. I have also always found that not only does interest correlate with understanding, but also that if you explore things more in-depth than required, you will have a better conceptual understanding. And it’s fun, interesting, and one of the things I love best about school is how we argue about certain topics in class, discuss them in-depth, and how many teachers are willing to teach more than required and guide us along. It’s really about widening the perspective and learning - the rest does come, rather naturally. Tuition and rote-learning is quite contrary to these objectives, and rather if you would like to get a head start on secondary school I would suggest for example, for literature to read texts. Any famous text will do, not necessarily the one to be studied in school. Then read the discussions, like Sparknotes, though there is no need to seriously study or take notes or memorize. Just enjoy it, and appreciate the depth and all the things you have missed in your analysis. Watch history channel, the news, read, read, and read. And learn. No need for tuition, or assessment books (which I have not touched for two years).

Fourth: Dare to explore. In these two years, the most important thing I have learnt is to explore. Secondary schools provide many opportunities, and it is up to you to take them. I have participated in many competitions, in things that I never thought I would do before. New things. I started doing community service, and I go every week to carry out programs and activities for underprivileged children. Their stories are so heartwarming, and they are such beautiful children - it has been such a rewarding experience, and I have learnt so much. In school, activities are also mostly entirely student-led. Events such as Reporting Day, Orientation, Founders’ Day, Teachers’ Day, Speech Day, etc. are all organized by students. Also clubs. This year I joined a newly founded club that was started at the suggestion of some pupils. It has really blossomed, and we have organized many successful activities, things that involve the whole school, and we have invited external organizations to grace our events. There are many instances of this happening, and I have learnt about what people can do. What we can do. And it is a lot. Nobody ever comes in fully prepared, because if you can foresee what you learn you have not really learnt. It is about growing up, empowerment, and dreams. And what you get out of these is really about how much you put in - and if you are going to study all day or go for tuition there will not be much you can do about these incredibly interesting things.

Lastly, be nice to your friends. You will spend a lot of time in school, and these are the people who will be with you, work with you, have fun with you. Secondary school is a fun time. And even when we work, we compile notes together by splitting the work, and we even share notes in a batch document. We study together. During demanding projects or assessments or generally frustrating times, we go through it together. We still strive to do our best, but there is little competition. Most of my friends and I just want to do well together. And secondary school will mean a lot less if not for my friends, their smiles, their encouragements.

This is not a whole picture, it is mainly some things that just occurred to me. And again, this is not representative of anybody. I’m just writing this because these have been very important in my secondary school experience, but many I think do not appreciate these, and I thought I ought to share

Very insightful and well written. From your post, I deduced that you are a very well disciplined child, very driven. All the best to you. Keep up with the spirit of excellence and exploration whilst learning. May you blossom and bloom in your sec sch life.

[sunnymumsy]

NY1969:

I am afraid if rest for too long till December , will it cause the child to become lartagic?

lol. my girl can play, but she starts Pre-Sec 1 class in November.

[janet88]

Hi a child,

I read your post with delight (in fact i printed it) bcos it was posted based on your personal experiences...and for first-timer parents like myself with kids going to secondary school, it's really interesting to read.

Mummies,
The first 5 days after PSLE has been FUN...completely no academic work. He truly deserved that break.

Then I got son to read newspapers everyday and write a diary on day's happenings.
Went to SAP (publisher) website to check out some reference titles. Wow, the English grammar/vocab at sec 1 is no joke :nailbite:
Once sec 1 exams are over, I will borrow some titles for son to read them. Language is very impt especially in secondary...cannot be so lax.

[sunnymumsy]

janet_lee88:

Hi a child,

I read your post with delight (in fact i printed it) bcos it was posted based on your personal experiences...and for first-timer parents like myself with kids going to secondary school, it's really interesting to read.

Mummies,
The first 5 days after PSLE has been FUN...completely no academic work. He truly deserved that break.

Then I got son to read newspapers everyday and write a diary on day's happenings.
Went to SAP (publisher) website to check out some reference titles. Wow, the English grammar/vocab at sec 1 is no joke :nailbite:
Once sec 1 exams are over, I will borrow some titles for son to read them. Language is very impt especially in secondary...cannot be so lax.

what a good idea Janet. I will do this too. THanks!

[yukilei]

mommylow:

pchong:

PSLE exam is over, does your dc still go to school?

The teachers won't be teaching any lesson to these kids so I wonder why do they need to go and what do these kids do in school? Just play and chat with friends? :?

My DS was just complaining that he was wasting his time in school doing nothing much after the PSLE. The teacher leaves them to their own devices. A lot of games like board games, namely Scrabble and Monopoly, and even art work and drawing etc are not allowed by the P. They are only allowed to do reading and play games provided by the school which the students find boring. The whole P6 cohort is fuming mad with the P. My DS's classmate brought out his Chinese chess set to teach my DS chess but was stopped by their teacher. In fact, even the teachers empathize with the students as they have strict orders from the P to prohibit such activities. I feel this is not right. What a waste of time going to school doing nothing interesting. It is not productive at all. To think there are about 4 more weeks to go? Should'nt the school conduct interactive lessons or workshops to stimulate the student's mind or conduct talks to help these P6 students to prepare for secondary school life?

Wonder what other parents' P6 DCs are doing in school everyday.

Oh, why is the school so strict. My DS is enjoying himself in school each day. His English teacher, lady, played their favourite soccer match in class. She even go further, playing soccer with the class. DS said sometime they'll have longer recess too. He's enjoying himself each day.

[yukilei]

janet_lee88:

Hi a child,

I read your post with delight (in fact i printed it) bcos it was posted based on your personal experiences...and for first-timer parents like myself with kids going to secondary school, it's really interesting to read.

Mummies,
The first 5 days after PSLE has been FUN...completely no academic work. He truly deserved that break.

Then I got son to read newspapers everyday and write a diary on day's happenings.
Went to SAP (publisher) website to check out some reference titles. Wow, the English grammar/vocab at sec 1 is no joke :nailbite:
Once sec 1 exams are over, I will borrow some titles for son to read them. Language is very impt especially in secondary...cannot be so lax.

Ha janet_lee88, u know, I was super KS. I've bought the Sec 1 English Grammar book!!!! I like this book as it provide lots of explanation & learning points. I thought it's good for DS to take this opportunities to lay his foundation firmer. But he has yet to start reading. Only plan to get him started next week, but do it slow.