Is there anyone here living around Greenwood? Bus company quoted me $150! I refuse to be ripped off so I’m sending him to school. He may take the public bus too. Anyone whose son is in 1I?

This is super creepy! I took ds3 on bus 157 to school on Monday n took 156 back from Bishan MRT. Saw a guy wearing ORA t shirt at the bus stop at the MRT N he politely let us board first. I thought he was from the ORA.


Yesterday, ds3 wanted to take the bus home but I said I’d pick him up n take him to lunch. He said he’d meet me at the coffee shop at Bishan where I’d taken him the day before- I guess he wanted some independence. When I got there he had already had his lunch alone. After I got my food n sat down, I noticed the same guy we’d seen the day before. This time he was wearing a Raffles t shirt. I thought maybe he’s a teacher. He was alone n seated at the next table with his phone. Ds3 had been sitting opposite him before I arrived.

Recalling having read about some Bishan gay here some time back, I googled him last night n realised to my horror that we had come face to face with him in Bishan on 2 consecutive days!!! I don’t know whether he had taken photos of my son but I won’t be surprised cos he had his phone with him n had sat facing my son when he was having lunch alone.

I’ve been feeling really uneasy about this after realising how close we’ve come to him. I’ve told my son not to wander around Bishan alone after school. I’ll prob pick him up but I think it’ll be mollycoddling if I pick him up n send him to MOELC n hang around there waiting for him! We should definitely tell our sons to hang out in groups after school n watch out for this freak. I wonder if he’s ever followed any boy into the loo. Really worrisome.

Thanks for your quick reply.

Has anyone figured out the solution to this? Most annoying! Didn’t realise it till I read your post jtoh.

Thanks b2b3m4 n Janet_lee88:-)


My friend bought a two tier mini pot from Tangs for only $26! brand is Iona n the outer pot is plastic. She says it works too.

It’s not hard to figure out why a high proportion of med students hail from RI- it attracts a large proportion of smart n gifted kids from each cohort. HCI n ACSI contribute a significant proportion too, again because they also attract lots of smart kids. I don’t deny RI is a good school; I’m saying it’s as much its stock as well as the school.


Eg, The top PSLE pupil from NYPS 2 years ago is a very smart n gifted girl to begin with, n her parents are also extremely smart if not gifted. Her mom was a dean’s list regular , n near the top of the list too, n she quit her job to stay home to coach her. I remember her saying she spent 70% of her time studying. Her grandma taught her Chinese so she never had tuition. Would it then be accurate to say tuition isn’t necessary for all? Or to say you’re guaranteed good results in NYPS? NYPS does produce good results, but it’s not hard to see why- apart from it’s large number of GEPers in each cohort, it’s also its location n the kind of kids who go there - upper middle class types who live near enough to get in.

It is hard to go against the tide n to see things as they truly are, but parents form an important part of society and have the power to effect changes by bucking the trend. Problem is people are too insecure to do that so societal norms/expectations don’t change too easily.

INNOVATE:

Very weird postings.


So many here assume only RI can bring out the best out of their sons. If a student is not competitive vs a vs the entire cohort in RI, there's nothing big to crow about. Compare to another high achiever who's in another very good school and has been given ample opportunities to hone his academic, cca and leadership skills, the guy in RI fares poorly.

There's no such thing as the best school only the most suitable school to bring out the best from these smart boys. RI is one among the handful.

Others are equally competent to groom your boys.

Agree:-) I have 3 boys, one each in ACSI, HCI n RI. it is so annoying hearing people say the best will go to RI, meaning?? The ones not in RI weren't good enough for RI? I happen to know people who don't want to go to RI or HCI or even both. One of my sons turned down RI's DSA offer. He didn't seem bothered that the majority of the GEPer boys in his school were headed there n I respected him for not following the herd. Quite a few of the top GEPers in his school chose HCI. Even tho I have one son in RI, it still irks me hearing comments like these. Ditto RGS vs NYGH. During my time, ASEAN Scholars were automatically sent to RI n RGS. I chose NY together with one other girl n we have never regretted it.

There are differences between smart kids n gifted kids. Gifted kids just are because they’re wired differently. I don’t believe in having to train kids to be gifted. The program is for those who are simply just wired that way that’s why they need a differentiated curriculum n different methodology. I can understand parental anxieties for wanting the best for their kids but is being in GEP truly best for kids who aren’t really gifted but are merely smart?? Gidted kids makes leaps of thinking n connections effortlessly cos thats one of their characteristics. Those wired differently, the smart ones who nevertheless are convergent rather than divergent (as gifted kids tend to be) may wonder whats wrong with them how come they cant see the connection or make the leap as effortlessly. during my time, doing triple science was for what people regarded as the smartest. But is it smart to have someone who’s gifted in languages do triple science no matter how smart that person is? I think not. I think it’s smarter for kids to be where they truly belong. There is a place for everyone. Those who aren’t academically inclined aren’t doomed. Celebrity chefs and celebrity hairstylists may not be academically inclined but they sure are very talented in their fields and well respected for their talents. It’s just sad that parents seem to recognise only one type of intelligence.

Fat Mama:

Hi,


PSLE score is the score of only 1 exam. Last yr my son appealed and entered DHS. He might be among the lowest score in the school but thru he consistent work he was top 5 in his class beating the others who scored much higher than him in PSLE. So work hard and enjoy yr sch life and dun think negatively. Cheers

Yes, PSLE scores aren't necessarily Predictive of sec sch success. My son DSAed into ACSI IP thru the HAST. his PSLE score wouldn't even have earned him a place in the O level track. He's been scoring 40 points n above the past 2 years, n picked up 1st prize in the school's creative essay writing competition. This year he came in 3rd in class, beating one of the top 10 PSLE scorers in his year. He's no mugger toad either; he's very active in sports CCAs n prefectorial duties.

My psychologist friend tells me achievement tests (as opposed to aptitude tests) are poor predictors of future success, so don't worry if your PSLE scores aren't stellar. It simply means you aren't as well prepared as others. It's like music exams- scoring distinction doesn't necessarily make you a good musician if all you did all year was practise your exam pieces to perfection at the expense of a wider repertoire. it simply means you've prepared those pieces well.

sleepy:

Question


when our kids enter secondary schools, they will be less reliant on us SAHMs. The school syllabus is probably beyond us by then. At that time, how to justify continuing staying at home?


Scrub the floor? Nah.

This is exactly the situation I'm facing next year as my youngest goes to sec 1. I plan to continue with my daily morning exercise routine, embark on a few projects- pick up a new language n plan a family holiday where I'll get to use the language at the end of each year, pick up new cooking skills, go on more holidays, volunteer to tutor/supervise some disadvantaged kids- there's only so much time one can spend indulging in oneself!

N of course Janet_lee88 is right- sec school kids still need us, perhaps even more so as they become more mobile n capable of more mischief n need more guidance not so much on schoolwork but on issues that may trouble them. The challenge is to be the person they want to go to.