Singapore Expats

Aggregate of 8. Four As, two Bs and a C in Malay. Those As include English and the tough A Math. He's off to Poly for chem Eng. He's the top scorer in his cohort. Those of you who have followed me a bit know what a relief this is.

Congrats!

Well done!

Congrats to your son. I know that's also a huge weight off of your back as well. Tell him, job well done! Onward and upward!

Congratulations!

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Congratulations PNGMK!

A few people have asked me what helped him....firstly he was in a normal neighborhood school.... that's right - he pulled off an excellent score in a normal school. (I just double checked - his L1R4 is 8 less CCA makes 6 - there is literally every course at poly open at that level and most JC as well). There were others kids (girls of course) who did better but not by much and mainly because of their M/T competency which my son literally failed for every year but Sec 4! I agree the elite schools are great for peer groups for adulthood but frankly they are next to impossible to get in now.

Secondly he chose an very active CCA (NPCC) which helped him in body and in mind. The discipline he learned in NPCC I know he used to force himself to do his work and study and the outdoor activity is always good for the brain. A good CCA score is worth two points off his aggregate as well. Honestly I would pick a school for it's CCA excellence as much as it's academics - in part because Singapore does NOT have a good PE curriculum and you need an active CCA to make up for it.

Thirdly he had a good peer group. They were keen to get ahead and supportive of each other. They had fun (riding bikes a lot and gym work and makan makan) but fortunately had no smokers, gang members, young drinkers or sex addicts. Even though I hated how much time he spends on IG/Snapchat etc and chatting to his friends that is the reality of Singapore today and I know it helped him to have that connection.

Fourthly after a terrible fright in Sec 1 which I can't comment on too much, he committed (around Sec 2) to getting through and he really put the effort in himself. He was doing typically 2 - 3 hours of study every day 6 days a week in the last two years and he only had some minimal tutoring in Malay. He has not had any other tutoring because it just didn't work for him. He was not shy about asking (in Sec 3/4) his teachers for help with his work or assistance with questions he could not handle. The child has to make that decision, you cannot force it down on them.

Fifthly he determined around Sec 3 what he wanted to do and the route (Chem Eng Poly) - that meant he knew his target aggregate (11) and he truly beat it. Without a goal and target what would a child aim for?

I hope this helps all the other parents. Don't worry about the school, worry about the work done at the school.

That's some good poo for parents to think about. Thanks PNGMK.

PNGMK wrote:Even though I hated how much time he spends on IG/Snapchat etc and chatting to his friends that is the reality of Singapore today and I know it helped him to have that connection.

I have come to terms with the snapchat use. One of mine is a heavy user. It did not come at the expense of in-person interaction as she does a lot of outings with her friends. And I try not to project myself too much cause i catch myself thinking, how much socialization does one need? Isn't there such a thing as over-socialization ?

earthfriendly wrote:

PNGMK wrote:Even though I hated how much time he spends on IG/Snapchat etc and chatting to his friends that is the reality of Singapore today and I know it helped him to have that connection.

I have come to terms with the snapchat use. One of mine is a heavy user. It did not come at the expense of in-person interaction as she does a lot of outings with her friends. And I try not to project myself too much cause i catch myself thinking, how much socialization does one need? Isn't there such a thing as over-socialization ?

A counsellor told me that social media is kids way of keeping their little village going and that removing a child from that environment would actually damage their peer relationships. The school my son is in did a lot of classes on bullying and also told parents what apps to avoid (where risks are higher, YouTube is one of them along with carousell).

We don't use carousell in USA. Youtube? Do you mean bullies putting up videos to shame their victims? Taking away snapchat is akin to being taken out of the loop, I would imagine.

PNGMK wrote:A few people have asked me what helped him....firstly he was in a normal neighborhood school.... that's right - he pulled off an excellent score in a normal school. (I just double checked - his L1R4 is 8 less CCA makes 6 - there is literally every course at poly open at that level and most JC as well). There were others kids (girls of course) who did better but not by much and mainly because of their M/T competency which my son literally failed for every year but Sec 4! I agree the elite schools are great for peer groups for adulthood but frankly they are next to impossible to get in now.

Secondly he chose an very active CCA (NPCC) which helped him in body and in mind. The discipline he learned in NPCC I know he used to force himself to do his work and study and the outdoor activity is always good for the brain. A good CCA score is worth two points off his aggregate as well. Honestly I would pick a school for it's CCA excellence as much as it's academics - in part because Singapore does NOT have a good PE curriculum and you need an active CCA to make up for it.

Thirdly he had a good peer group. They were keen to get ahead and supportive of each other. They had fun (riding bikes a lot and gym work and makan makan) but fortunately had no smokers, gang members, young drinkers or sex addicts. Even though I hated how much time he spends on IG/Snapchat etc and chatting to his friends that is the reality of Singapore today and I know it helped him to have that connection.

Fourthly after a terrible fright in Sec 1 which I can't comment on too much, he committed (around Sec 2) to getting through and he really put the effort in himself. He was doing typically 2 - 3 hours of study every day 6 days a week in the last two years and he only had some minimal tutoring in Malay. He has not had any other tutoring because it just didn't work for him. He was not shy about asking (in Sec 3/4) his teachers for help with his work or assistance with questions he could not handle. The child has to make that decision, you cannot force it down on them.

Fifthly he determined around Sec 3 what he wanted to do and the route (Chem Eng Poly) - that meant he knew his target aggregate (11) and he truly beat it. Without a goal and target what would a child aim for?

I hope this helps all the other parents. Don't worry about the school, worry about the work done at the school.

Nice! Thanks for sharing! My cousin need this badly for her P6 boy.