All About GEP

[a child]

deardear07:

a child:

Oh, I noticed my answer's pretty off-topic. Anyway, teachers are pretty good. There're good and bad ones like there are any place, but mostly good. Approachable, but you need to have initiative. Learning-style is experimental like the GEP, many projects. The exam scope may not be too wide but teachers do introduce some in-depth material that's very interesting. Excellent especially if you don't solely pursue results. Teachers assign work and give answers, but they don't mark most work - this is fine though if you do your work conscientiously.


And aside from teachers, among your classmates you meet some of the most amazing people you meet in your life so far. Friends who take 4 CCAs of which there's a performing arts and sports CCA who can still score a 3.94 GPA out of a perfect 4.0. Friends who don't study the material for a History end-of-year and manage full-marks. Friends who can speak 7 languages well. Friends who can start a History Performance Task worth 20% the final grade on the day it's due, after school at 1pm, speed-write 5 pages of the essay and submit it in time for the 3pm deadline. Friends with a perfect Lexile score of 1700, almost equivalent to the standard required for an English degree at university. Friends who get a perfect 4.0 GPA. Friends who have violin and piano diplomas. Friends who pursue computer engineering so in-depth they probably by now know how to hack into my FB account without my notice. Friends with whom you can talk about the GE hours on end. Friends whom you can trust. Friends who stay up with you while both frantically chiong the assignments. Friends who let you feel that you're never alone. So yes in RGS you meet many high-ability people, but that's not to say that there's tons of unhealthy competition and stress. People are generally very helpful, very kind, and nobody boasts about any of these achievements. So yes, I'm probably not as talented as these friends of mine, but the exposure to a bigger world is interesting, and competition is taken more as a game than in an I-must-beat-you sense. This package of wonderful peers is also a lure for RGS - even if the teaching is not that much better than normal schools, but the people make it so special.

only 1 word to manage these descriptions - WOW!

Would love to have such environment for myself then... totally din care much about studies till much later.

then again, it takes the best (knowledgeable) teachers to nurture or teach the high ability students.

Haha well I kinda disagree with the last statement - our teachers may be better in terms of knowledge and qualifications but not so much. Even if you put a neighborhood school teacher in here there's still so much to learn from him/her - after all we're only in secondary school, and what we learn is pretty basic. Once a teacher said that the pupils in RGS really make the teachers who they are, because our teachers are always on their toes, always expecting questions, and are perfectly ready to say 'I don't know' - those factors, and not knowledge, are why I like my teachers. They're passionate, and they're full of character.

[vlim]

a child:

vlim:

[quote=\"a child\"]Haha welcome I've been reading the 416 pages of this thread for the past two days and lurking around and everything. It's particularly humorous to read of frantic parents and their response to the load of assignments - reminds me of the years past. (I sound so old.) Your DS will be in RI next year right?

Oh yes! He will be in RI next yr and definitely hope that he will enjoy his secondary life like you do

I'm sure he will - in secondary school, unlike in primary school, there's a place for everybody. ~ 50 CCAs in each Raffles school, plus so many subjects and interesting teachers where you can learn just about anything you want to, there're also many service learning groups who raise funds for this and that, and so many competitions and programs I can't name even half of them, and you can set up your own club and projects by simple gathering like-minded peers and submitting a proposal. It's really exploration and learning, a journey of discovery of yourself and of knowledge :D[/quote]emmm..very grad to know that....can't wait to see how my ds will enjoy himself in RI and in the mean time learn as much knowledge as he can.. :love:

[a child]

vlim:

a child:

[quote=\"vlim\"]

Oh yes! He will be in RI next yr and definitely hope that he will enjoy his secondary life like you do

I'm sure he will - in secondary school, unlike in primary school, there's a place for everybody. ~ 50 CCAs in each Raffles school, plus so many subjects and interesting teachers where you can learn just about anything you want to, there're also many service learning groups who raise funds for this and that, and so many competitions and programs I can't name even half of them, and you can set up your own club and projects by simple gathering like-minded peers and submitting a proposal. It's really exploration and learning, a journey of discovery of yourself and of knowledge

emmm..very grad to know that....can't wait to see how my ds will enjoy himself in RI and in the mean time learn as much knowledge as he can.. :love:[/quote]Haha yep based on what I've read he'll probably thrive. But don't set the expectations too high - there will be not so good teachers, there will be not so good classmates. The schools ain't perfect. There are however also awesome teachers, wonderful classmates, and great memories. Cherish those and uh try to avoid catching the staying up till midnight syndrome. It's grade-threatening, a health risk, contagious, and potentially chronic. There is currently a pandemic of the syndrome in schools across the nation. No known cure exists, except for the preventive measures of good time-management. Procrastinators are high-risk candidates of this disease.

And we're waaaay :offtopic:

[deardear07]

a child:

deardear07:

only 1 word to manage these descriptions - WOW!

Would love to have such environment for myself then... totally din care much about studies till much later.

then again, it takes the best (knowledgeable) teachers to nurture or teach the high ability students.

Haha well I kinda disagree with the last statement - our teachers may be better in terms of knowledge and qualifications but not so much. Even if you put a neighborhood school teacher in here there's still so much to learn from him/her - after all we're only in secondary school, and what we learn is pretty basic. Once a teacher said that the pupils in RGS really make the teachers who they are, because our teachers are always on their toes, always expecting questions, and are perfectly ready to say 'I don't know' - those factors, and not knowledge, are why I like my teachers. They're passionate, and they're full of character.

yeah...nw that u say this. i agree that the attitude to learn and progress with the children is much more important than the 'best'. if the teacher is the best but stuck up and not willing to blend in and help the children with what they wana know, itz of no use too.

[vlim]

a child:

vlim:

[quote=\"a child\"]I'm sure he will - in secondary school, unlike in primary school, there's a place for everybody. ~ 50 CCAs in each Raffles school, plus so many subjects and interesting teachers where you can learn just about anything you want to, there're also many service learning groups who raise funds for this and that, and so many competitions and programs I can't name even half of them, and you can set up your own club and projects by simple gathering like-minded peers and submitting a proposal. It's really exploration and learning, a journey of discovery of yourself and of knowledge

emmm..very grad to know that....can't wait to see how my ds will enjoy himself in RI and in the mean time learn as much knowledge as he can.. :love:

Haha yep based on what I've read he'll probably thrive. But don't set the expectations too high - there will be not so good teachers, there will be not so good classmates. The schools ain't perfect. There are however also awesome teachers, wonderful classmates, and great memories. Cherish those and uh try to avoid catching the staying up till midnight syndrome. It's grade-threatening, a health risk, contagious, and potentially chronic. There is currently a pandemic of the syndrome in schools across the nation. No known cure exists, except for the preventive measures of good time-management. Procrastinators are high-risk candidates of this disease.

And we're waaaay :offtopic:[/quote]:thankyou: a child...no problem...we love your off topics..

[a child]

deardear07:

yeah...nw that u say this. i agree that the attitude to learn and progress with the children is much more important than the 'best'. if the teacher is the best but stuck up and not willing to blend in and help the children with what they wana know, itz of no use too.

Haha yes I think so too And I feel so blessed to have had so many wonderful teachers in my life so far.

[a child]

vlim:

:thankyou: a child...no problem...we love your off topics..

You love them, you mean. Haha anyway thanks!

[Faun]

a child,

Thanks for insight view of the raffles school. Base on my dd profile, there is only one school she is probably suited to go. After reading your post, I think she will enjoy that kind of environment. As for chasing grades, my dd has never been competitive and is always ready to celebrate jer friends success. She has many talents but not sure where her passion lies. Mrs Deborah Tan, the ex principal had adviced me RGS will be a good place for.

[Faun]

Vlim,


Please help. What are the projects in first 6 months for P6 GEP? TIA

[a child]

Faun:

a child,

Thanks for insight view of the raffles school. Base on my dd profile, there is only one school she is probably suited to go. After reading your post, I think she will enjoy that kind of environment. As for chasing grades, my dd has never been competitive and is always ready to celebrate jer friends success. She has many talents but not sure where her passion lies. Mrs Deborah Tan, the ex principal had adviced me RGS will be a good place for.

Haha well the RGS environment is actually suited for many types of girls, but I'm glad that your daughter has at least found that it'd suit her. Many people have certain aspects they dislike about the school, like certain programs, subjects, teachers, or policies. But most feel that it's a wonderful school as a whole. And wow your connections are great, with such principal-level contacts! (JK)