把童年还给孩子 (from Zaobao May 6) - Return childhood to our kids
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chamonix:
I think majority of the kids do have plenty of fun time before primary school.Quote:
孩子一出世就开始找幼儿园,接着找浸濡课程准备小学课程,同时找合适的小学,在附近买房子、做义工。
This is highly debatable. We never have to do all those. We didn't bother about getting them into branded or 'elite' schools. My children have never attended any academic enrichment, preparation or brain training classes (except Chinese). No tons of assessment books too.
All in all, I would say my children had a carefree and wonderful childhood during our 3 years in Singapore. Our children's childhood (before primary school) lies in our hands. At least, it is so for me.
The question for the vote is \"Do you think our primary school kids’ childhood are sacrificed in our current education system\".
I agree that parents have a part to play and many are trying their best to provide a childhood to their kids (e.g., they try to make up for it during school holidays, exams over, ...) but with \"compulsory\" supplementary classes (2 to 3 times a week), homework, 4 exams a year (CA1, SA1, CA2, SA2), tuition/ enrichment, ... they spend way too much time on academics and little else. I have heard quite a few parents telling me they will choose CCAs that have little committments (e.g., once a week) because they do not want it to affect their schoolwork.
The Zaobao writer has a P2 kid. \"我的自我价值并非以我的成绩来衡量,所以当女儿去年进小学,我们一家也抱着同样的态度。即使这样,我们有时也感觉好像仓鼠上了跑轮,莫名其妙地跟着跑啊跑,跑啊跑……\"
我女儿一年级时,好多同学已经开始补习,平日功课多,到了周末还得上课,继续提升。我每天看那些和她一起等校车的孩子们,渐渐的,压力在她们身上留下了痕迹,笑容不再天真,眼神不再无忧,好奇心慢慢下降……
His observation is that the stress starts gradually from P1.
I support the move of MOE to remove P1 & P2 exams (though I know there are parents who do not like it). I have seen many P1 kids having lots of fun time too ... but the fun proportion goes down & stress level goes up every year they grow up. For those schools who have removed P1 exams, it's more noticeable in P2.
Here's a view of another forum writer, you can read his entire post here ... http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35402&start=140oxyleo:
My DS is in P2 too. He tops his class in Maths. The first questions that some of his classmates' parents ask me \"Which enrichment/ tuition does he go for Maths?\". When I said no ... they certainly look surprised. Some well-meaning parents even said \"since your DS likes Maths so much, such and such a centre is good ....\".I have a kid in P2, who never had a day of tuition, or academic enrichment, and I am truly beginning to understand why so many others his age were 'enriching' themselves in every possible way since they were 3 or 4.
MOE's predictable stance throughout all this feedback only serves to send more to tuition and enrichment centers, maybe starting now at age 2? And even more parents queuing up for branded schools.
But what surprised me most was just recently, a Maths relief teacher spoke to me:-
Teacher:- \"your DS is very good in Maths\"
I:- \"Oh, thank you, he likes Maths a lot\"
Teacher:- \"does he go for any Maths enrichment?\"
What can I say? -
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coast:
My bad. I should have said we weren't under such pressure for our children.
I think majority of the kids do have plenty of fun time before primary school.
The question for the vote is \"Do you think our primary school kids’ childhood are sacrificed in our current education system\".
coast:
My son spent half a year of P1 in the Singapore system. He certainly did not feel stressed. In fact, I would say he enjoyed going to school and still had his 2-3 hours nap every afternoon.The Zaobao writer has a P2 kid. \"我的自我价值并非以我的成绩来衡量,所以当女儿去年进小学,我们一家也抱着同样的态度。即使这样,我们有时也感觉好像仓鼠上了跑轮,莫名其妙地跟着跑啊跑,跑啊跑……\"
我女儿一年级时,好多同学已经开始补习,平日功课多,到了周末还得上课,继续提升。我每天看那些和她一起等校车的孩子们,渐渐的,压力在她们身上留下了痕迹,笑容不再天真,眼神不再无忧,好奇心慢慢下降……
His observation is that the stress starts gradually from P1. I support the move of MOE to remove P1 & P2 exams (though I know there are parents who do not like it). I have seen many P1 kids having lots of fun time too ... but the fun proportion goes down & stress level goes up every year they grow up. For those schools who have removed P1 exams, it's more noticeable in P2..
Indeed, the removal of exams was a great move. But he had numerous mini-tests which I felt were healthy. At least I knew if he was paying attention in class. His school tested the students on what was taught in class. However, a parent asked me if I was worried that the mini-tests were set too easy as compared to other branded schools' tests.
coast:
Here's a view of another forum writer, you can read his entire post here ... http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35402&start=140
oxyleo:
I thought that phenomenon started like ages ago? When my son was barely 2 years old (he's turning 9 this year), I had people asking me if I subscribed him to enrichments such as Glenn Doman etc. In fact, if one trudges through the older forums, it is not difficult to find old postings on such discussions. Perhaps, with more parents participating on various online forums, the knowledge and demand for such services has propelled in recent years.I have a kid in P2, who never had a day of tuition, or academic enrichment, and I am truly beginning to understand why so many others his age were 'enriching' themselves in every possible way since they were 3 or 4.
MOE's predictable stance throughout all this feedback only serves to send more to tuition and enrichment centers, maybe starting now at age 2? And even more parents queuing up for branded schools.coast:
A new trend, just like the question 'do you have a helper'?My DS is in P2 too. He tops his class in Maths. The first questions that some of his classmates' parents ask me \"Which enrichment/ tuition does he go for Maths?\". When I said no ... they certainly look surprised. Some well-meaning parents even said \"since your DS likes Maths so much, such and such a centre is good ....\".
But what surprised me most was just recently, a Maths relief teacher spoke to me:-
Teacher:- \"your DS is very good in Maths\"
I:- \"Oh, thank you, he likes Maths a lot\"
Teacher:- \"does he go for any Maths enrichment?\"
What can I say?
I had well-meaning parents (in both preschool and P1) asking me about enrichment classes too and if I actively taught my children at home. They stared at me in disbelief when I told them I left them to read on their own most of the time (just like when they knew I have no helper). A few good friends even invited me to send them for the same enrichment classes as theirs. Not that our kids needed extra boosting for marks, but they felt the classes were good exposure for them as well as to keep them busy.
I have a feel that some parents or children deem tuition/enrichemnt as a good-to-have.
A friend's son actually requested for $2k so that he could join his school friends at a particular enrichment centre. The thing is, the mother ran a tuition/enrichment agency.
While my son was still in school, a classmate told him that he was attending Kumon for English and Maths. What about you, was his next question. :rotflmao:
Back to the question \"Do you think our primary school kids’ childhood are sacrificed in our current education system?\".
I don't have an answer for it until somebody defines the 'childhood' our school kids should have.
What kind of childhood are we talking about? A childhood like what we used to have? Then the answer is, of course, YES. But is it realistic to expect our children to have a childhood we once had? Can we expect to buy a landed property today at the price it was 30 years ago?
But if you ask me if our education system is getting more competitive and stressful? My inclination is towards a yes. However, I also believe that the stress can be managed by our expectations of our kids. -
HyperKiasu:
I can confirm that the same thing happens in USA. The property prices of cities with good public school system can be 30% or higher than other cities.coast:
孩子一出世就开始找幼儿园,接着找浸濡课程准备小学课程,同时找合适的小学,在附近买房子、做义工。
this is not country specific. it is same in china. And also same among chinese community in Australia. Perhaps also same in USA?