Sunday, November 20, 2011

the pot at the end of the rainbow.

the pot of gold - this was how i viewed the year-end vacation.

after a whole year's work, it's time to sit back & laze around a bit. that's how it was when i was in school.

but how time's they're a-changing.

now, there're various holiday enrichment courses to prepare students get a head start for the new year. language, sciences, maths, self-improvement, music, etc etc. so much tuition, so little time for being a child!

just last week, after the year-end exams, my son asked his schoolmate who lives in the same taman if he wants to play football on thursday. the classmate said, he can only play on sunday because his weekdays are packed with tuition, from afternoon to nite. BM group tuition, BM personal tuition, Chinese personal tuition under 2 different tutors, English personal tuition, Piano tuition under 2 different teachers. his mother is currently looking for maths & science tutors.

no wonder he seemed like a dull boy! but all that extra lessons must have had some effect as he moved up one class. the irony is that his father had, some years back, launched a tirade against all the kiasu mothers who enrolled their children in multiple tuition classes. he must have relented & decided that if you can't beat 'em, then join 'em.

in the mean time, i think that pot of gold remained elusive to the students today.

12 comments:

stay-at-home mum said...

Children need a break, but sometimes, idle minds and hands need to be kept occupied and stimulated.

Pity that poor child, too much tuition, no time even to reflect on what was taught! I know many people who are like that too. And they cant understand why I am not sending my child for math tuition coz to them if in P1 and you score less than 95 you are in serious trouble.

To me social skills and EQ are just as important, if not more, than grades. And I like my kids well rested. A tired kid aint going to learn much at tuition. And they are going to be grumpy which in turn will lead to angry and grumpy mummys as well!

We do what we think is best for our child. To each his own. I am looking forward to my pot of gold in two weeks time! Enjoy your year-end vacation! O Levels are over already! Where are you guys headed?

Reanaclaire said...

Doc, nothing like this happens during my younger days.. :)
When my kids were younger, I always look forward to the year end holidays because that was the only time I could relax.. no need to chauffeur them for tuition..

Yvonne Foong said...

Children live the unrealized dreams and wishes of their parents. Some parents wished they were smarter and now hope their children will be snarter and more successful than themselves. :P

No way I'd want to live another person's dreams. If you want to do something, then do it yourself. Leave me alone!

Anonymous said...

Huh? Tuitions during year-end school holidays? What is the world coming to? Wouldn't it be nice for a change to get the kids engaged things like playing games, indulging in hobbies eg building model car kits etc instead? After all, these so-called arty-farty activities are also learning activities if one stops to think about it.

doc said...

SAHM,

the poor boy & his 3 siblings will go thru the same routine this vacation because everyone else seems to be doing it. perhaps the saddest part is that the parents often go on holidays without bringing the kids, & it's not that the kids are too young or the parents couldn't afford.

yes, the O-levels finished last week & the girl is back home. we're headed to Bali this Thurs for Doc's Family Annual Vacation.

fibrate said...

I had a pretty unstructured childhood - lots of play and fun - and I don't think I turned out so bad :) I intend to give my child the same thing!

doc said...

Claire,

kids these days don't enjoy that pot of gold & many other good things in life!

doc said...

Yvonne,

tell me about it!

you'll be surprised how many of my colleague's children are taking after their parents' footsteps.

doc said...

Cara,

i think this is an urban/modern progress phenomenon.

i can imagine the kids in the kampungs are fishing, having buffalo rides, climbing coconut trees, etc etc - very much like when we were young!

doc said...

Fibrate,

those days, a school vacation was exactly what it was - a long, deserved break from books & teachers.

and none of us turned out bad!

Adino said...

I don't know the exact situation in that family, but it seems like the boy's childhood is being snatched away.

I would never sign up my kids for back-to-back classes like that.

doc said...

Adino,

not much of a childhood, huh? the boy is under pressure from his mother especially as he is her favourite son.