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The local education system: advice for parents

Interested to get your child into a local Primary School? Discuss the opportunities here.
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maneo
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Re: The local education system: advice for parents

Post by maneo » Fri, 02 May 2014 12:13 pm

aster wrote:For starters, I am currently putting my kids through the local educational system, so we are on the same boat. Of course cost is a factor, but for us the most important thing at the moment is... MANDARIN. I really want my kids to grasp the basics of this language, only after that will I consider moving to an International School... in turn simply to SAVE their English. :)
Our kid attended local schools from P1 to Sec 2 (i.e. until we moved away).
Did not worry about having to save the English.
Proper English was the rule in speaking with the parents & parents' friends.

So, just be sure you have a lot of extended conversations together at home so your children hear the correct rhythms & phrasings to counter the influence outside. Make sure they understand that Singlish is just another language.

Same goes for reading - voracious reading is an effective antidote to the Singlish outside the home and to the text speak online.

In fact, with what I see online I wonder if kids in English speaking countries really have a better grasp of English nowadays?
aster wrote:Is maths such a strong point compared to other systems? Last time I checked the likes of Europe, the US, Japan, etc. were churning out the world's best engineers and I don't think anything has changed, so to start drumming up stories about how the maths are stronger than elsewhere seems a bit of a non-starter.
US engineers are not succeeding because of the basic education system, but rather in spite of it.
They were the future geeks that were a little different to begin with.
With support at home or examples of relatives or friends, they overcame the social influences that look down on those that are math savvy.
The success of Zuckerberg & others may be changing this for the better, but kids in the SG system do not have to worry about such stigma, given that everyone is required to do well at "maths."

By the way, coming from the high-tech world I can tell you that Singapore engineers do very well overseas.
The work ethic they get in the school system combined with the "freedom" they get overseas to try things to solve problems gives them an advantage.
aster wrote:Another area worth looking at is PE as a child needs to develop both mentally and physically. You can only truly develop (and be healthy in the true sense of the word) if both your mental well-being and physical well-being are being focused on. Unfortunately over here it's all about studying, homework, extra tuition, etc. Physical education seems to be frowned upon, like a waste of time. Luckily some schools are different ....
Yes, the schools are different.
Schools my kid went to did OK for PE.
In addition, kids can select sports for their extra-curricular activities (ECA).

Get involved with the school.
Find out which classes, which teachers and which activities your child should be taking.

Most important thing is do not delegate everything to the school.
This applies no matter where you are.

Yes, it can be tough when parents work long hours, but it is an investment & one that pays off each time you see the glimmers of understanding when your child understands something new. Grab these while you can.

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Re: The local education system: advice for parents

Post by aster » Fri, 02 May 2014 9:33 pm

It's all about the risk-free, sure-win approach to getting decent money in the future so the emphasis is on being an accountant, doctor, etc.
Last edited by aster on Mon, 21 Feb 2022 4:52 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Damsel » Tue, 03 Jun 2014 12:13 pm

Thi is a good forum and how true it is about local schools. I have a 3 year old and having a headache in deciding which school to send my son. Make things worse, I am working in an International School in Singapore but cannot afford the fees. It is a pain to let my son go to local school while staring at the happy all rounded good english speaking kids running around me.

But I have the same idea of putting my kid in a local school in the beginning and then plug him out into international school once we have enough savings. I am a Singaporean mom with a half european child and in fear of being sucked into being stressed out and pressured by other Singaporean parents into the system....

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Post by Chantikki » Wed, 25 Jun 2014 12:32 am

Last night I was chatting to a friend who has a phd in linguistics. We both agreed that children learn from hearing and reading. Make sure your children read and hear some-one who speaks english properly. (even try tv shows?)

Creativity happens in spare time and messing around with things that interest you. Doing stuff that you invent or work out yourself. Constant tuition and instruction will kill creativity. So give them the resources and free time to follow their interests outside school.

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Post by PNGMK » Wed, 25 Jun 2014 1:29 am

Damsel wrote:Thi is a good forum and how true it is about local schools. I have a 3 year old and having a headache in deciding which school to send my son. Make things worse, I am working in an International School in Singapore but cannot afford the fees. It is a pain to let my son go to local school while staring at the happy all rounded good english speaking kids running around me.

But I have the same idea of putting my kid in a local school in the beginning and then plug him out into international school once we have enough savings. I am a Singaporean mom with a half european child and in fear of being sucked into being stressed out and pressured by other Singaporean parents into the system....
Homeschool? My wife fortunately gets free tuition for our daughter at the international school she teaches at, but I do feel for the local staff who miss out on the same benefit.

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Post by local lad » Wed, 25 Jun 2014 10:54 am

Damsel wrote:... It is a pain to let my son go to local school while staring at the happy all rounded good english speaking kids running around me.

....I am a Singaporean mom with a half european child and in fear of being sucked into being stressed out and pressured by other Singaporean parents into the system....
Does kids in International Schools really speak good English?

Can you help us to list what sort of fear you will encounter if you send your kids to local school? Fear of losing out perhaps?

I believe SMS and other expats sent their kids to local schools and they turned out perfect, if I should say.

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Post by Hannieroo » Wed, 25 Jun 2014 11:27 am

I think good English is best learned at home. Local lad quite clearly lived at school.

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Post by singapore eagle » Thu, 26 Jun 2014 4:54 am

local lad wrote:
Damsel wrote:... It is a pain to let my son go to local school while staring at the happy all rounded good english speaking kids running around me.

....I am a Singaporean mom with a half european child and in fear of being sucked into being stressed out and pressured by other Singaporean parents into the system....
Does kids in International Schools really speak good English?

Can you help us to list what sort of fear you will encounter if you send your kids to local school? Fear of losing out perhaps?

I believe SMS and other expats sent their kids to local schools and they turned out perfect, if I should say.
What a fantastically ironic post!

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Post by zzm9980 » Thu, 26 Jun 2014 6:28 am

local lad wrote: Does kids in International Schools really speak good English?
Does-ed you go to a local or International School yourself?

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Post by x9200 » Thu, 26 Jun 2014 9:03 am

local lad wrote:
Damsel wrote:... It is a pain to let my son go to local school while staring at the happy all rounded good english speaking kids running around me.

....I am a Singaporean mom with a half european child and in fear of being sucked into being stressed out and pressured by other Singaporean parents into the system....
Does kids in International Schools really speak good English?

Can you help us to list what sort of fear you will encounter if you send your kids to local school? Fear of losing out perhaps?

I believe SMS and other expats sent their kids to local schools and they turned out perfect, if I should say.
Educational system inherited thinking inflexibility would be my main concern.
Education, as much as I see it, is not about winning academic awards but equipping the students in capabilities to solve the whole variety of future job/every day related issue. It is less about the knowledge and more about independent, critical thinking.

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Post by aster » Thu, 31 Jul 2014 12:35 am

x9200 wrote:Education, as much as I see it, is not about winning academic awards but equipping the students in capabilities to solve the whole variety of future job/every day related issue. It is less about the knowledge and more about independent, critical thinking.
That's the thing. The best schools in the world, like Eton and their ability to churn out future leaders, focus on social development.
Last edited by aster on Mon, 21 Feb 2022 4:54 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by brian_singapore » Thu, 31 Jul 2014 7:10 am

Nothing to contribute yet as we're just looking into schooling for our little ones. But this was a fascinating thread and thanks to all who shared their experiences.

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Post by nanana » Thu, 14 Aug 2014 10:35 pm

it's not about the school nor the system. The main factor is the teacher. No matter how good the system is, how great the school is, if you have a lousy teacher, that certainly won't do any good to your child's development.
Just my 2 cents.

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Post by x9200 » Fri, 15 Aug 2014 12:40 pm

Surely you are right but I have always thought teachers are the core part of the system.

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Post by PNGMK » Fri, 15 Aug 2014 1:09 pm

x9200 wrote:Surely you are right but I have always thought teachers are the core part of the system.
a Lot of schools burn up teachers time with stupid ass meetings instead of leaving them in the classroom.

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