2014 PSLE Discussions and Strategy

[sleepy]

My dd will just be idling away her time if no tuition. My dh thinks the 4 hours at tuition is confirmed more fruitful than her 4 hours at home.

[jjxy mum]

sleepy:

My dd will just be idling away her time if no tuition. My dh thinks the 4 hours at tuition is confirmed more fruitful than her 4 hours at home.

Agreed. My dd also has her tuition now, otherwise she will be idling doing nothing and arguing with her bro at home.

[sleepy]

jjxy mum:

sleepy:

My dd will just be idling away her time if no tuition. My dh thinks the 4 hours at tuition is confirmed more fruitful than her 4 hours at home.

Agreed. My dd also has her tuition now, otherwise she will be idling doing nothing and arguing with her bro at home.

:hi5:
yes, how can I forgot the arguing part
Yeah boi, daily occurence :rant:

[janet88]

I wish I could save the money on tuition, but there is certainly a way tutors can reach the kids which we parents can’t. i’m relieved hubby agreed to send daughter for math tuition last year when she was in p3…it was tough for her in the beginning but she has started to pick up. otherwise, there would still be tension between father and daughter getting word problems done.

[chloecube]

i got a puzzling issue here, not sure if any of the parents encounter the same thing


i’ve bought past year exam papers for DS to try doing at home (without answer sheet attached), he scored pretty well.

but when he does mock test in school or some assessment test in the tuition centre, he scored badly, really bad like 30+/100

i do not understand why, tried sitting him down and ask him, he only kept queit and sobbed (DS is an introvert)
i must make my guesses and list down the possiblilties before asking him.
such as,
-test paper too hard? (which is not quite possible, bcos as i ran through those paper, standard is about the same)
-not enough time
- too anxious till he blank out…
he answer to me was time given is too short.
but i do not think this is the real reason, he was given 1.5hr to do the paper, he can complete the paper at a much faster speed at home.

this happened too many times, for all his subjects…
i am really at my wits end

[janet88]

chloecube:

i do not understand why, tried sitting him down and ask him, he only kept queit and sobbed (DS is an introvert)

i must make my guesses and list down the possiblilties before asking him.
such as,
-test paper too hard? (which is not quite possible, bcos as i ran through those paper, standard is about the same)
-not enough time
- too anxious till he blank out..
he answer to me was time given is too short.
but i do not think this is the real reason, he was given 1.5hr to do the paper, he can complete the paper at a much faster speed at home.

this happened too many times, for all his subjects...
i am really at my wits end

-the stress getting test/exam done in classroom setting.
-test paper standard may be acceptable but child is distracted by others, especially if his classmates ask for paper or finishes before him.
-took too long at certain sections.
-simply blanked out.

[lurline]

ds has this problem too. For my case, it is because ds cannot focus in school, he said he is often distracted by other students or things. He did much better when he is alone in the room or in a small group.

[chloecube]

thks for replying


yes, maybe lack of focus and distraction is the problem
DS is easily distracted, simple things like my dog walk pass him while he is doing hw, he will look around or play with the dog while doing hw..
i can imagine how he will lose focus in a class of 40 pupils

but this is something i cannot do anything about it. had reminded him to focus while doing test and hw, easier said than done

[sharonkhoo]

chloecube:

i got a puzzling issue here, not sure if any of the parents encounter the same thing


i've bought past year exam papers for DS to try doing at home (without answer sheet attached), he scored pretty well.

but when he does mock test in school or some assessment test in the tuition centre, he scored badly, really bad like 30+/100

i do not understand why, tried sitting him down and ask him, he only kept queit and sobbed (DS is an introvert)
i must make my guesses and list down the possiblilties before asking him.
such as,
-test paper too hard? (which is not quite possible, bcos as i ran through those paper, standard is about the same)
-not enough time
- too anxious till he blank out..
he answer to me was time given is too short.
but i do not think this is the real reason, he was given 1.5hr to do the paper, he can complete the paper at a much faster speed at home.

this happened too many times, for all his subjects...
i am really at my wits end

It sounds like he's stressed. It may help to assure him that grades are not the be-all and end-all, and maybe teach him relaxation techniques too.

[SpartanMum]

Hi cholecube, what a frustrating problem.


Might be worthwhile trying again to reach out to him on the reasons behind this difference in marks in school and exploring how you and he can work together to overcome them?

Of course there is a fine balance here and asking him Why? Why? Why? over and over again may actually feel to him like you are stressing him out. But some gentle probing in a non-intrusive way might reveal something.

Sometimes other modalities of communication may help. Although I hate to admit it, I realise that whatsapp has actually helped DS1 and me bond. Even DH admits that it is helping us stay more connected. Sometimes whatsapp with its cute emoticons helps us reach out to our kids in a way that connects better with them. In fact the first thing DS1 does everyday when he reaches home is whatsapp me about his day.

Oh, one more thing, if DS has a discerning teacher, talking to her/him may also help.

All the best cholecube!