Singapore Expats

Hi all,

I am a homemaker PR with 3 kids and i am really concerned with the future of my 3 kids. i want them to do well and i am spending a lot of money on their tuition and enrichment classes. I have been surfing blogs and websites by teenabgers so as to understand themn better and also i
have the time. are junoior college students so smart these days that
they can do stock investments ????! I read this post by a Victoria
Junior college girl at www.sgdividends.blogspot.com with interest.

I asked spme teenagers amd would like to hear your views on whether kids these days are so smart.

not surprised. i think Finance education is an enrichment option in a number of local schools. Seen Math in Arts, financial math in Temasek , Game theory & market competition (actually offered as an advanced course on an A level subj) in VJ & special programmes (used to hv Humanities teachers from Harvard & Princeton) as in Raffles. Govt schs hv a lot of money - dont u know the Spore govt spends on education almost close to what it does on defence??

http://www.rjc.edu.sg/newrjc/sp_humanities.htm

but there are some normal schs that has very little else to offer except a good all round edn with plain but solid CCAs to build character & leadership

http://www.tanjongkatongsec.moe.edu.sg/facilities.html - just for normal kids!!

there is a place for all...stop pumping ur kid & let him enjoy his youth!
He will eventually go where he wants - high road or the wide one...

sms, can you get your clock out for this?

OOoohhhh!!! Two brand new newbies, both registered today with both their 1st posts in the same thread! How coincidental!

Different IP's though. Wanna bet they know to each other?


Yep, guess it's time.....


tic.....toc.....tic.....toc.....tic.....

de debil made me do it!

Just because a school offers to teach financial economics, game theory, etc, that does not mean there are qualified teachers in place to do this!! These two classes in particular require critical thinking who know how to frame complex problems and dissect them analytically. With the exception of highly educated honors students (who are most likely not teaching), I would think a M.Sc or higher in economics would be necessary.

If the teachers are not good...what would be the alternative? Plain old critical thinking and basic math...

Abstract subjects and the social sciences require thinkers not mechanical automotons. For these reasons, one should think twice about schools, curricula, or faculty that are unable to provide such training!!

Mechanically, it is not difficult to teach these fields. But the real $$ is made in applying mathematical concepts (often little more difficult than calculus & matrix algebra) to real world problems that matter. In my personal experience, here and elsewhere, barely one in ten college professors let alone high school teachers (one in a hundred?) can make the grade...

I hope you find such stars and value them...

What happened to good old fashion play in the sand pit? If I was a kid and had to choose to spend time with another kid if my options was, one who knew calculus or one who knew how to make a sand castle, Billy Nerd would be on his own.

Iridium08 wrote: With the exception of highly educated honors students (who are most likely not teaching), I would think a M.Sc or higher in economics would be necessary.


I hope you find such stars and value them...

Interestingly, in the local sch system, the top 30% are attracted to teaching unlike most countries where "those who can't, teach". Cos the Ministry of Education pays better for those with basic science/humanities/professional or adv degrees & hv thru the years made teaching a premier career. Those in junior colleges are mostly with honors degrees (usually the cream of top 10% in class) at least if not postgrad degrees in specific discipline (not M Ed). Its not uncommon to find MA or MSc in economics or math.

i hv an M.Sc (finance) & i taught in one of those JCs before. My colleague in the same dept has a PhD in economics from a well known U.S college.
But the local sch fees are just so unbelievably low cos the MOE subsidized most schs.

I agree with u that its not easy to grapple with the concepts but usually JC students (& there are many good JCs) are among the brightest & most are headed for some of the best uni in U.K & U.S. Their math foundation is a good start point.