is so boring?" This is what the man said to his dear daughter when he asked her what she was doing and would be doing later. Her reply was "studying"
Did he not know that his daughters are not the only ones with no life and their life is boring? That the kids now will only be able to enjoy for only some time during school holidays and not the entire whole school holidays without being called back to school for classes / trainings etc..and in my girls' cases - Holiday Homeworks!!
Did he not know that the education path has become too scores-oriented? I used to wince my way through my primary school and didn't know what the heck was PSLE. Though I'm the youngest and mom would have gone through the two older siblings, her being illiterate in english, math and science didn't help either of us. Naturally we all got into our affiliated secondary schools. Moreover we were living in the east in Telok Kuaru, Upper East Coast, Riveria Drive, it made more sense to be close to home. I didn't do well in P6 and ended up in Normal Stream, still I turned out alright now but why did I put myself through all the stress and sleepless nights? Perhaps coz I want my kids to be better qualified than me and the only way there is to fight together with the rests. Unless the man decides to move the whole family to another country.. I'll gladly give up the fight.
Our time and their (girls' time) is very different. We had the chance to let our hair down even on normal school days. School homeworks were unheard of. We weren't pressured to get into the school team so that we can DSA and fight with many students across Singapore trying their luck on this DSA route.
Our time and their (girls' time) is very different. We had the chance to let our hair down even on normal school days. School homeworks were unheard of. We weren't pressured to get into the school team so that we can DSA and fight with many students across Singapore trying their luck on this DSA route.
Weekends
Since when the kids in Singapore have any life after they reach a certain point in school? In lower primary, we still had the time to jalan jalan on weekends. The moment lil' one hits lower primary, che-che was already in upper primary thus we didn't have much time to jalan jalan.
Even if the kids don't have any tuition in the weekends, they will need the time to do their homeworks or tuition homeworks, or to study coz during school days they stay back till late on the average 2x a week. Even a meal time, sometimes small pockets of time is important, lil' one is buried into her book studying.
(In girls' primary school. They start making P5 girls stay back for compulsory supplementary classes 3x week. And this year, lil' one told me the P4s have started their compulsory supplementary classes. Oh my! Soon, you'll hear a P1 kid needs to stay back in school. Well.... not in every school. In nephew's school, the P5s don't even need to stay back unless they're the "lucky selected ones")
Since when the kids in Singapore have any life after they reach a certain point in school? In lower primary, we still had the time to jalan jalan on weekends. The moment lil' one hits lower primary, che-che was already in upper primary thus we didn't have much time to jalan jalan.
Even if the kids don't have any tuition in the weekends, they will need the time to do their homeworks or tuition homeworks, or to study coz during school days they stay back till late on the average 2x a week. Even a meal time, sometimes small pockets of time is important, lil' one is buried into her book studying.
(In girls' primary school. They start making P5 girls stay back for compulsory supplementary classes 3x week. And this year, lil' one told me the P4s have started their compulsory supplementary classes. Oh my! Soon, you'll hear a P1 kid needs to stay back in school. Well.... not in every school. In nephew's school, the P5s don't even need to stay back unless they're the "lucky selected ones")
Public Holidays
Public holidays now are precious time for them to quickly complete their school homeworks and studying. You think PHs, school will let them off? No! Even if it's CNY, because of the long holidays their schools will always give additional homeworks. Can you sense my frustrations?
We had 2 PH in August, National Day (9th) and Hari Raya Haji (22nd). Guess what the girls were doing? Preparing for their Prelims while the kids played in the pool outside our house. Lunch time Most kids (esp those with parents fetching them to and fro school) will at some point of time eat their lunch in the car. Firstly, kids end school at 1.40 to 2.10pm. Whether they lived close to school or not, lunch time is rather late. For me, since home is on the average 15-18 mins away, eating in the car makes more sense. That way they get home to shower and do their homeworks. Whatever it is, I should say my girls are lucky that they get to eat their lunch at latest 2.20pm. Imagine if they were to take a bus home, which most kids does, lunch time would be at 3+pm. Who would have the appetite to eat? I wouldn't. I spent my money (was a latchkey child) buying bread or ice-cream at the mamashop. Though school was dismissed earlier as compared to now, still I can't eat my lunch at 2+ close to 3pm, what more now kids are expected to eat much later.
Public holidays now are precious time for them to quickly complete their school homeworks and studying. You think PHs, school will let them off? No! Even if it's CNY, because of the long holidays their schools will always give additional homeworks. Can you sense my frustrations?
We had 2 PH in August, National Day (9th) and Hari Raya Haji (22nd). Guess what the girls were doing? Preparing for their Prelims while the kids played in the pool outside our house. Lunch time Most kids (esp those with parents fetching them to and fro school) will at some point of time eat their lunch in the car. Firstly, kids end school at 1.40 to 2.10pm. Whether they lived close to school or not, lunch time is rather late. For me, since home is on the average 15-18 mins away, eating in the car makes more sense. That way they get home to shower and do their homeworks. Whatever it is, I should say my girls are lucky that they get to eat their lunch at latest 2.20pm. Imagine if they were to take a bus home, which most kids does, lunch time would be at 3+pm. Who would have the appetite to eat? I wouldn't. I spent my money (was a latchkey child) buying bread or ice-cream at the mamashop. Though school was dismissed earlier as compared to now, still I can't eat my lunch at 2+ close to 3pm, what more now kids are expected to eat much later.
Over-exhaustion
Heard that one of che-che's primary school friend fainted. Over-exhaustion. I'm sure at some point in time our kids would have burn out. Which explains why I am very strict over their sleeping time. I heard many school children are sleeping at 12am, 1am surviving on 4-5hrs sleep on a daily school day basis. It's no-no for me, they must sleep. Maybe that's why both girls also under-perform in school? Coz they don't spend much time revising their work. *wink*
So why are our kids going through all these (burn out, anxiety, stress, commit suicide) without the ministry doing something to protect our kids? Ai yah! Best is if we can get out of the stupid system.
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