tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post950091915414897395..comments2024-02-17T01:11:34.207+08:00Comments on Of Kids and Education: Living childhood lessonsmonlimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17397210688200284987noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-33428735983940155672011-11-01T15:19:10.115+08:002011-11-01T15:19:10.115+08:00well Written.Keep writing.well Written.Keep writing.gudlihttp://www.gudlidotcom.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-6450512876251096142011-04-18T00:03:20.238+08:002011-04-18T00:03:20.238+08:00QX: It's hard cos of our environment and I kno...QX: It's hard cos of our environment and I know there are people in the relevant authorities who think keeping up this pressure cooker environment is the way to go to achieve excellence. Bah. No way to make a positive change when there are still people who think like this.monlimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397210688200284987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-5214601813330221452011-04-17T23:50:42.877+08:002011-04-17T23:50:42.877+08:00I totally agree with Schwarz but no power to chang...I totally agree with Schwarz but no power to change the situation which is a common phenomenon. I totally dislike the way we are living now....in the end, I don't think excellence is achieved but I see unhappy teachers, students, parents and education leaders everywhere. We stretch ourselves so thin that any deviation to the course sparks off a negative emotion or energy. I have seen parents flown into rage and became unreasonable...so have teachers. But are they truly like this or circumstances have short-circuited their responses?<br /><br />qxAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-32728013770967848422011-03-23T10:28:41.893+08:002011-03-23T10:28:41.893+08:00Ada: Absolutely, I find that once the kid enters t...Ada: Absolutely, I find that once the kid enters the school system, the spirit is dampened somewhat, what with keeping up with exams, homework, etc. We need to keep the innocence for as long as possible. Our kids need time to dream!monlimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397210688200284987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-28065104410056022362011-03-23T09:52:15.333+08:002011-03-23T09:52:15.333+08:00Thanks for sharing the article & your thoughts...Thanks for sharing the article & your thoughts, Mon. They struck such a cord with me. The contrast I've been noticing lately of how my 2 kids spend their time - Audrey in P2 and Anthony in K1 - showed me how easily and quickly their childhood and their spirit can disappear under endless piles of homework, tests, classes... <br /><br />I particularly liked how succinctly he put it at the end about childhood being "a well of rich individual perception and experience to which you can return for sustenance throughout life, whether you rise in the world or not. Children have a knack for simply living that adults can never regain."... Much needed reminder of why it's worth going the extra mile as parents to try keep that zen and strike a balance so that our kids can enjoy childhood 'their' way! :Dadanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-32471401168548658572011-03-23T01:02:51.657+08:002011-03-23T01:02:51.657+08:00Iris: Sounds like you've got a bad case of the...Iris: Sounds like you've got a bad case of the SG-school-system-angst syndrome! I've been there, can totally empathise. There's a long road ahead of you yet so take a deep breath and think zen :)monlimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397210688200284987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-30311064744969084882011-03-23T00:37:18.123+08:002011-03-23T00:37:18.123+08:00tw, you can't imagine how much I'm resenti...tw, you can't imagine how much I'm resenting the school system right now. <br /><br />Monica,<br />I think children has always spend part of childhood preparing for adulthood, but the key difference is they used to do so on their own terms. Maybe not totally, but certainly they have much more autonomy. Now, everything is dictated to them. For goodness sake, even solving a sum like 19-5 is dictated to them in a three step process shifting number bonds from here to there and that's supposed to be the latest in Maths syllabus. Since when does 19-5 take THREE steps to answer?? <br /><br />gnashing my teeth,<br />irisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-73215386810313571842011-03-21T11:11:10.622+08:002011-03-21T11:11:10.622+08:00TW: The one-week hols in SG are never holidays! Li...TW: The one-week hols in SG are never holidays! Like you said, kids have to go back to school or "holiday" activities (which are usually academic enrichment programmes) or spend their time finishing up a ton of homework. It's even worse when the kids are in p6, it's supplementary classes all the way.<br /><br />This kiasu syndrome is a vicious cycle. I don't think it's limited to Singapore though, it's an Asian phenomenon. Just look at the cram schools in Japan and Korea.monlimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397210688200284987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1109681525590028536.post-90992077510991071862011-03-21T10:53:11.491+08:002011-03-21T10:53:11.491+08:00This post struck a note with me. Have been strugg...This post struck a note with me. Have been struggling the past week. Despite the 1 week holiday, my P5 son had to go to school full day 7.30am-5.30pm for 3 days for various school arranged enrichment activities. Rest of the holidays were spent busy completing homework assigned by school. Not much time to relax for him. My hubby and I do feel sorry for him but could not do much. Schools need to play a big part of not assigning too much work and of course, we as parents, need to be conscious and try to attain a better balance for the children. <br /><br />I wonder if this is just a problem in Singapore or worldwide. <br /><br />twAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com