Avoiding Academic Burnout before the PSLE...

Most schools will have completed their Prelims this week. After the Prelims, some parents or schools will tend to "pump" the pupils with current year Prelim papers of top schools.

I believe that for a child to achieve optimal performance at the PSLE, they should peak at the right time. Over the years, I have seen pupils who suffered from academic burnout before the PSLE. Some fell sick during the PSLE period due to stress or lack of rest.

It is my personal belief that during this period before the PSLE, the kids should not be overwhelmed with lots of revision papers. Instead, they should reflect on the mistakes that they have made during the Prelims and identify their weaknesses. They should revisit and review the topics that they are weaker in and clarify any doubts that they have.

It is all right to do a few revision papers or selected questions during this period to ensure that the brain is conditioned. However, quantity should not be the key focus during this period. Doing more during this period does not guarantee stellar results in the PSLE. As a parent, you could select questions that are more challenging or tricky for your child to attempt if he or she is in the high ability group. If your child is of average ability, make sure your child knows how to do the commonly tested questions first. Then let him or her attempt some of the more challenging questions after you have ensured that he or she knows how to do the commonly tested questions.

To achieve peak performance during the PSLE, the child should be well physically, emotionally and mentally. Hence it is important to ensure that your child is not too stressed. Besides revising and doing some questions to condition the mind, your child should eat more fruits, drink more water and have enough rest.

Tutors = Service Providers or Educators?

Yesterday, I received an SMS from a parent of an ex-tutee. The parent was planning a gathering for me and the 2013 batch of P6 tutees. I was really touched by her gesture.

I recalled hearing comments from friends or others who are conducting private tuition that at times, parents treat tutors as mere service providers and do not respect them. Some of their tutees are also rude to them.

I am very blessed that I have met supportive and understanding parents so far. Most of the tutees are also respectful. If the tutee is rude to me or any of the tutors at the centre, I have a clause in the terms and conditions that gives me the liberty to tell them to withdraw. To me, a child's attitude is even more important than his or her aptitude.

Over the years, I think that my positive experiences with parents, pupils and tutees have reaffirmed my belief that when you teach from your heart and teach with your heart, most parents and kids will be able to feel it and appreciate it.

I see myself as an educator, not a mere service provider. Yes, as my ex-principal pointed out when I left MOE, the sphere of influence as a tutor is smaller than as a teacher or subject head in school. However, I do feel a sense of satisfaction when I see the look of "enlightenment" when I go through certain concepts that the kids find tough. I feel an even greater sense of achievement when some of the kids are inspired to write, read more story books and be more self-directed in learning so as to scale greater heights.

Cancellation of school activities in June due to haze

As the haze situation has worsened (PSI levels of 400 at some points in time today), MOE has informed schools today (21 June) to cancel all school activities for the rest of the June vacation. Per the website of MOE, should the 24 hour-PSI level continue in the unhealthy range over the next few days, MOE will take guidance from the Inter-Agency Haze Task Force.

The Interrupt Rule

Does your child interrupt you when you are in the midst of a conversation or working on an important report?

If you have faced this situation several times, it would be good to teach your child how to get your attention politely. It is important to teach your child patience and respect for others.

Here's how the Interrupt Rule works:
Step 1:
When your child needs to interrupt or get your attention while you are in the midst of a conversation or working on an important report, teach him to place a hand on your forearm and wait for a few moments for you to acknowledge him.

Step 2:
The adult pats the child's hand or place his hand in yours and gently squeeze it. This lets him know that you are aware that he is there and needs to interrupt. The child then waits till you find an opportune time to stop the conversation or what you are doing and attend to him.

If the child shakes your arm violently or call you repeatedly, you can enforce this rule:
- If you cannot wait for a few moments, the answer will be NO.

However, parents must find an opportune moment to be excused as soon as possible, Young children should not be kept waiting for too long. The guideline is the younger the child, the shorter the waiting should be.

Hope this tip helps you to inculcate two good values or character traits in your child: patience and respect for others.

Eight Powerful Phrases that Parents Could Use

Read an article about eight powerful phrases that parents could use while interacting and communicating with their kids. I think the author has succinctly put across his ideas and suggestions.

A good read for parents.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/8-phrases-every-child-needs-hear-011127003.html

Is tuition necessary?

Was talking to a friend yesterday about her son's CA results. She sought my advice as her son did rather badly in his English CA. She was thinking of sending her son to a tuition centre near her house to save time. However, she was in a dilemma as her son was piled with homework every day and the form teacher told his class at the beginning of the year, "All of you must see if you can cope with your work before enrolling for tuition classes. There is no need for you to go for any tuition classes this year."

Hence we started discussing if tuition is necessary. As an educator, I told her that NOT every kid needs tuition. Yes, I believe so even after I have set up a learning centre. However, the rest of the kids need or choose to attend tuition classes for different reasons:
(a) Some kids are weaker and need reinforcement of the concepts in a smaller group
(b) Some parents think that their kids have potential to do better and hope to stretch their kids' potential
(c) Some parents are not able to coach or guide their kids at home due to their work commitments or their lack of knowledge of the primary school syllabus
etc
There are various reasons.
For my friend's case, reasons (a) and (c) apply. Hence I think it would be advisable for her son to seek some help.

My friend was in a dilemma because of the teacher's advice at the beginning part of the year. I think the form teacher was trying to pre-empt the class about the sheer amount of work the kids will have this year so that the kids will prioritise their activities. Her intention was good. However, she might have overlooked the fact that the kids in her class are not homogeneous. Some of them may be weaker in certain subjects although they are in one of the top classes.

Parents, do not feel anxious if your child is not attending tuition classes. This is especially so if you feel that it is not necessary for him or her. However, if you think that your child needs tuition due to one of the reasons listed above, try to seek help earlier. Do not wait till the crucial PSLE year. I think the foundation years are very important.

An interesting article - Fancy a cup of coffee from elephant dung?

Here's an interesting article that I shared with my P6 pupils during the English lessons.

http://business.financialpost.com/2012/12/17/elephant-dung-coffee-black-ivory-becomes-worlds-most-expensive-brew/

As promised, I have uploaded three photographs that show some of the processes involved in the production of this unique coffee brew.

Hill-tribe women hand picking Arabica coffee beans

                                     

                                               Picking out coffee beans from elephant dung

                                             Job is done!Look at the coffee beans collected!

Celebrating our tutees' successes

2012 was a busy yet meaningful year for our learning centre. We moved into our current premises at Blk 501, Jurong West St 51. On 22 November, when the much anticipated PSLE results were announced, our dear tutees updated us on their results. We were really happy for them when they shared with us their joy. We would like to celebrate their successes here. Here's a glimpse of the fruits of their labour:

English:
We had only one P6 English class in 2012. A few of the kids exceeded our expectations and their own expectations. 8 out of 9 of our P6 tutees in the class attained A*.

Science:
18 out of 19 tutees attained A and A*, with 10 of them attaining A*.

Maths:
All the 8 tutees attained A*.

Our thoughts:
Preparing for the PSLE is an arduous process. The kids need to have the right mindset and attitude. We have always told the parents that we are not miracle workers. We strive to impart the skills and concepts clearly to the kids. We strive to influence and inspire them to give their best. Why is that important? We always share this quote by Zig Ziglar with the kids. "Your attitude, not your aptitude, affects your altitude."

There is no short cut to success. Our tutees realised that they had to put in hard work to achieve their goals. During the year, it was gratifying for us to see the kids grow, gain confidence and bloom after hours spent on teaching of grammar rules and writing skills, "dissecting" the comprehension passages for better understanding, teaching them answering techniques and process skills for Science, imparting Mathematical concepts and skills involved for higher-order thinking questions etc

We are really proud of our graduating batch. Most of them displayed tenacity and perseverance. They were able to balance their school work and the work assigned by us.  They were also able to meet our expectations by revising for our quizzes. We hope that they are a source of inspiration for their juniors.

A GREAT start to a NEW year

After a two-month hiatus, we are back! We will be sharing some tips with parents in this post on how to help your child to have a GREAT start to a NEW year.

(1) Goals and targets for the new year
It is important that your child thinks through what his or her goals and targets are. He or she should have ownership of the goals and targets. Set aside time to discuss with your child the goals and targets he or she would like to set for himself or herself. The goals can be academic goals and personal goals (in terms of character and values).

(2) Personal Timetable 
Set aside some time this week or next week to plan a personal timetable (Monday to Sunday - allocating time for homework, revision, rest etc) with your child. This will help your child to have a better picture of how much time he or she has each day and how to plan and use his or her time more effectively.

Kids are also strongly encouraged to factor in a five-minute slot for personal reflection daily or weekly. They can reflect on what has gone wrong for the day or week and how things can be done differently. They can also reflect on what they have done right for the day or week. As a start, perhaps parents can help them via a discussion.

A personal timetable is a powerful tool to instil self-discipline in the kids. Parents can cut down on time spent nagging them. Kids will also have a sense of responsibility and ownership.

(3) Daily Revision
No matter how busy your child is this year, he or she has to set aside some time daily for revision. It can be in the form of reviewing what has been taught for the day. Your child may also like to focus a little more on his or her weaker subject(s) during the daily review. Cumulative review is encouraged. Please refer to a post on our blog on cumulative review. If your child does not have the time to copy the questions down in the cumulative review book, it will be good if he or she tags out the questions that needs further review and revision.

(4) Sharing of inspirational messages or stories
Take some time in the first month to share some inspirational stories or quotes with your child. Discuss with them the importance of having a positive attitude towards learning and life. Watch some inspirational videos with them. It is important to influence the mindset and attitudes of the child and to inspire him or her. Once the child has a positive attitude, half the battle is won.

Don't despair if you think your child had not been self-disciplined last year or for the past few years. It is never too late for them to change. You will be pleasantly surprised at the outcomes when they change and become more mature,self-disciplined and self-motivated.