Exams Exams Exams

Life is full of exams - in different forms.

PSLE is one of the earlier academic exams that many are afraid of.
Good grades equate a good future whereas poor grades results in demoralised children who may give up on their studies totally.

One way parents can help their children to face PSLE: Help them realise that it's not 'THE END'.
If one gets good grades, it's the start of a challenging academic career. Filled with competition with others of the same calibre. Striving to stay on top.
If one does not get good grades, it's the start of a challenging climb. The climb to beat those who have succeeded earlier. The climb to the top.

By 'top', I do not mean getting first in class or getting some award. It simply means to do the best one can achieve.

We need to learn to accept our children for who they are. They may not score As, but they may be great comedians. Learning to love themselves and work hard for themselves, for their own families, for their own future is something that parents need to instill in them from young.

Sadly, I see many students who lack focus. Parents are too busy to understand their kids. Parents are too busy being 'perfect parents' to step back and see what might be a better option for their children.

I'm still learning as my boy grows. Hopefully, I will be that parent that is proud of every achievement my son has - even if it may mean nothing to others.

[SOLD] Books for sale (2 copies)

SOLD

I accidentally bought 2 extra copies of the same book. They are brand new (I just recieved them yesterday).

Selling them off at loss. $6 per copy (includes normal mail).

This book is suitable for K1 - P2 (depending on their reading abilities).
Children classics are a great way to teach them about values and also spur their imagination.
Some of the stories in this books are popular and well-known stories.

Do email me (mrswong.tuition@gmail.com) if you are keen.

Tuition = Spoonfeeding?

Recently read a comment that parents who give their children tuition are spoonfeeding them and causing them to be 'weak' and unable to apply what they learnt in the workplace.

This got me thinking about the effects of tuition. Would it be positive or negative?
It really boils down to individual teacher/tutor.

I do not advocate spoon-feeding. Students who come to me know that I will never spoon feed them with answers. I will probe and prod to get them to think of the answer. If there is really a need to show the entire working/solution, I will print similar questions and ask them to attempt on their own, to make sure that they can apply the concept on their own.

I have a variety of students who come to me for tuition. Some really need the extra help (no one speaks English at home and he has been failing English). Some come for something 'extra' (already scoring 90++ for all subjects).

Regardless of their 'purpose' of tuition, I try to stretch them. For those scoring well, we sometimes do 'out of the box' stuff together (making ice cream and explaning the science behind it, challenging each other with IQ maths questions, etc).

At the end of the day, parents must ensure that their child is not spoonfed by the tutor or the parents themselves if they do not advocate spoonfeeding them with answers.
Certain enrichment classes really push the kids to think and discover on their own (with scaffolding).

Don't be too quick to put down tuition or enrichment classes. Take some time to discover their methods and based on the feedback you manage to get from the teacher/tutor, you would also know if the child is benefitting (by benefitting, I do not mean academic results alone - rapport with teacher/tutor is also important).