Education 02 (Sep 09 - Jul 10)

[Musicwhiz]

Poor parenting is a major fault here.
I wouldn't want to be teacher too. So many parents here have inflated egos. They put on blinders as far as their children and their own brains are concerned. They see the world revolve around them

Perhaps. I was thinking about the very same issue(s).

Being a new parent myself (my kid was born this year), I have often wondered if parents have "misplaced" pride in their child, which in the long-run hurts them rather than benefits them. While everyone is scrambling to ensure their child is the best, brightest and smartest, I was hoping my child does not succumb to the pressures of an unbending society, where grades and results have become the yardstick of measurement for a child's self-worth.

Singapore is indeed becoming the dystopia that I fear.

[LenaHuat]

Hi Musicwhiz
Thanks a million for sharing such a thoughtful post with us. Indeed, I share your fear that Singapore has become a dystopic city state. Many many moons ago, I was stationed in HK for long training sessons. I dislike HK immensely then and still does now. Singapore has become so much like HK - overcrowding, people snap at my heels, grades, results and a Anglophile or US education determines a person's self-worth. A suit or a LV or Chanel bag seemed to determine my "face" value too.

[Musicwhiz]

Hi Lena,

Haha you struck a chord with me there on your post on Hong Kong. Maybe over-crowding is one reason for the increased stress and hectic pace of life faced by a country's inhabitants? Notice that our population is growing and people are spilling over themselves on buses, trains and malls. I recall Singapore didn't use to be so crowded, and didn't used to have so much "foreign talent".

The idea of being judged for what you possess, or appear to possess, is the very essence of a materialistic and consumerist culture, of which Singapore is rapidly degenerating into. I have colleagues who judge people based on which car they drive and what house they stay in, as if staying in a condo and driving a BMW makes you a more "above-average human being". It's disgusting, disconcerting and discordant.

I am not sure who to reverse this tide of decadence. The Government and media seem to always promote flashy consumerism (latest front page article in MyPaper is about rental of "supercars"), and the news constantly assaults us about how your home will "increase in value" and make you richer. Senseless, I feel.

For me, I am really happy for a simple, rustic existence. The things that truly make me happy also cost the least - a walk with my loved one while enjoying the trees and breeze, and a simple cycle through a park while admiring nature. It's the relationships in one's life which makes one happy, not the physical possessions which are "dead". The sooner our youth realize this, the better for their emotional and mental well-being. Sadly, parents and our Govt are not helping in this respect. In fact, they are force-feeding more of the same slavish desire to get ahead, both materially and intellectually.

[millionairemind]

Nov 28, 2009
Online addicts' grades suffer
Young addicts may also find it difficult to function normally in daily life, say experts
By Lester Kok and Eisen Teo

IF YOU think that spending too much time on the computer is bad for your grades - well, it is.

An American study by Ohio University has found that college students who used Facebook spent less time studying and scored lower grades than those who were not busy 'poking' their friends online.

Facebook users in the study of 219 undergraduates had grade point averages (GPAs) of between 3 and 3.5, while non-users had GPAs of between 3.5 and 4.

In Singapore, a Straits Times survey of 653 youths also found that those who admitted they were addicted to computer games generally did worse in school than those who said they were not addicted.

The poll, executed by online entertainment company Sulake, questioned teens between the ages of 12 and 18 on youth networking site Habbo Hotel.

Of those who were not addicted, 59 per cent said they scored mostly As and Bs, while 6 per cent scored mostly Cs and Ds and below. For addicts, 50 per cent scored mostly As and Bs while 14 per cent ended up with Cs and Ds and below.

[millionairemind]

MW/Lena - Tks for your response to my post regarding the teacher issue.

These are my tots on the issue regarding this blind pursuit of materialism affecting the Singapore society. I have also posted this in another thread.

It is perhaps time to ponder.... if one were to die tomorrow, or 6 months from now, is that LV bag, that BMW or that coverted condo really that important in one's life????

Is life just about accumulating riches... without the time to enjoy it??

How much space does one need? When you lie asleep on the bed, does your body know if you are sleeping in a $5MM condo or a humble 4-room flat? Both of which might be the same floor area, just situated in different parts of Singapore.

Is your butt able to sit on 10 chairs at one time? No matter how big one's house is, you can only sit on one chair at a time. How much food can you eat?? Sooner or later, one tires of rich food and hungers for some plain old porridge.

Is one's ego so big that one' self worth only comes from the car one drives, the house one lives in and the education one gets??

If in the blind pursuit of this wealth leads to broken relationship with your wife, lost time bonding with children, is it worth the sacrifice???

[kennynah]

Anything above subsistence level is a form of optional luxury

[winston]

Shaking my head ....

The National University of Singapore's endowment fund lost S$677 million ($490.2 million), or 26 percent, in the 12 months to March 2009.

The fund, valued at S$3.15 billion at end-March, has since recovered about 15 percent.

Source: Reuters

[Musicwhiz]

Shaking my head ....

The National University of Singapore's endowment fund lost S$677 million ($490.2 million), or 26 percent, in the 12 months to March 2009.

The fund, valued at S$3.15 billion at end-March, has since recovered about 15 percent.

Source: Reuters

Starting with $100, a loss of 26% would bring it down to $74. A subsequent gain of 15% on this $74 would bring the value up to just $85.1.

This would still imply a loss of 14.9% from the original base of $100!

[la papillion]

Haha, just to share something.

I was 'fired' this year by one of the parents for talking too much to a student, and not pushing him hard enough. He was from Victoria school, pretty smart lad but dislike maths and science immensely. This parent would always ask me to write a report of how his son is doing and what I had taught him each lesson - something which I found extremely stifling and distasteful. Found out that his dad is some big shot in UOB, with all the proper order and so on. Certainly not my style.

I think I was 'fired' because I wasn't concerned with grades as much as they do. I was more concerned with helping him focus on whatever he is doing - a life skill which he is sorely lacking. The parent told me he found another tutor who can help him, supposedly to achieve the grades that his son is potentially able to get.

While I was secretly happy that I'm out of this situation, it made me wonder what kind of parents I would want to be in the future.

[Musicwhiz]

Haha, just to share something.

I was 'fired' this year by one of the parents for talking too much to a student, and not pushing him hard enough. He was from Victoria school, pretty smart lad but dislike maths and science immensely. This parent would always ask me to write a report of how his son is doing and what I had taught him each lesson - something which I found extremely stifling and distasteful. Found out that his dad is some big shot in UOB, with all the proper order and so on. Certainly not my style.

I think I was 'fired' because I wasn't concerned with grades as much as they do. I was more concerned with helping him focus on whatever he is doing - a life skill which he is sorely lacking. The parent told me he found another tutor who can help him, supposedly to achieve the grades that his son is potentially able to get.

While I was secretly happy that I'm out of this situation, it made me wonder what kind of parents I would want to be in the future.

Sounds like the proverbial "parents from Hell"! Personally, if it were me, I would have resigned from this assignment. Imagine having a write a report (yes, report!) for every lesson the student has - gosh this is worse than military-style dictatorship.

For me, I chat now and then with all my students, and encourage a bit of cheer and laughter amid the boring tuition. The parents either don't seem to mind or are unaware of it, but I know all my students do better after I had taught them. Whether it is due to their hard work or my teaching, at least I know I gave them an education, and not just "exam skills".

Parents should just ease up. This whole grades thing is mentally very damaging for the kid. I know cos I went through half my life in such a competitive environment and it hasn't done me much good (psychologically).