this is the time of the year when parents of school-going children rejoice or grieve.
the year-end exams should have been announced. high-scoring students will win prizes for their achievements while those lagging far behind will get
and tiger mums* would not exist if not for schools.
the reason we put the boy thru a mandarin-medium school is solely for him to learn his mother-tongue language; anything else useful that he picks up would be an added bonus. but because both the missus & i aren't native mandarin-speakers, we could not help him much in developing this language skill. even though he has tuition for this, we did not expect he would excel by way of exam results.
this year, he attained 26th position in a class of 39, a slight improvement over last year & he will remain in the same class for next year.
thru my (biased?) eyes, he has excelled.
he can speak & write mandarin far beyond our expectations, but what we find most encouraging is that he delights in going to school. as long as he enjoys school & doesn't run foul of the teachers, i think 26th or any other position, mucht like our age, is just a number.
*to be grammatically correct, shouldn't they be called tigress mums?
12 comments:
Aw my parents were like you too. They didn't much care for exam grades, so long I grew up safely, soundly and civilly.
Come to think about it, wasn't that what parents really meant deep down when they said they just wanted us to grow up well and not become deviant?
Oh my parents were all about grades. I hated that when I was in primary schools, but grew to appreciate them in secondary because the foundation helped me a lot in excelling in grounds which I wish to go.
Mandarin was my mother-tongue, but I learn to grow out of the bubble and perform better in my second language, English instead XD
most importantly he likes school..
Yvonne,
different parents have different expectations of their kids.
my parents expected much of me & they pushed me hard when i was in primary school & the momentum carried me thru later years. i could take the pressure but i can't do the same to my kids because they are not made of the sterner stuff.
hence, the soft approach.
Tempus,
looks like we started on the same platform. our parents were harsh because they knew better & on hindsight, they were right.
have a read at this:
http://yuzulogy.blogspot.com/2012/11/i-would-like-to-thank-my-mum-for-this.html
all too common a scenario.
Wenn,
years from now he will reflect on this & realise, like most of us today, that school days are the most enjoyable & memorable times of our lives!
My girl used to attend a school where parents are required to meet the class teacher three times a year ie end of each term to collect the report card. My hubby and I would draw lots .. LOL.. to determine who will meet the teacher for each round bcoz we are ..err..uhmm.. rather well-known for being blasé with our kid. So most times it was more a lecture session for the parent on "Parenting for Kids Attending this School 101" by the teacher. Heehee.
Andrea,
we don't draw lots. when the results are good, the wife will sign the report card or/and meet the class teacher.
otherwise, i'll be the one doing damage control.
Do u think u raise/treat ur son and daughter differently (due to the age difference?), which produced the different academic achievements? Or does your daughter just have the natural competitive streak and actually "enjoy" studying?
Tiger Mothers, Mother Tigress
Soo,
my daughter has a competitive streak & which self-perpetuates, while my laid-back son requires a lot of prodding.
i'd like to say we raised them according to their strengths & weaknesses.
KC,
good one!
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