Newspaper Article: Sorry, your child is not bright enough

[looking4Tutor]

My ds/dd is my ego-extension. If ds/dd is rejected it is my ego that breaks not ds/dd.

[buds]

Ego-extension.. :rotflmao:

:goodpost: Good & honest post! :celebrate:

[corneyAmber]

looking4Tutor:

My ds/dd is my ego-extension. If ds/dd is rejected it is my ego that breaks not ds/dd.

Bingo!

[Joule]

damn sad hor, now kids have to take tuition so that they can qualify for more tuition

[Chenonceau]

My DD's boyfriend was identified for Math Olympiad training in primary school. He said he purposely failed his eval so that he would have time to play. The really smart kids dun mind breaking Dad's ego to protect playtime!!


:rotflmao:

Ego extension!! :rotflmao:

[phtthp]

what is the difference between enrichment centre vs tuition centre ?


how do you measure the performance of both ?

[kiddo]

Chenonceau:

My DD's boyfriend was identified for Math Olympiad training in primary school. He said he purposely failed his eval so that he would have time to play. The really smart kids dun mind breaking Dad's ego to protect playtime!!


:rotflmao:

Ego extension!! :rotflmao:

Our future 'thinking out of the box' smart boy :boogie: :boogie:

Bravo !!! SG .........got hope liao :hi5:

[singmathstutor]

This is the business world. If this is the way some businesses are managed; to cream away the top students from the mediocre ones in order to boost their reputation, we gotta accept that the entry test is inevitable.


Personally, I do not concur with such practices, but I feel it takes two to tango. As a parent, if I do not think my children are capable of benefitting from the "rigorous training" that they may undergo, I would never even consider signing up. This brings us to the next issue, which coincidentally, is more sensitive…

If the child is signed up for the entry test and is deemed to be unsuitable for the enrichment course, what kind of emotional impact on the child are we talking about here? For me, I would not want my children to face such an difficult situation. Here, the plain bare truth is, let’s not force what is somewhat unachievable. We never know what repercussions may behold.

A child’s learning is unique in every sense. Some are visual learners while others are more kinesthetic. Not even every bright child may learn the same way. So, before we enrol our children for any enrichment classes, we should find out how the school conducts their courses. Understanding the teaching methods and analysing if they are suitable for our children’s learning is imperative.

More importantly, let us spare a thought for our poor children. Our current education system may be in stark contrast, compared with the way we are educated. Sometimes, we do acknowledge that the stress level in schools can be quite a challenge, especially to our children. The very least that we can do is to help negate some of this stress so that they can still enjoy their precious childhood.

I always believe that if we do not gain enjoyment in whatever we do, chances are that we may not do as well.

[coast]

Busymom:

Did anyone watch the documentary \"Being a Child\"on CNA recently? I caught one episode late at night recently and it was on what Japanese preschool children go through to get into top elementary schools in Tokyo (there were other episodes on China, Hong Kong and India as well, but was too late, couldn't keep my eyes open).


I was left completely bewildered after watching it and really felt sorry for the kids, and parents - from attending enrichment classes that cost more than $1000 a month (not sure how long is the duration of the class, but have the impression that it isn't a daily class), or doing worksheets for up to 4 hours daily (so that the amount of worksheets done is as high as the height of the child), to going for mock exams and interviews prior to entrance exams of the elementary schools and going shopping for appropriate dressing for both mother and child for the interviews... Many also had to be good in their sports like Karate for boys and gym for girls. One boy had Karate on one day, swimming the next, gym another day, then Kumon on yet another day... What really struck me as crazy was that at one of the enrichment classes that charge more than $1000 a month, good performance would be rewarded with a seat in the first row in class... Also noticed a few of the children yawning while being filmed - a case of lack of sleep??

After watching this, I think we are still quite fortunate in Singapore...

Hi, there is actually an episode on Singapore as well! I did not catch the show from the beginning so not sure what I have missed but here's what I caught:-

(i) an expensive pre-school that charges S$1,300 per month (guess many parents here know about these schools anyway)
(ii) a Kindergarten boy having to attend a few enrichment classes on Sats ... he said Sat is a working day ...
(iii) another Kindergarten boy attending many enrichment classes, including very late at night ... he said he wants to be number zero and that number one is being 2nd

What intrigues me is how the parents in the show think about the Singapore education system.

While I know tuition/ enrichment is really common these days, it still alarms me that some parents would ask their Kindergarten kids to spend so much time on academic classes and worksheets at home for \"P1 preparation\". I hope viewers of the show would not think that is common in Singapore. I suppose this show is presenting a certain segment (enrichment classes?) and not reflecting the whole society in general?

[coast]

From the article, 2 MPs (both involved in Education) used strong words (in my opinion those are strong words) against such practice. I believe they have good reasons to do so. However, the article did not give much insight into the MPs' views but I hope it is enough to let parents think hard especially if their kids are stressed by the classes and homework given by the enrichment centres. If the kids enjoy the classes and the parents are happy to part with their :moneyflies: then I think there is no issue