Thursday, June 30, 2011

Berita Harian/Pilot Pen/Ashaway badminton competition

During the June holidays, Andre participated in the Berita Harian/Pilot Pen/Ashaway Youth Badminton Championships. Yes, it's quite a mouthful - guess they have to give equal weightage to all sponsors!

It's amazing the number of kids who signed up. Did you know that badminton is the no.1 most popular sport among students in Singapore?

Here are snippets of a couple of the games Andre played. He's wearing red in both.



It was also the first time Andre signed up for doubles in a competition. He doesn't always practise doubles so he and his friend need to work on their coordination but I thought it was a great experience, something different.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Andre conquers Grade 5 theory

In March this year, Andre sat for his ABRSM Grade 5 theory exam. For most kids, this probably would just be a routine exercise but for Andre, it was a major milestone. Actually, milestone is a nice word, the more accurate word would be "hurdle".

The month leading up to the exam was seriously stressful. As the exam grew nearer, I became increasingly aware of how unprepared he was. Realising that there was no way he could memorise all the required French and German terms, I told him he just needed to remember some of the basic Italian terms (see my post on Andre's grade 2 theory exam). But when a week before the exam, he told me he thought "p" meant slow, I knew we were in deep trouble. (For those who don't know music, "p" means soft, it's the most basic musical expression there is.)

Andre's not dumb but I think Uncle Peter and I misjudged his readiness for the exam. It became even more nerve-wrecking when I found out later that the passing mark was not 50/100 but 66/100. "Please, please, just pass this exam and we don't ever have to do this again!!" I begged.

He drove the usually placid Uncle Peter damn near to heart failure. He told me during lessons, Uncle Peter would actually smack his forehead and mutter, "tian ah".

For the life of me, I couldn't remember why I'd let Uncle Peter sign him up for the exam (you know these things, they always seem like a good idea at the time!) The exam also coincided with the week of CA1, adding an additional level of stress. In desperation, I let him ponteng school on the Friday after the CA1 to study for his theory exam on Saturday morning.

That day, when Uncle Peter came for a much needed last minute extra lesson, he discovered that Andre suddenly decided there was a black key between E and F. "How can you not know what the keyboard looks like?" he asked in despair. It's an impossible question to answer. Sometimes, I think Andre lives in his own little planet.

It all came down to exam techniques, I'm sorry to say. We did the Singaporean thing. For composition where he had to compose a tune for a series of words, Uncle Peter basically taught him to write a C major scale up and down. Not the most interesting of tunes but you can't say it's wrong.

BUT... this story has a happy ending because Andre passed!! He scored 68/100, passing by 2 marks. I'm pretty sure it was the prayers that did it. Or maybe my sheer will power propelled him over the line.


It's a miracle. I need to frame this up because it probably aged both Uncle Peter and me by several years. The good news is, Andre never has to take another theory exam. Ever.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Lesley-Anne explores paper cuttings

During the last week of school before the mid-year holidays, Lesley-Anne's school arranged for non-curriculum programmes for the students, which I thought was a nice way to end the term. Lesley-Anne was allocated the module, Chinese folk art, where she was introduced to the technique of paper cutting.

The students started out with your basic symmetrical cuttings and were provided with templates of the zodiac animals. Lesley-Anne chose these cos they represent our family (except for the horse, the teacher didn't have a template for the dragon, which is Andre's sign). Oops, I think I just revealed all our ages...

Following this exercise, the students moved on to more complex, non-symmetrical templates, requiring a sharp penknife and a deft hand.

The module sparked Lesley-Anne's interest in paper cutting and during the first two weeks of the holidays, she scoured the Internet to find patterns. She found the Chinese designs to be very complex and detailed, so she expanded her search to Western templates.

These were the first two she attempted: giraffe and wolf


Next, she did a dragon template cos she felt bad that Andre didn't have his zodiac cut-out earlier. It's now displayed on his wardrobe.

Finally, she decided to challenge herself and located this intricate design of Noah's Ark.

I thought it was a show-stopper and was very impressed by the results. I love her attention to detail and her patience. That's what holidays should be about! Not attending enrichment classes but taking the time to have fun and explore your creativity.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Translation of Zaobao article

As promised, here's a translation of the Zaobao article in the previous post. It's pretty long so my friend only translated the left column portion which refers to the letter.

Parent’s letter to Heng Swee Keat on Facebook receives overwhelming response

On 24 May, following the swearing in of Ministers to the Cabinet, Ms Monica Lim posted a letter to Education Minister Heng Swee Keat on her Facebook page.

The 2000-word letter outlined the concerns of a parent regarding the current education system. The letter went viral, receiving more than 3,000 ‘likes’ and close to 600 comments on Facebook.

During an interview, Ms Monica Lim said, “What surprised me was that there are actually so many people out there who felt like me. Many young parents have communicated to me through Facebook and email, expressing concerns over the education their kids are receiving”.

Parents like Monica Lim feel that the Singapore education system is flawed. The system is currently too obsessed with results. There is a need for a total reform or we risk producing generations of “robots without souls”.

Monica Lim is a mother of two. Her daughter and son are in secondary 2 and primary 5 respectively. In her letter to Mr Heng Swee Keat, she said that over the years, through the learning experiences of her children, she has become increasingly frustrated by this education system that does not edify the development of children.

In her opinion, the problem lies with the fact that schools are increasingly run like businesses. Teachers are assessed and ranked according to quantifiable results (KPIs). Inevitably, parents and students too, become obsessed with getting good results in both school-based and national examinations, leading to indiscriminate tuition, favouring of branded schools, and schools raising their standard of examinations year after year. As such, students experience lower self-confidence and very high levels of stress.

Monica Lim said, “The backlash is that our children’s self-worth and perception have become intrinsically linked to their academic grades. They are judged according to their academic ability.
Because of this, students may fall prey to the “entitled mentality”, thinking that they are better than others simply because they are smarter”.

No progress if current view of success remains

According to a head of department at a secondary school, since the promotion of the “teach less learn more” philosophy by MOE in 2004, the education policy for local primary and secondary schools has seen some subtle changes. Despite the idea of a holistic education being widely accepted, not all teachers can, in this short period of time, stop their “spoon-feeding” method of teaching. The PERI report, which was released two years ago, is the best proof.

According to her, although currently, the main KPI for teachers is students’ examination results, other factors like how teachers impart character education, social emotional learning, 21st century analysis and creative thinking skills, and their communication skills are equally valued.

Schools are unable to adopt a more relaxed attitude towards results because they need to be answerable to parents. For example, even if students perform very well in CCAs but do badly in the examinations, most parents will still be dissatisfied and may blame the examination system. However, abolishing the national examination system will not solve the problem. Instead, people will lose confidence in Singapore’s education system. This will impede students’ chances when applying to further their studies at overseas universities in the future.

Do not make policies based on superficial thinking

Using the “teach less learn more” motto as an example, another teacher, who is the head of his school’s Chinese language department, further explained difficulties faced by schools. According to him, the underlying concept of “teach less learn more” is to encourage self-learning through different teaching methods, which is good. Some schools have increased depth in the Chinese language curriculum through the introduction of activities such as Chinese painting, Chinese opera, etc. But some parents have criticised that these activities will not help improve students’ grades in the short term. Instead, the “teach less” component will result in their spending more money on tuition.

This teacher further explained, “The crux lies with both parents’ and educators’ mentality. If they continue to embrace the view that academic qualification is utmost important, the current system will remain”.

Generally, teachers believe that the MOE’s education policy in recent years is basically sound. The problem lies with the fact that insufficient thought was put into the execution. They hope that in the coming months, other than “listening” to parent’s opinion, the ministry should communicate more with teachers to understand the actual problems on the ground.

A teacher said, “The MOE should maintain closer ties with teachers. Otherwise, policies will simply be crafted from the ivory tower. Many policy makers lack practical experience, thus they have one-sided understanding of educational issues”.

In addition, education is a long drawn-process. Effects of changes made will not show overnight. Thus, some teachers believe that as heads of schools, principals should not be rotated every 5 to 6 years. If the principals are allowed to serve in the same school for a longer period of time, there will be more stability. Teachers will not have to adapt to changes brought forth by new principals so frequently. More efforts can then be put into carrying out and assessing the benefits of educational plans implemented.

Monica Lim hopes that the MOE can be swift in its reform of the education system. Apart from reviewing teachers’ assessment, related issues such as the national examinations framework needs to be changed. She feels that the PSLE should be abolished as it is unfair to decide a child’s future simply on an examination taken at 12 years old.

This is not the first time that Monica Lim has written to the MOE. The difference is that this letter to the Minister was made public and she has received a reply from him. In his reply, the Minister thanked Monica Lim for her suggestions but being new, he indicated that he would need time to study the observations and suggestions he had received.

Although it is short, Monica Lim was heartened by the reply. She said, “He is a new Minister so it is natural that he cannot make any promises in the short term. But his response seems genuine and I hope to see changes in the education policies in the future”.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Letter to Heng Swee Keat in Zaobao

In yesterday's Zaobao page 12, there was an education feature which talked about my Letter to Heng Swee Keat.

The article delved extensively into responses from both parents and educators and examined some of the many facets of education. I'm very grateful for this article because I believe the Chinese-speaking population is one large and important group that my letter hadn't been able to reach. Hopefully, this can also encourage them to speak up and air their views.

It's a full page article, so I wasn't able to scan it in full. Instead, I'm reproducing the article here. For those who are bilingually-challenged like me, I've asked a friend to help me translate the article. Will post it here when it's ready.

家长在面簿写信给王瑞杰获热烈反响
一“信”激起千层浪

● 潘星华 陈能端

  新内阁宣誓就职后,育有一对儿女的林慧平5月24日通过“面簿”给教育部长王瑞杰写了封公开信。

  这封2000多字的英文信列出一位家长对现有教育制度的种种疑虑。除了在面簿上获得超过3000人的支持(like)和近600条留言,这封信后来也迅速转贴到不同的网络论坛上。

  林慧平受访时说:“令我意外的是,原来有这么多人和我有同样的感受。通过电邮或面簿联系我的年轻家长大部分的反映是,他们为孩子接受的教育感到非常担心。”

  “担心”是因为像林慧平这样的家长认为,我国教育体系在执行上已经出现偏差,导致“崇尚成绩多于一切”的现状。再不彻底改革,恐怕会培养出一代代只会读书,却“没有灵魂的机器人。”

林慧平的大女儿和小儿子分别就读中二和小五。她在写给王瑞杰的信说,这些年来,通过孩子的学习经历,她对越来越无法起到启迪作用的教育制度感到沮丧。

  在她看来,学校趋向“企业化”是问题所在。当教师的评估和各种关键绩效指标(KPI)挂钩,促使教师把精力集中在“可量化”的学生成绩上。无可避免地,为了满足学校和全国性考试的竞争,家长和学生盲目地追求成绩。这引申出的现象包括无节制的补习风潮、家长争相把孩子送入名校、学校为确保学生不懈怠,考试一年比一年困难,这不但打击学生的自信心也让他们在压力下喘不过气。

  林慧平说:“我们越来越重视学术成绩,把成绩高低等同于学生好坏。但这样的风气很容易促使那些达标的学生产生‘理应获得的态度’(entitled mentality),让他们觉得自己比别人聪明就高人一等。”

对于这样的观点,受访的教师表示,家长的担忧有一定的道理,但毕竟是以管窥豹,只见一斑。

成功观念不改
大家继续原地转
  

  一名在中学担任科目主任的教师指出,自教育部2004年提倡“少教多学”开始,本地中小学教育大方针已经潜移默化地在转型。或许不是所有教师都能在短时间内改变填鸭式的教学方法,但以全人教育(holistic education)为本的意识已经获得广泛认同。两年前总结出的小学教育检讨与执行委员会(PERI)报告就是最好的证明。

  她举例说,目前,学生的考试成绩虽然还是以教师评估为关键指标,但其他指标包括教师怎么落实品格教育、制定社交情绪学习、传授21世纪技能如分析和创意思维、沟通能力等也同样受重视。

  学校无法对考试成绩放松,是因为他们需要向家长交待。她说:“打个比方,学生的辅助课程活动(CCA)表现再好,如果考试不理想,绝大部分的家长还是不满意的。家长或许会说,这是考试制度害的,但往深一层想,废除全国性的考试也于事无补,因为这会让国家的教育制度失去公信力,学生日后要凭什么指标申请到外国的大学念书?”

政策制定
勿凭空想象


  另一名担任华文部门主任的教师则以“少教多学”为例,进一步说明学校所面对的两难局面。他说,“少教多学”的出发点是很好的,目的是通过不同方式鼓励孩子自发学习。为此,一些学校可能会在华文课融入深广元素,比如向学生介绍水墨画、京剧等。但一些家长会批评说这根本无法在短时间内提升孩子的华文成绩,而学校老师的“少教”反而迫使他们得花钱补习。

  这名部门主任说:“关键是家长和社会对成功的观念一天不改变,只要他们仍然坚信文凭至上,制度怎么改,我们终究是在绕圈圈。”

教师们认为,教育部这些年所采取的大方针基本正确,只是在执行上缺乏透彻的考量。他们希望,教育部的决策高层接下来除了要仔细聆听家长的意见,更应该多和前线工作的教师沟通,了解他们面对的实际问题。

  一名教师说:“教育部要和教师拉近距离,不然很多时候决策似乎是凭空想象的。许多决策者缺乏实战经验,或者教学经验不长,对教学的理解是片面的。”

  另外,教育是“百年树人”的过程,改革不可能一朝一夕见效,所以一些教师也指出,作为学校的最高领导者,校长不应该每五六年就调走。如果校长能够在一所学校逗留长一点的时间,校方的治校方向会更稳定,教师也不用随着校长的轮替,不断改变以配合新校长的作风。这样一来,他们就能好好地延续一些优质的计划并有效评估这些计划是否达到预想效果。

  林慧平则希望教育部可以“快刀斩乱麻”,除了教师评估应该重新探讨,和这个环节息息相关的全国考试框架也有必要改变。特别是被许多家长视为“一考定终身”的小六离校考试应该考虑废除,因为凭孩子12岁的成绩就决定他未来的学习道路是不公平的。

  林慧平不是第一次就教育课题写信给教育部,不同的是,她这次的公开信获得王瑞杰的正面回应。王瑞杰感谢她的建议,并表示刚刚上任,还需要对各方所提出的观察和建议多做研究。

  虽是简短的答复,却让林慧平感到欣慰:“他是新部长,无法在短时间做出任何承诺是自然的。但他看来真诚,希望教育政策日后真的会有所改变。”

甫上任部长面簿
上百家长留言谈教育


宣布王瑞杰出任教育部长后,他的面簿上就收到了上百条有关改进教育制度的建议。以下是部分的留言内容:

Thong Kar Lai:

“为什么有越来越多学生需要补习?连还没有进入小学的孩童也要参加这些课程。这是新加坡独有的社会现象吗?很多家长愿意支付昂贵的学费,只为了确保孩子不输在起跑线上。我们的教育体系是不是无法满足家长的要求?考试成绩难道是养育孩子最关键的事情吗?

Steve Lin:

  “尊敬的部长,我希望你不仅会关注学生的需要也同时照顾教师。教师教学时间太长,过于繁重的工作已经促使许多人失去教学热忱。或许你应该从真人秀节目《卧底大老板》(Undercover Boss)获取灵感,亲身到学校体验真实的情况。”

Thian Beng Yap:

  “只有心灵的修养才能塑造品格正直的人。头脑用于思考,心用来感受。我们的学生可以思考,但都没有能力感受,他们很多时候不能设身处地地为别人着想……”

Dick Tay:

  “学校为什么在假期还要求学生要上网作‘e学习’功课。这和规定学校假期的原则背道而驰。家长最终还要请假在家里陪孩子做作业。请改变这样的政策,让家长也能和孩子一样,好好在假期中休息。”

Michelle Wong:

  “请你考虑重新检讨小一入学政策。和永久居民、外国人相比,新加坡人应该享有绝对的优先权。现有的抽签政策,也就是公民比其他人多一票应该废除。我建议所有学额优先考虑新加坡学生,剩余的才让给永久居民和外国人。”

家长电邮谈教育

"我认为新加坡的老人被子女疏忽,工作压力只是借口,我觉得缺失的是这里没有从小就必须进行的道德教育。”

"请给孩子一个自由的写作空间,别限制和束缚他们,相信他们的眼睛,相信他们的表达能力。也许,他们的语言是稚嫩可笑的、他们的思绪是条理不清的,但这些都不重要,因为那才是他们真实的世界和想法。”

"直通车计划似乎造成了名校的学额被垄断的问题,感觉上,好象形成了教育体制内的精英阶级。小六生只要在PSLE取得优秀的成绩,他就进入了这个阶级,得到重点栽培,一辈子念的都是名校。国家重点栽培人才是好事,可是这也可能造成一些晚开窍的学生无法得到名校教育的机会,邻里中学的学生即使会考成绩不错,也无法进入顶尖的初院。这种情况的出现,就表示直通车计划剥夺了教育体制中让学生凭借自己的努力,使自己能够往上流动的管道。”  

"高才班的学生,往往十分自我,我担心这些孩子太高估自己,无法接受失败。我们的高才教育是不是已经迷失方向?”

"老师的工作量越来越大,压力也越来越重,没有了家庭时间,甚至可能陷入焦虑症。把老师当公务员管理,给高薪,要求更多KPI,很多时候浪费精力在应付报告和一些看起来像是满足教育部纸面要求的Project,根本没有时间和精力去更好地关心孩子。这是否本末倒置?”

"政府不能以“小一优先报名权”为carrot,叫人们为社区服务,而是应该想别的奖励方法,去鼓励这些社区领袖。”
  
"校长为什么必须六年换一次?新校长须至少一两年时间去了解学校,等他掌握好信息,要贯彻新措施提升教学和设备时,他又要离开了。结果,换了新校长,又把前一任校长的措施都改了。”

"希望学校能把教育回归到以育人为本的性质,把学校当学校来经营,而不是一间机构。很多学校把家长学生当客户,把General Office 称为Customer Service Centre,把建立品牌做为终极目标。其实,学生无论读的是不是名校,都应该享有同等的教育和潜能发展的机会。”

国际评为“卓越” 国人却有微词
我国教育体系为何“内弹外赞”?


  自1995年新加坡中二学生参加国际学生趋势研究,无论科学或数学都名列世界第一后,新加坡式教育不断在国际上获得高度认可。经济合作与发展组织去年发布“国际学生能力评估”,新加坡5000名15岁学生的数学、科学和阅读表现,分别排名第二、第十和第五。国际顾问公司麦肯锡评估,新加坡教育体系已从 “优良”步入“卓越”的阶段。

  这被外人看起来是一等一的新加坡教育制度,却不完全被国人认同。在此次具分水岭意义的大选之后掀起的改革声浪中,教育制度改革,也是众人关切的课题。

  多位专家学者家长教师对本报“为政策把脉”专题,发表意见。

张齐娥:  
教育应该延伸到家庭 


前官委议员,悦榕控股高级副总裁张齐娥请教育部重视兴建“心件工程,情绪工程”。

她说:“教育的最终目标是学做人,学怎样修身、齐家、扶社、治国、平天下,不能只重视分数,教师怎样去教学生是非常重要。这个教学法最棘手之处,是它牵涉到哲学、诗歌、文学等软实力的源头,只有这样才能整顿心灵,找到有根的灵魂,建立坚韧不拔的能耐。”

除了提出“学习型组织learning organisation”的概念,张齐娥认为教育部应该协助推广“学习型家庭 learning family”的概念。

她说:“培养新一代,家庭和学校的责任是相辅相成,而不是相互推卸。学习,要从家庭开始。从两个人怎样组织家庭,怎样相处,怎样分工合作,到怎样怀孕,怎样迎接新生儿,怎样教育孩子,怎样参加活动,怎样选幼稚园,怎样小一报名,进了学校怎样学习等等。这个专业工作需要请教育部来协助。我希望这个学习不是开一门课来做知识灌输,而是把它渗透进教师和家长互动的所有活动里。所有的资料也可以罗列在网上,让年轻家长从网上学习。‘学习型家庭’希望能变成一个运动,促成父母、孩子和教师之间多沟通,大家一起长大。这是社会工程,希望每个家庭成为一个学习家庭。”

教育工作者:好的教师比堂皇的教室重要


  新加坡教育投资在过去半世纪重视硬件建设,大量建设美轮美奂的校舍,购买最先进的电脑设备仪器,臻于世界级完善水平;未来需要倾向“软件”投资,减轻教师工作量,普遍实施小班制,增聘教师,增聘行政人员处理非教学工作等等。

这些工作教育部已经在做了,但是做的步伐不够快。大力减轻教师负担应该是教育部接下来要努力的大事,是改革的重点。

新意元幼源校长陈鸣鸾是资深幼儿教育专家。她接受本报访问时说:“我们的教育预算不少,今年就有109亿元,但是投资的方向需要重新评估。”

  她说,校舍、设备等硬体已有世界级水平,教师的薪金也做了调整,现在是否应该考虑小班制,减少教师任教的班数,再减轻他们负责课外活动或行政工作的工作量?实行小班制,就是要聘请更多教师,而软体比硬体更重要,只要有好老师,校舍不够堂皇并不要紧,电脑不够先进也不要紧。

  “印度的教育资源比我们差,但是全世界都去印度找科技人才。所以,问题还在教师,教师最重要。”

她说,学生超过40人的大班给教师的负担太大,他们有改不完的作业,如何再去把课教好?所以,小班制是重要的。只要有小班的空间,其他什么设备一时跟不上不要紧。教育的投资应该先用在人上面,不要本末倒置,不要先硬体后软体,硬体可以共享,人怎么共享呢?

华中国际学校去年四名学生成绩名列全球第一,其中三人是在国际剑桥考试局举办的“国际中学教育普通证书考试(International General Certificate of Secondary Education, IGCSE)”的数学科和华文科,考获全球第一,另一名是今年参加国际剑桥考试局举办的企业创作赛取得全球第一。

这四名学生其中三人是新加坡人。问成功原因,他们说:“小班,是小班让我有更多时间受到老师照顾。”

新跃大学人文与社会科学院中文课程有60%学生是在职华文教师,主任罗福腾副教授对记者说,他发现新加坡华文教师的工作量实在太大,除了备课、教书、批改作业,还有很多额外事务,如要负责课程辅助活动,还有指导诸如端午节、中秋节、春节等文化庆祝活动,实在太多。

他说:“很多学生从早上6时到晚上6时在学校教书,7时赶到我们这边上课到晚上10时,第二天又一早去教书,疲于奔命,简直累死他们。”

罗福腾对华文教师必须教三种课程也表示关注。他说:“学校为了公平,经常让教师分教快捷班、普通学术班、普通工艺班。这表示教师必须准备三套课程,教三种不同水平的学生。课程内容不同,学生不同,作业不同,教师要不停调整自己的头脑,是很疲累的。其实为了公平,学校可以安排教师一年全教快捷班,翌年换教普通学术班,后年再教普通工艺班,这样教师只需备一次课,批改一种作业。”

他也建议教育部增聘教师。

前清华大学校长梅贻琦有一句名言:“大学者,非大楼之谓也,乃大师之谓也”。

  其实,教师之重要,不只在大学,中学小学幼儿园何其不然?当教育部为全国学校兴建了大楼后,现在应该思考的是怎样以各种机制,在学校培育大师。

Thursday, June 9, 2011

MyPaper reporter chimes in on creative writing

Article in today's MyPaper making reference to my letter to the Education Minister, specifically the portion on creative writing.


MyPaper 9jun11 education2_0001

Sunday, June 5, 2011

From social to mainstream media

A reporter from the Straits Times called me on Friday, asking if she could write an article about my letter to Mr Heng Swee Keat. It was to be a side bar to the main story on the Education Minister's comments about schools.

Interesting how one letter can garner so much publicity. Truly the power of social media! Anyway, I hope the Minister will heed the call of parents for real reforms and not just make cosmetic changes. If he truly wants honest feedback, he should speak to teachers and students not "pre-selected" by schools, and certainly not only parents who serve on school boards.

A friend of mine suggested that the Minister spring surprise visits to schools and attempt to sit for a PSLE maths paper. That would certainly make headlines!


Straits Times, 4 June 2011 page A6

ST 4jun2011 Education 1

ST 4jun2011 Education 2

Friday, June 3, 2011

Andre-isms

Just a light-hearted post to end a hectic work week!

Over the years, Andre has been entertaining our household with his off-the-wall quips, often without meaning to. I sometimes post these "Andre-isms" on Facebook but I thought I would just compile some of them here, so I can remember them and refer back when I need a good laugh.

xxx

Andre: "That's the shop with all the fake women."
Lesley-Anne: "They're called mannequins."

xxx

Andre: "Is Labour Day when all the mothers remember how painful it was during labour?"

xxx

Andre trips and falls on his butt in front of his classmates.

Teacher: "Are you alright?"
Andre (dusting himself off): "It's ok, it runs in the family."

xxx

Me: "You ate fried food again?!"
Andre: "Popcorn chicken is not fried! All the sauce made it soggy."

xxx

Andre to me: "I'm lucky because you're quite clever and I have your genes."

xxx

Andre (after being berated by me for a sub-par assessment paper): "Even though you scold me, I still love you."

Ok, so this last one is not funny in the least, but I really think I have the sweetest son.

TGIF!
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