Surviving the countdown to PSLE Part 1

School reopens today and this is it - the final stretch before the PSLE. Discounting the listening comprehension exams this Friday, it's just under 4 weeks to the first paper and exactly 5 weeks till it's all over.

One whole year's work has come down to this and having gone through the experience with Lesley-Anne, it's enough to put me off national exams forever (I'm so dreading Andre's turn!)

I understand that PSLE is important but sometimes, I feel that the entire community of schools, teachers, parents and kids has just gotten carried away by the wave of mutually reinforcing kiasu-ism. At Lesley-Anne's school, it has been intensive revision everyday from Term 3. In class, the kids do exam papers from other schools. Remedial sessions have been added. If that's not enough, Lesley-Anne has been coming home with as many as 4 PSLE papers (one for each subject) a day as homework. The next day, she would hand them all up in exchange for another set. From what I know, some parents are adding to the workload by setting additional work and piling on extra tuition classes.

It's not just the parents and the teachers - many of the kids are pushing themselves at this breakneck pace. Lesley-Anne has been ultra conscientious this year. She worked out her own revision timetable and after finishing her daily mountain of homework, she would take out her files and do some additional studying. I know many parents would be envious to hear this and I am heartened that she is self-motivated. But I do worry that it's all a little too much, too intense.

When she came home from her PSLE Chinese oral exam, she was in tears because she didn't understand the words in the picture and so couldn't really talk about it much. I told her it was ok, it happens and she needn't be so upset since she already had DSA in the bag. But I understood why she felt let down. When you invest so much effort into something and are unable to perform at your best, it's terribly disappointing.

And that's where I worry that so many of these kids, who have poured their blood, sweat and tears into the PSLE, are not prepared or mature enough to manage the emotional backlash that might result from this process.

Most of the time, effort + ability = results. Based on the laws of probability, if you are reasonably bright and have been hardworking, there is an excellent chance that you will do well. But nothing in life is ever 100% certain. As we all know, so many other factors can affect an exam score - carelessness, nervousness, lapse in concentration, misreading a question, etc. This is especially so if the kids are fighting for the last few precious marks, eg from high 80s to 90s. One slip can easily cost you that A*.

The problem is that many of these kids have come to define their entire academic abilities based on that eventual t-score. I can understand how a 12-year-old might think that way but it irks me that so many parents fall into that trap as well, reinforcing the child's doubt in his own self-worth. "How come you didn't get A* for maths? It must mean you're not as good in maths as I thought." No, it could also mean that the child somehow didn't manage to transfer his ability onto that particular exam paper. Not the same thing at all.

Well, there's not much we can do about the pressure from schools and the system but it does help to remain level-headed and provide a supportive environment at the homefront. So how do we keep our kids and ourselves sane and grounded during these next few weeks? I have a suggestion but it's too long to include in this post, so you'll have to wait till Wednesday - Part 2 coming up!