School score card for 2008

We have so much to be thankful for.

The kids have received the results for their year-end exams and I'm happy to say that on the whole, they've met their targets - ie in all their subjects, Lesley-Anne met the GEP baseline requirement and Andre achieved Band 1. So all the pre-exam screeching (me), sleepless nights (also me), sulks (Lesley-Anne) and tears (Andre) have been worthwhile.

I won't reveal their results in detail but I just want to highlight two that I'm especially pleased about. For Lesley-Anne, this is maths. If you've been following my blog, you will know that maths has been a constant struggle for her. I've been trying all ways and means to help her with maths but I think the biggest hurdle is not her ability but her antipathy towards the subject.

Well, this time she truly exerted a Herculean effort and accomplished 83/100. I am soooo pleased, I can't begin to tell you! It may not sound that great to some of you but for a kid who has failed to meet the baseline a couple of times, this score is truly cause for celebration. (Someone in her class actually pulled off 99½/100 but I'm so NOT complaining and not comparing.) Ironically (notice my life seems to be full of ironies), it turned out that she performed best in maths among all her subjects. Other subjects like Chinese that she usually performs well in dipped a little in standard. I told her jokingly, "How come your results like a balance scale like that? When one goes up, something else must come down!" But we're both so delighted with the maths result that we're just basking in that. It's as much a victory for me as it is for her, I think!

For Andre, the biggest surprise was his composition. Again, I've repeatedly moaned about the standard of his English and how he can't seem to write coherently. During term time, he regularly scrapes up just 5/10 or 6/10 for his compositions. It didn't assuage my fears when he came home the week before last and announced that his teacher mentioned most of the kids in the class didn't do too well for the composition exam. Then last Tuesday, he came home from school, bashed on my bathroom door (I was taking a shower) and shouted excitedly, "Mummy! I got 8/10 for composition!"

I couldn't believe it (you wouldn't too if you've read his compositions). I couldn't believe it even more after he'd told me that the boy who regularly scores 10/10 was the only one who got 9/10 in the class, and only a handful got 8/10 - these are the kids who write beautifully, I've seen their work in the class publication. I actually asked him skeptically, "Are you sure it was 8? Are you sure it wasn't 6 and you saw wrongly?" Ok, you are all going to now condemn me as this awful mum who has so little faith in her own son! Then hear this: when Kenneth came home from work and Andre told him his score, Kenneth asked him EXACTLY THE SAME THING!!! Bwaahaha!!

Thankfully, Andre was oblivious to any insinuation on his ability and just happily replied, "no lah! I thought I would get only 5, I didn't dare to look at my paper! Then I saw, I really got 8!" I don't know how he pulled that rabbit out of the hat but I say this again, this boy has some mad exam skills!

So another academic year draws to a close. It was hectic and stressful, yet I can't believe how fast it flew by (I say this every year, by the way). The holidays can't come soon enough - I need to recharge my mental strength and energy which is teetering at the almost zero level. I will need a double charge for next year - PSLE and p3! No joke.

Meanwhile, an unexpected treat has come our way - a holiday in Beijing during the school holidays, which was just confirmed a few nights ago. A perfect way to end the school year! And I promise not to bring any assessment books.