How quickly time flies. The one-month school break is over. The boys are back in school today. It's back to the old routine. Alarm clock goes off at 5.15am. Arrive in school by 7am and then I'm off to work. Life is back to normal now.
Now that school has started, all the on-line gaming will have to stop. YK's school has lined up an intensive after-school study programme to prepare them for the O Levels exams in October. SK's math tuition starts today. Yah, life is hard for our teenagers.
Parents here fork out money willingly to tutors to coach their kids. So pervasive is the practice that Singapore is infamously known as the "tuition nation". It's a booming industry here.
Even parents of kindergarten and nursery-level children have ask for tutors to teach their kids how to read properly, to help them build a strong foundation.
You may think it is crazy but they don't think so. Anything they can do to give their child a headstart, they will pay.
Unfortunately, in our schools, a child's performance is mainly measured by the test results. A vicious cycle that will never end. Even we are caught in it. Sad, but life goes on.
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9 comments:
Unfortunately, in our schools, a child's performance is mainly measured by the test results.
Unfortunately that happens here too. People are so obsessed with results for their kids that sometimes they forget the child needs to breathe and enjoy life too ...
I think once the basics are taken care of: reading, writing and comprehension and maths, how good a kid does at other subjects like chemistry or physics does not indicate his intelligence level.
And that is what's hard for a lot of parents to understand. If a kid is good at the arts for example, then that should be encouraged.
But in competitive societies like Singapore (just like how it is in Japan and Korea), that is easier said than done. I don't envy your responsibilities as a parent.
Yes...Singapore and other Asian countries...even here in JP...everyone has their kid studying something... only Coffee is free to be as she is...does that make us bad parents?
Nick - If only our kids could enjoy life like the way we did back in those days...
Mooiness - What you say makes alot of sense. Sadly it has come to a stage whereby if the child doesn't get any outside help, he's going to lag behind his peers. The only way out is to move out!
JY - No, looking at what Little Beanie does (drawing, planting rice, sports etc), I think she has a very well rounded lifestyle. Her childhood is very enjoyable. You're good parents!
Huh? The break is over? Wow the whole month went by really fast.
I better give Ahbi a call and see what she is doing... and I'm sure I'll nag her to study harder even she isn't my daughter and I'm 4500 miles away! See, I'm still kiasu :)
MH - Yes, so fast but it's good to have them back in school as well...
Oh, you're doing the right thing. Since they're studying here, no choice but to do well, so after nagging at your niece, please drop by and nag at my boys too! Thank you.
It is important to try to give kids a good headstart but I also believe in balance. Kids are kids and they also need to enjoy their childhood.
I hope that when I have a kid I will be able to find that balance for him/her.
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