Education is a Partnership

I was having a conversation with one of my friends one day and he commented that he is very busy with his work. Hence he has outsourced 100% of his child's learning to tutors. He does not have time to go through his child's work even though his child is in Primary 1 this year. He thinks that since he has spent a huge sum of money on tuition, he does not see the need to monitor his child's learning. Does that sound familiar?

I shook my head and shared my views with him. Most children need some form of supervision. Of course, I have seen some highly-motivated kids throughout my teaching career who hardly need any form of supervision when they are in upper primary. However, most kids need parental supervision. Why do I say that? The tutor only sees the child for about 2 hours a week. A lot of work needs to be done beyond the 2 hours. The child must have the discipline to revise the notes given or complete the assignments given. Otherwise, the time and money spent on tuition will go to nought.

I have always been a FIRM believer that in the school context, education is a partnership and collaboration between the school and the parents. That's why MOE believes in educating parents about what goes on in schools through events like the MOE EXCEL Fest. It is an annual event that celebrates and shares exciting and innovative practices in schools. It is also a platform for parents and members of the public to find out about the latest developments in our education landscape.

Likewise, I believe that for a child to truly benefit from the tuition classes, he or she must put in effort and revise what has been taught. Parents should also monitor their learning.

In short, here is my belief:

With the right M.A.C.S, every child can achieve.

What is M.A.C.S?

Mindset(Child)+Attitude(Child)+Coaching(Teacher/tutor)+Supervision (Parents) = Achievement

With this belief, I have always informed parents about my expectations. I think it is important for parents of my pupils (in the past) and tutees (currently) to understand my expectations and that they have to play an active role in monitoring their child's learning.

Let me share with you a quote. I have always shared it with my pupils.

There is no substitute for hard work.

~ Thomas Edison