sgusers7的部落格

How times have changed, I thought as I sat in my son's school hall last week for his Primary 1 orientation.迷你倉 Our boy is among about 40,000 kids in Singapore who will start formal schooling next year and many parents, including scores of dads, had taken leave to join them in the lead-up to this milestone.During my time, mums held the fort for most school matters and we were dropped off on the first day and expected to get with the programme, tears and fears be damned.Now, the prep work starts months in advance. In the middle of the year, ahead of the P1 registration exercise, we received a booklet from the Ministry of Education outlining Singapore's primary school system and its objectives.Then, earlier this month, my son's kindergarten arranged for the K2 kids to visit a primary school, where they got to see lessons in progress and buy food at the canteen.The orientation, which follows roughly the same format across all schools, is yet another efficient round of rehearsal. Weeks earlier, we had received a letter from my son's school with details of the orientation programme.While the principal, vice-principal and school counsellor took turns to address the parents on the day, the boys were shepherded to their respective classes for various activities. It was, as all parents would agree, a great way to acquaint them with their friends and surroundings ahead of the new school year.Halfway through, however, it dawned on me that while it was our kids who were heading to school, the P1 orientation was also about educating the parents.There were practical dos and don'ts that were spelt out clearly: If you are driving, place the school bag in the back seat instead of the trunk so that you won't hold up traffic when dropping your child off.There were gentle reminders to let the teachers do their job: If your child gets into a dispute with another kid, do inform the teachers. Don't confront the other pupil on your own.Then there were diplomatic hints aimed at managing expectations: You can find all our telephone numbers and e-mail addresses on the school website, but please understand that we can't always be at our desks.The staff must have met their fair share of over-anxious - and overbearing - parents to come up with this list, I thought.In my days, parents were called up only if we misbehaved or, as a friend recalls, when the school needed help to raise big bucks.Now, schools encourage and expect 儲存arents to work in tandem with them, taking a personal interest, if not a hands-on approach, in their children's education.Parent-teacher meetings start in kindergarten, complete with progress reports. Mums and dads get updates throughout their child's subsequent school life via calls or e-mail and text messages.But parental involvement is a double-edged sword. Parents today take their roles as partners and equals seriously. Many think nothing of marching up to the principal or firing off complaints to higher authorities if they deem someone or something is not up to scratch.I've heard of parents who threaten to report teachers to the Education Ministry for various perceived offences, from writing report cards riddled with grammar mistakes to showing impatience towards their child.The orientation, then, may well be the first step towards forging rapport with parents. Essentially, schools are telling us: This is what we stand for and this is how we hope to nurture your kids. We seek your support but do trust us to take care of them.What is most reassuring is how, despite the pressure-cooker system, many schools seem to emphasise character building over academic feats. In the parents' handbook I received on orientation day, there were even pointers on how not to mollycoddle our boys. For example, if they forget to pack any required items for the day, they have to bear the consequences. "We strongly discourage parents from bringing items to school for the boys," it stated.Disagreements and personality clashes are common in a class of 30, it added. "Do not jump too quickly to protect your child. Give him room to grow and to fight his own battles."After a few more tips on how to get our child ready for Primary 1, including teaching him to "be quick to apologise and forgive in squabbles", it ended on a reassuring note: "Do not fret if he has not quite mastered all the above. Each child is unique... Let the learning take place in school slowly and progressively."Blinded by the paper chase, many modern parents forget that education is much more than about pursuing stellar grades.We may be more involved and educated than previous generations, but it doesn't necessarily make us better parents. Learning to let go is one of the biggest challenges for today's hands-on mums and dads.I have about a month left to prep my son for Primary 1. Let's hope I will be ready, too, when the day dawns.hunching@sph.com.sgmini storage