Thoughts about teachers

Yesterday, I read this article (please read it if you haven't, for a better background to my thoughts here) written by a young lady who decided to join the Teach For Malaysia programme.  There were comments by other readers who complimented her effort, saying there should be more teachers like her. She took the initiative and trouble. She did not just teach, she educated the children.

The first thought that came to my mind was "it should have been the parents, they should have taught their children, they should have educated them that there are people of other races besides their own, of different faiths, and race is not tied to religion". But I told myself that not all parents know or are aware of this need, not all parents can be there for their children, some parents don't know it themselves as they too grew up that way, not all children have parents. Not all children are so blessed like C to have me sacrifice my progressing career to have a stay-home mother who tries her best to educate her child, not only in academic stuff but in being a well-rounded, upright human being (ah yes, I am still dealing with this sacrifice issue after more than eight years. Maybe I need therapy for this, among other issues, but that's a story for another day).

And therefore, it is good that we have teachers like Cheryl Ann Fernando. Teachers have a great impact on their students. Children who go to regular school (who has heard of homeschooling? ;-) ) spend five to six hours a day with their teachers. Children whose parents work spend maybe an hour or two with their parents. Some get to only say 'good morning' and 'good night' to their parents. Yes, teachers can help, but it is up to them whether they choose to stick to teaching English, Math or whatever they teach, or to go the extra mile to educate them about things and people and values and share some of life's nuggets with them. Teachers can build, or break. Children look up to their teachers who impact their lives positively. There are stories of people attributing their success in life to a particular teacher.They also could go down a wrong path if a teacher, unfortunately, impacted them negatively.

I say this based on the examples drawn from my own life as a child during my schooldays, and as a mother sharing her daughter's life as a student now. When I was in school, I had good, and not-so-good teachers. What some of my teachers did and said back then, 30-40 years ago, still remain in my memory. That's how strongly teachers can touch a child's life in one way or another.

I had a good class teacher in Standard 5, Puan Zainun. She took note of her students' nature and character. She taught us Sejarah (History) in a way that made me listen in class despite hating to remember the dates and facts. When my mother and I went to school to collect the Standard 5 Assessment Exam results (yes, it was that long ago, way before UPSR came into the picture), she said to my mum "Anna is very timid, I shall make her a prefect next year" (to get me out of my shell). Those who know me now may not be able to imagine me back then. I was quiet, shy, timid. Put me on stage and I clam up. I was what C calls, which she has, Miss Goody Two Shoes. I studied hard, I did my homework the minute I got home from school, I even studied the forthcoming chapters without being told to, I revised what I had learnt that day after finishing my homework without being told to as well, I went to bed on time every night, nobody had to nag at me to do what was needed, I never got punished at school, primary school, that is (I had emerged out of my shell by secondary school, thanks to Standard 5 teacher's 'push', haha). Enough about me, back to good and not-so-good teachers. Puan Zainun was nice and good.

Standard 6 English teachers (or were they in Standard 5?). I had two of them. The first one, Mrs Ong, was one of those who trained overseas back then with the British teachers' training colleges (Kirkby/Brinsford in UK). She brought English to life in the classroom. It was my first time hearing terms like homonyms, learning to come up with a list of them. It was my first time learning phonetics, which was like magic and a new 'language'. She taught us songs, poetry and silly rhymes, she told us stories that expanded my mind's horizon, she made us act out silly skits. Then, she had to leave us for a new posting as headmistress of our sister school which we referred to as School 2 (we were in School 1). We got another English teacher, Mrs Chandy, who was no less wonderful, but a little firmer. She made English fun too. I was encouraged to write compositions that were interesting. She got us working in groups to put up musicals, dramas and dances for the school concert. To this day, I still remember the lyrics of 'The World is a Circle', a song from, I found out later as an adult, the movie Lost Horizon. Four of us also recited the lyrics of that song in a state-level choral recitation competition which we won. A few of my classmates are now journalists and I believe it was those seeds planted then that germinated. I was 12 years old then. I am 45 now. I'm sure if my memory does not fail me, I will remember these teachers and experiences at my deathbed.

For C, she had an English teacher this year whom she liked, Madam Sarah, until the teacher was transferred to another class. I would say C's command of English is relatively good, but she was encouraged to push her boundaries with this teacher because lessons in class were fun and interesting. It is when lessons are interesting and the teacher 'connects' with the kids, that kids will ask 'how high' when told to jump. It is when teachers go beyond merely teaching that kids will listen and accept when taught that Indians may not necessarily be Hindus.

Back then, my school had a well-balanced mix of students of different races. We didn't differentiate ourselves as Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, Chinese, Malay or Indian. We spoke to each other in Malay and English with no difficulty. We played together during recess time, after school and even outside of school in the evenings, we visited one another's homes during Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Hari Raya. We didn't know any better or worse, we just 'were', if you know what I mean. So unlike Cheryl Ann, our teachers didn't have to teach us that, neither did my parents, but like the abovementioned teachers, they taught us other things besides History and English. They taught me to be less timid and shy, to speak up, to acquire leadership skills and to practise teamwork, among others.

We were among the early batches who learned everything (except English) in Bahasa Malaysia when the government changed the syllabus to be taught in the national language. Back then, Mathematics was known as Ilmu Hisab, Geography was Ilmu Alam. It was only in secondary school that Mathematics became Matematik and Geography became Geografi. But I had no issues with switching between both languages. We referred to 'Additional Maths' as it is when we spoke in English, and as Matematik Tambahan when we spoke and learned it in BM. I continued switching between English and Malay terms with no difficulty in a local public university. I'm not sure now (and I don't really care to be honest), but back then, local public universities were to teach in BM despite 99 per cent of tertiary books being in English. My lecturers peppered their lectures in BM with English. We referred to the tripod as 'tungku kaki tiga'. I spelled 'bacteria' as 'bakteria', 'genes' as 'gen-gen' , answered all exam papers and wrote my thesis in BM, using reference books in English.

Today, C hates BM. She hardly mixes with people who speak that language. When asked to provide an adjective for a thin/skinny person, she says 'nipis' instead of 'kurus'. At Year 5, her BM is probably at Year 1 level. Majority of kids at private schools speak English, majority of kids at Chinese schools speak Mandarin, majority of kids from public schools speak Malay. What has happened in the span of one generation? I acknowledge that as parents, we could have done more but we are not entirely at fault here, whether you agree or not. However, that's another discussion.

As for not-so-good teachers, or rather, to be fair, not-so-good experiences with teachers, we do have a few, between C and I. In Standard 3, I had a not-so-good class teacher and I won't mention names for not-so-good teachers. She was strict, fierce and abusive verbally and physically. She would walk around the class wielding a the huge wooden ruler (the big type for drawing lines on the blackboard) calling out names one by one to answer questions. We had to stand up from our seats to answer and if the answer was wrong, we got whacked on the back with the ruler. We were nine years old in Standard 3. We were terrified of her. A classmate had the runs one day and was too afraid to ask for permission to go to the toilet. She sat through class all day drenched from waist down in greenish excrement. The teacher knew but didn't bother. Miss Goody Two Shoes here completed her Math work ahead of the bell, walked up to the teacher at her desk to hand it up to be marked. A swift palm landed on her cheek that left some scars in an otherwise blissful memory of her schooldays. The class was noisy and was grounded in class the entire recess time. Some kids suffered gastritis the next day. There are other horrific things the teacher did but I shall not mention it here.

Thankfully C has not encountered such a tyrant, but earlier this year, her spirit was dented when one teacher said to the entire class "In my 40 years of teaching, your class is the worst".  I had verified with another parent if this did happen. While I understand the teacher could have been stressed out teaching a class with diverse levels of aptitude for that particular subject, with one or two truly mischievous, disruptive boys, I wish she didn't utter those words in haste. I know she is in fact a good teacher. I shouldn't categorise her as a not-so-good teacher but this particular incident is just my way to illustrate how a small thing could be a big thing when it boils down to how a child views a respectable teacher.

Recently, C was called up by another teacher to be reprimanded for talking back to a prefect. C is not Miss Goody Two Shoes like me, she holds her own when it comes to teasing, bullying, and defending herself even when she is the one who did wrong. She felt a little down telling me about it. She said the teacher explained to her that the prefect was chosen because he is 'good and smart'. To give the benefit of doubt, I commend the teacher who must have also explained further in detail why she shouldn't have behaved rudely to the prefect. Maybe I'm over protective or biased but maybe, just maybe, C would have felt differently if she wasn't told that the prefect is 'good and smart'. I told C she is also good and smart. All children are good and smart, in their own unique way. So do you think you can be chosen as a prefect? I asked. Immediately she chimed with a knowing smile, "Noooo waaay!" She said even if she was chosen, she'd decline because she didn't want to wake up extra eraly to get to school for prefect duties, she wanted to enjoy her free time at recess and not do prefect duties. Is that 'good and smart'? Again, I should not categorise this teacher as 'not-so-good', certainly C's teachers mentioned here are far from my Standard 3 tyrant. it's is more like the situation or incident was not so good. But the point I want to make again with these illustrations is that teachers can build or break, because apart from parents, they spend a considerable amount of time with the children.

This may not be related but I want to share it anyway. I had shared some third party information about an educational workshop in an online group comprising teachers, parents and students. I got chided for 'spamming' with the rationale that the teachers would be insulted because it implies that they are not good enough and they and parents need to spend money to get outside help. It was just one post with innocent, good intentions, and not a flood of many 'advertisements' over a period of time. I had even the sensitivity and consideration, albeit after posting, to ask if it was permissible, and I was ungraciously chided, even more so after I replied with an explanation and suggestions on how other people like me could be prevented from doing such things, innocently or otherwise. I'd like to look at it positively that the person in charge cares enough to protect the interest of that online group, especially the teachers, although I felt it was over-reacted upon. I would have accepted it better if I was spoken to more graciously since I had apologised. However, I also wonder if the teachers really felt insulted by that one deed of mine. I would like to think that any qualified, experienced, self-confident teacher worth his or her own salt (not sure if I'm using this idiom correctly) would not have. They would have been open-minded and magnanimous enough to view it as mere information at the very least. Oh well, there's always two sides to a coin and I don't want to determine who's right or wrong.

Dear teachers, I take my hat off to you for what you are doing. I am not worthy to join your circle because I am not qualified as one, I don't have the care, patience and dedication to deal with even one not-so-goody-two-shoes at home, let alone a whole classroom full of boisterous, but precious, kids. I pray that you will impact each child you meet along your journey as teachers in mostly positive ways. I understand that there could be negative moments because that's just the way life is. We're all not perfect. We just need to remember to strive towards it.

Thank you for bearing with me in this very, very long post. I've not written such a long one in a very, very long time. I felt I needed to.

Today

"I was going about my day when I came across a cuboid-shaped black box. I touched it and got transported through a portal. I saw very bright lights and found myself in a strange city. I asked the people there where that place was and they told me it was Malaysia. The year was 2095. So I asked why am I not in school? They said there are no schools. No such thing as schools. And then I noticed (but kept it to myself) that the people were wearing handphones as shoes. And they were playing games on their shoes!"

Caitlin dreamed this last night. That part about schools not existing in 2095 definitely reflects her current sentiment about school. She currently doesn't like going to school because the friends she likes are no longer in the same class as her. They have switched over to the international syllabus which the school has started offering this year, while she remains in the local syllabus. She doesn't like studying Bahasa Malaysia. She wants to study literature, history and geography (besides English, science and math), and all subjects in the English language. She is not looking forward to taking the UPSR, the standardised government exam for Year 6. She said she had a tummy ache this morning and is skipping school today ...

And what about me? Yeah, I have dreams (or are they worries?) too about the future. Meanwhile, the current reality about life in general, and C's education is a dark cloud with a yet-to-be found silver lining. But I have hope, and I need to put out the laundry now.

Homeschooling

Yesterday, I listened to a radio interview of two homeschooling parents who are among the pioneers of homeschooling in Malaysia. They started homeschooling their two sons 15 years ago and both boys are now in college/university. They provided clarification on basic questions about homeschooling and shared their experience and knowledge. Here is the podcast if you'd like to have a lsiten.

I'm also awed by this story. How does one have so many children and successfully raise and homeschool all of them? And study for an engineering degree too?! I guess if you love your family, you will find a way. Both husband and wife need to work together to make it work. And it would help if family and friends are supportive of your decision to homeschool without making uninformed judgments and comments. One of my fears if we decide to homeschool C is that I may lack the courage to face negative comments by certain parties who do not understand this system of education.

The homeschooling concept is more common in the US so it's accepted more easily. Although it is growing in Malaysia, Asian parents and grandparents are not convinced and could even be mortified that the children are not getting a 'proper' education if homeschooled. They have no confidence that the parents have enough knowledge or skills to teach, believing that qualified teachers at schools can do a better job with a structured curriculum. Many also think that being homeschooled means you lack socialisation and are not in touch with the real world.

If you click on the link, there's the tv news clip about it that helps you see how things work for this family of seven children. I've also copied and pasted the text here.

AURORA - When you're in a family with seven kids, you need to be quick at the dinner table. You need to be patient with your siblings. But, you don't always need more than one letter for everyone's name.

"Jayde, Jeven, Jhia, Jarec, Jake, Jenna, and Jordan," said Janelle Henderson, mother of seven. "And, my siblings and I are all Js. So, everyone in my entire family starts with J."

Everyone, except dad.

"My name is Wayde Henderson, Junior. I have a "J" in my name," Wayde Henderson said.

The Henderson family likes to do things a little differently than most. Not only does Janelle Henderson have to keep up with the whereabouts of all seven kids, she homeschooled all of them.

"I've been homeschooling for 21 years now," Janelle said. "There was a time where I worked all night and came home and homeschooled my kids in the day."
Janelle tries to play the role of mom and teacher while drilling her kids on math equations and spelling tests. She says the homeschooling happened by accident. While shopping at a school supply store, she heard the store owner talking about it, which piqued her interest.

That's when she decided, homeschooling could work for her family.

"I just took it very seriously that I really have to make sure they're getting everything they need to know," Janelle said.

So far, it appears to be working. All of the older kids have gone on to college at the age of 16.

"What people say is impossible really isn't," Janelle said.

Jarec and Jake currently take classes at the Community College of Aurora.

"I've been excited for college since I was probably three or four," Jarec, 18 said.
The three oldest siblings went on to 4-year colleges to get bachelor's degrees and more.

"I don't think there was ever a time where I didn't know I was going to college," Jhia, the third oldest of the seven, said. "Growing up in this house, it was always expected that you were going to finish school and go to college."

Janelle believes strongly in sending her kids to community college first. She says not only is it saving her "hundreds of thousands of dollars," allowing her to kids to have a full education, she says it's a natural transition from homeschooling.

"I just think that community college gives you the opportunity to graduate into adult life," Janelle said. "Without community college, it would've been a different path."

All of her children have high expectations. They are seeking careers such architecture or engineering after receiving their college degrees.

"I want them to have a story to tell," Janelle said.
When you're in a family with seven kids who are involved in sports and other extra-curricular activities, mom says, you better have an organized schedule.

"While we're doing this, Jhia's at school. Jeven's at school. Jayde's at work," Janelle said. "I actually have on the computer, like a detailed a schedule of where everybody is."

Jake says he is still amazed that it can all work.

"To me, it seems stressful for my parents," Jake said.

So, each kid helps with a different chore everyday to help. They prepare half the meals. They take each other to and from basketball practice. All this while dad works three jobs including counseling folks at the Denver Rescue Mission.

"That's my way of supporting the family by doing whatever is needed and what it takes," Wayde said.

And, even though the family does not have a lot of money, Janelle says her kids belong in school instead of working to help the finances.
"I don't think it's my kids' job to support the family," Janelle said. "I think if we decided to have seven kids, it's our job to support the family."

In the meantime, Janelle also works on getting her master's degree in mechanical engineering from Metro State University of Denver.

"You only live once. I don't want to be like 60 saying, I never did anything," Janelle said.

When you're in a family with seven kids, you expect the house to be loud. That is not the case at the Hendersons.

"It's actually not very loud at our house at all," Jake said. "We were raised not to be loud and obnoxious."
Janelle says if all seven kids were boisterous, it would feel like the house would explode.

"I'm not going to have a crazy household," Janelle said. "I am simply not going to have it."

The kids say mom rules the roost with a system of tough love and laughter.

"It's like you will do what you have to do," Jarec said.

Interesting videos

 

 

 

 

Scrambled thoughts on education options

Since the change in C's classroom environment and her school's transition to becoming an international school, I've been pondering a little more about the future of her education and the options available.

I would like to believe that the definition of being 'highly educated' does not necessarily have to be limited to having gone through years of 'schooling' and having succeeded in getting a piece of paper from a well-known institution of higher learning. And the definition of being 'successful' in life is not equal to having a high-salaried job or business, status, and tons of material wealth, although these could be part of the equation in this materialistic world.

Having said this, I am not against higher education or 'success' as we need to be practical and realistic that there is a need for a reasonable level of education and material wealth in order to live relatively comfortably and be of value to society. I simply want to view education as something beyond mass schooling for a certain number of years simply for the purpose of getting ahead in this competitive world. What's all the knowledge, money and fame if you don't have good morals, values, meaningful relationships, love, joy and peace, for example? You can be educated in nuclear science or art history in university but it's the School of Life that completes you as an upright, compassionate, decent human being...

I'm not sure if I'm making any sense with all these disjointed thoughts. I'm not very good at expressing my thoughts about this currently as they encompass various issues and everything seems like a big ball of entangled wool! And my vocabulary and writing skills are not superb enough to present a clear, concise and organised post of such 'deep' matters in a blog... Anyway, this is my place to put my thoughts, regardless of whether anyone reads or understands what I'm saying.

C is currently in Year 5. Next year, she will be sitting for the UPSR examination, a public exam that all schoolchildren studying the Malaysian syllabus, be it in government (sekolah kebangsaan), Chinese or Tamil  (sekolah jenis kebangsaan) schools, are required to take, before proceeding to Form 1 (secondary school). Once C completes UPSR, if she remains in her current school, she will be studying the IGCSE syllabus. If she were to leave this current school, we will have several options: public school (sekolah kebangsaan/local syllabus), private school that offers local syllabus, private/international school that offers international syllabus, homeschooling (ideally at home, or at a 'homeschool' centre).

Back in the day during my time in the 20th century, we either went to kebangsaan schools, mission schools, Chinese or Tamil schools to study the Malaysian syllabus from primary to secondary. Any 'international' education we got would have to be at tertiary level if our family could afford to send us overseas or if we were good enough to get a loan or scholarship. There were hardly any private schools and international schools were only reserved for foreigners/expatriate children. There were only a handful of private pre-university colleges to help you prepare for entry to universities overseas, as well as only six local universities when it was my time to pursue tertiary education.

Things have changed now in the 21st century. Education is big business. From enrichment classes of all kinds for babies and toddlers to all sorts of pre-school teaching and learning methods, private and international schools and colleges, twinning programmes, online courses, short-term courses, professional courses, vocational schools, local campuses of prestigious foreign schools and universities with boarding facilites....the list goes on. We are spoiled for choice, especially if we have the means to afford these for our children. And even if we don't have the means, we will find ways to provide the best for our kids.

In our parents' generation, as long as we, their children, went to school and finished at least our secondary school education and found a reasonably good job thereafter, they felt they have fulfilled their responsibility. Sending us for what is now termed as enrichment classes such as piano, violin or ballet (the popular activities during my time) was something only the middle class would think of doing. Now, every parent would map out their child's education journey the moment he starts reciting the alphabet. Every kid, rich or poor, is now attending some extra lesson outside of school. Even the schools are offering such lessons for a fee in the name of providing extra-curricular activities. Now you can get taekwondo, voice, art, gymnastics, fencing, piano or even ukelele lessons at school as long as you sign up and pay. During my time, extra-curricular encompassed only athletics practice, badminton, netball, hockey, clubs such as Girl Guides, drama and theater, language and religious societies, etc. No extra charge.

Sigh, life and decisions for children's education seemed much simpler then. Now with so many choices, it's a challenge to decide what you think is best for your child taking into consideration her interests, aptitude, how you view education and life, and what you can afford in terms of time, money and other resources.....

Public? Private? Local? International? Homeschool? Unschool?

It would also be less of a challenge if  this country's education system is not a political circus and of desirable quality... This is one of the main reasons why many parents try to look for better alternatives.

Post-exam ramblings

It's somewhat a relief for ME that C's year-end exam at school is over and done with. It's hard to put aside that 'exam fever' stress that people my generation are so accustomed to -- exam time means studying hard, revising, burning the midnight oil as they say. And marks and grades are the ultimate measure of how clever you are and your potential to be successful in life i.e to be a doctor, lawyer or accountant! Also, having good grades meant better chances of getting a university degree which translates into getting a good job and a good life, and living in heaven on earth, if I may exaggerate. That's the idea that had been pounded into many of our heads from the time we started school and for the next 17-18 years of our academic life assuming we pursued tertiary education.

Many of us, including the generation before mine, i.e. my parents' generation, still continue to hold fast to that notion, failing to realise that times and things have changed. We can't blame ourselves as we grew up in those times when becoming a doctor, lawyer or accountant was indeed proven to be better than being a musician, designer or chef. I personally need to remind myself to shake that idea off  as I grew up that way and even more so because I had been a diligent student all my academic life and got quite good grades most of the time. A university degree and a good job in a multinational company with company car and chauffeur, club membership, travel benefits etc is no longer the only way to success in life in current times.  That's my personal opinion, anyway, in case I tread on some sensitive toes...

That brings me to the point about my struggle with leaving things be with C who is the total opposite of me -- nonchalant about good grades, pursuing only what interests her, not bowing to pressure or competition (or threats!) in almost everything in her corner of the world. It's a challenge, as a parent, to find the balance and draw the delicate line between nurturing independence, teaching responsibility for consequences of decisions/actions taken, allowing freedom to explore, and instilling perseverance for things you don't like but need to do (in her case, it's learning/mastering the national language), focus and discipline, to name a few.

My friends and I frequently wonder aloud now and again why our kids are the way they are, while we, during our time, did our homework and studied without anyone reminding or nagging us. I guess the answer lies again in how different life is nowadays. There are much more stuff that capture our attention and distract us. There are more opportunities and choices in life. Our kids have it better as they are more privileged, because we had worked hard to be able to give them a better life. The challenge is to not allow them to feel entitled, to help them see there are others less privileged than them, to mould their hearts to be down-to-earh, compassionate and godly, to know their purpose in life. A fulfilled life is not all about money and material things, although we tend to tell our kids, "You'd better study hard if you want to have a nice house and car next time, or you'll end up becoming like that homeless man." What should we actually say instead of this?



Family Fun Day with the MPO

Every two months or so, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra showcases a weekend of performances called Family Fun Day. There are usually three concerts -- one on Saturday afternoon and two on Sunday afternoon. This one-hour performance is tailored for families, and young children including pre-schoolers can attend. It is a good opportunity to expose children to music as it allows them to experience first-hand the orchestra and classical music.

Yesterday, ACE attended the MPO's latest offering which featured two composers who lived around the same period in the 19th centry, Tchaikovsky, a Russian, and Smetana, a Czechkoslovakian.

The guest conductor was Nicolae Moldoveanu, from Transylvania (the land of vampires, he joked), who had a thick accent which made it a bit difficult for C to catch what he was saying. It was also a bit difficult for us adults to catch his jokes while he interpreted and explained the musical structure of the two compositions the orchestra was performing. Nevertheless, it was an educational experience for me as well, learning the interpretation of the various sections of the pieces, the stories behind the music so to speak. After a short explanation, the conductor would make the orchestra play that particular part he had talked about, and he went on from one part of the piece to another till the end. Then finally, the orchestra played the entire piece for us to enjoy.

The Tchaikovsky piece was the 1812 Overture, while Smetana's was his well-known and popular Vltava.

While Wikipedia may not be the best source at times for information, it is usually a convenient one. You can learn about the 1812 Overture here, the musical structure section is similar to what the conductor described. And here's a sample of the piece I found in YouTube.

Meanwhile, this excerpt from Wikipedia is similar to what the conductor explained about Vltava: The composition describes the course of the Vltava, starting from the two small springs, the Cold and Warm Vltava, to the unification of both streams into a single current, the course of the Vltava through woods and meadows, through landscapes where a farmer's wedding is celebrated, the round dance of the mermaids in the night's moonshine: on the nearby rocks loom proud castles, palaces and ruins aloft. The Vltava swirls into the St John's Rapids; then it widens and flows toward Prague, past the Vyšehrad, and then majestically vanishes into the distance, ending at the Labe (or Elbe, in German).

Listen to the piece and see if you can pick out from the music the various scenes described above.

A flea market Sunday

Yesterday, C had a first-hand experience of entrepreneurship. A few weeks ago, our residents' association announced their plan to organise a flea market/bazaar and C got excited when I told her about it. She said she wanted to earn some pocket money by selling something, so we registered ourselves to take up one stall at a mere RM5 token fee.

Then we started thinking about what we could sell -- her pre-school level story books that she's outgrown? Food? Handmade craft items? We decided on food because her books were too precious for me to part with, and we're not good at craftwork. So food it was, but what kind? Since it was to be HER 'business', I wanted her to be involved in it as much as possible, with us helping. So I suggested something simple which didn't involve much cooking and we finally settled on selling marshmallow pops.

She wrote the shopping list for me and I went to the supermarket to help her get the items. Then ACE worked together to make the marshmallow pops the afternoon before the sale. We made 93 sticks altogether. We could have had a few more sticks if we didn't gobble up some of the marshmallows ourselves along the way!

Marshmallow pops

Miss Camera-Shy at her stall

After setting up our stall between 9 to 10am, we sat and waited for customers. As it was a hot and sunny Sunday morning, the neighbours were a little slow, trickling in around 10.30am. Most people walked around the stalls, just browsing. To ensure we sold as much as we could, I told C to be more vocal to tell people what she was selling. So she rolled up a piece of paper like a loud hailer and started peddling her ware. Then I told her to walk around with the marshmallows and approach the people to ask them to buy.

The bazaar was for four hours. After two hours, we broke even. The afternoon was getting too hot and humid and C asked if she could go home. I told her she could only after she finished selling her marshmallows. I'm glad she stuck it out and started walking around again trying to get people to buy her goods.

By the end, she sold 85 sticks, gave away three sticks to the little girl at the stall next to ours, and took home the last five sticks. C counted her takings, deducted the cost and came away with a 53.3 per cent profit. Not bad for a first-time job I'd say.

I also managed to sell extremely cheaply some old, but 'new' i.e. unused items we had lying around the house, like aromatherapy items and tea sets. I also gave out brochures about this powerful antioxidant concentrate  ACE has been consuming for the past six months and found it helps greatly with our joint pain, allergy symptoms and digestive ailments like constipation.

Other foodstalls sold pasta and pizza, cupcakes, cookies, and lemonade, or promoted some slimming teas. There were stalls which sold used household and children's items, toys, and handmade jewellery. A stall beside ours offered air-conditioner servicing services.

Toys

Free samples of pizza, pasta and mushroom soup 

Handmade jewellery

All in all, I think it was a good hands-on learning experience for C. Besides experiencing the act of selling, we had also briefed her about cost, profit, loss, pricing and marketing.

Check it out here on how to make marshmallow pops.

Sex education

I'm getting tired reading the news about our politicians making claims that certain educational books are morally degrading when things they do are far, far worse (and what they have done over the years and are still doing is too long a list and too sickening to write about here). The latest one yesterday is about a sex education book for children that's been around over 30 years. Read about it here. With such issues, they can take such swift action and immediately today, they have banned the booke "Where Did I Come From" by Peter Mayle, as reported here.

I had just thought of getting my hands on this book because C has become more aware of such matters with her lofty ideas in wanting to breed cats and dogs (she read up on how cats mate and watched videos too....), and last week, in learning about puberty at school.

When she was five or six, we got here a book about the human body, in which among other useful knowledge, described in brief about a sperm having to meet an egg in order to form a baby and how the foetus develops in the mother's womb. How the sperm gets to meet the egg is however not described in the book. I did try to 'describe' it to her once and when I asked her if she understood, all she said was "I think so".... and I didn't know how to go on from there. So I think getting a proper book for her would help. That's how I learned anyway during my early teens. Older generation parents were not so open with communicating such topics, and my science teacher in school even omitted teaching the last chapter in our Form 1 textbook which was about reproduction, and told us to read it ourselves during the year-end school holidays. Till today I wonder why she left it out since I feel there's nothing to be embarrassed about, more so when she was female and we were in an all-girls school.....

The past few days, conversations with C have included bits and bobs about the changes that will happen to one's body during puberty, but it has yet to veer to the explicit details of making babies. I guess her curiosity has yet to peak since her current stand is that she doesn't want to get married (hahaha!), and in her mind, in order to have babies, she has to get married first :)

Oh well, I think it is (adjective) to ban Peter Mayle's book, but there are so many other books out there still, and one can also turn to certain appropriate sites in the Internet.

Sun & Surf with the MPO

Every two months, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) will present a weekend programme called Family Fun Day. It is a great way to introduce children to orchestral music in a fun, colourful and interactive manner. Last Sunday was one of them which ACE took the opportunity to enjoy. The Orchestra titled their performance 'Sun and Surf' and it was truly apt for this season of summer that many countries experience at this time of the year. Although here in Malaysia it is sunny all year round, many of the orchestra members come from countries with the four seasons and are looking forward to taking a summer break for some R&R from their hectic performance schedule.

When we mention 'orchestra', we tend to think of having to sit in our formal wear in a dim but grand hall, seriously concentrating on classical music played by the orchestra which members are all dressed formally in black gowns, suits or tuxedos with the conductor striking his most intense pose, baton in hand. No clapping in between movements, no shuffling in your seat and god forbid if you start chatting or coughing, or worse, allow your phone with its Lady Gaga ringtone shock the audience. No noisy kids or crying babies. It is an activity for the 'cultured' some would say.

But at Family Fun Day (note: they included the word 'fun'!), it's totally different. The dress code is smart casual (no sports attire, sneakers, slippers, jeans) and you can bring children. Children feature prominently on Family Fun Day. Now back to Sun and Surf. The usually boring rich wood-paneled stage with its rows of black chairs and music stands was decorated with just enough props of fake coconut trees and children's rubber ring floaties to let you know that you've arrived at the right place. And when it was time, an announcement was made to remind us to turn off our handphones. Then the entire orchestra, dressed in colourful floral shirts, many of them holding their instruments, walked onto stage! What a sudden burst of colours that changed the entire ambience. Some donned straw hats and sunglasses too!

Usually at Family Fun Day, there will be a presenter on stage to introduce the songs that will be played, giving a short background story of the song and its composer. He/she also gets the audience movin' and groovin' with some physical activities like getting the audience seated at one end of the hall to bounce a ball to audience at another end (that was at a previous performance we attended), standing up to do actions, dance and clap along, answering fun questions, and some kids also get to go on stage to do stuff.

At Sun & Surf, the presenter stepped onto stage with a rather large straw hat, gaudy Hawaiian shirt and shorts, beach slippers and gigantic plastic-framed sunglasses, giving everyone a bright and cheery greeting. He then introduced the condcutor who was also dressed in a blue floral shirt and huge sunglasses. They looked really funny. But this did not steal the limelight from the amazing, mesmerising, foot-tapping, hand-clapping music the orchestra played marvelously well that made you feel like getting off your seat to dance along -- which I could see many cute children doing with their parents swaying along. The presenter also got us to do some actions such as making wave-like motions, sunshine actions, flamenco finger snapping, clapping and at the finale, we all got to get up and shake or dance.

Songs that were played included (Sir) Cliff Richard's Summer Holiday, the classic Hawaii Five-O theme, Herb Alpert's Spanish Flea, an African lullaby (which included the use of the vuvuzela of the Fifa World Cup fame - a young girl got to go on stage to give a few blows into it), Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnole and the popular Brazilian Carnavale music. A male Brazilian-looking dancer came onstage and managed to persuade a female cellist to join him dancing to the lively Carnavale at the finale.

The array of instruments, besides the regular ones in a typical orchestra, that were used and highlighted through their respective solo parts also helped the audience learn the names, hear the sounds and see what they looked like. Other than the vuvuzela, there were the cowbell and timbales, glockenspiel, marimba, and castanets. The electric guitar and modern drum kit were on stage too. Listening to music played live in a concert hall by an orchestra is a totally different experience from just listening to it over the radio or watching it on TV or Youtube. Your entire body is involved and all your senses just come alive watching the various instruments and musicians in action and listening to how they all blend.

Family Fun Day is a good and exciting way to enjoy classical (and pop) music and widen our musical knowledge and experience. I would recommend all families, especially those with young children, to attend this event. Ticket prices are affordable from as low as RM15. It is held bi-monthly on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Photography and video recording of the performance is not allowed so I'm not able to include any pictures in this post. I hope my description of it helped to give you an idea of what ACE enjoyed last Sunday at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas with the MPO.

Check out this website to learn more about the MPO and the many things it has to offer. Other than concerts, they have activities such as forums, chamber/ensemble performances, master classes, and talks.

The past two weeks

In a blink of an eye, the two-week school holidays are over. Today, C goes back to school. Having gone to bed around 11.00pm every night, past her usual bedtime of 9.00pm the past two weeks and waking up late after 8.00am, I was afraid she'd have trouble waking up this morning. I had tried getting her to return to her normal bedtime hours the past few days but failed. Thankfully, we managed to wake her up this morning without much fuss. But I wonder if it'll be the same tomorrow since she might be tired out from today's relatively busy day at school compared to the two weeks of rest and relaxation. As usual, I'll have to take it one day at a time.

Workwise, C spent the two weeks catching up with piano practice, and going for music lessons and Malay language tuition. Playwise, she read and re-read numerous books, played with her toys, watched tv and we went out a bit.

The highlights were outings to malls, catching Kung Fu Panda 2 with E and me, and getting a free tour of the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP), the concert hall in KLCC, home to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.

C also made her official first ride on her bicycle without the training wheels. While I had noticed that she  could do so already earlier on, those wheels were still attached to the bike although they were slightly raised.

The visit to  DFP on a weekday morning required us to leave home at 8.15am to 'wade' through office-hour traffic. We got there at 9.00am, 45 minutes early. To kill time, we took a walk around the KLCC park and studied trees and plants. The park provided good opportunity to revise our knowledge of plants. We saw a number of bird's nest ferns, an epiphyte according to C, other tropical trees like those from the palm family. I pointed out other ferns growing on host trees, lichen on tree barks and learnt from C a lichen genus called Cladonia which she said she read about in Guardians of Gahoole. Then I showed her 'duit duit' or felt fern, another epiphyte. We took a look at the deserted children's water playground in the park which is usually crowded with kids on weekends. Then, it was time to head to DFP.

We joined another 20 or so adults and children inside the concert hall for a short talk about the place and later went on a backstage tour. The conductor and soloist have their own rooms while the other musicians share a common lounge. The lounge has comfy sofas and dining tables, a piano, tv, dart board, books, notice board, pantry, lockers, dressing rooms, washrooms and shower stalls. Backstage was a maze of corridors and staircases (there are lifts too but we didn't take any). In my hurry to leave the house that morning, I had forgotten to put my camera in my bag so I had to use my mobile phone camera to take pictures which I've yet to download to my computer.

The DFP conducts free tours every first Monday of the month and you can make an appointment for it online here.

Educational success in Finland

Where is our education system going? A friend shared this article and I'm very impressed with how the Finns have developed theirs.

But Finland's sweeping success is largely due to one big, not-so-secret weapon: its teachers....In Finland, the teachers are the standard. That's one reason so many Finns want to become teachers, which provides a rich talent pool that Finland filters very selectively. In 2008, the latest year for which figures are available, 1,258 undergrads applied for training to become elementary-school teachers. Only 123, or 9.8% were accepted into the five-year teaching program. That's typical. There's another thing: in Finland, every teacher is required to have a master's degree. (The Finns call this a master's in kasvatus, which is the same word they use for a mother bringing up her child.)

In Malaysia? If you've been keeping up with and are concerned about how our education system has been going round and round in circles, you would know the answer to that question.

"Finland is a society based on equity," says Laukkanen. "Japan and Korea are highly competitive societies — if you're not better than your neighbor, your parents pay to send you to night school. In Finland, outperforming your neighbor isn't very important. Everybody is average, but you want that average to be very high."

This principle has gone far toward making Finland an educational overachiever. In the 2006 PISA science results, Finland's worst students did 80% better than the OECD average for the worst group; its brightest did only 50% better than the average for bright students. "Raising the average for the bottom rungs has had a profound effect on the overall result," says MacIsaac.

According to the last para in the article, Thailand has tried adopting their system, but has yet to succeed. Malaysia is a long way from this. Very sad indeed....

Choosing a music syllabus for your child - an amateur musician's perspective

Today marks four years of Caitlin's musical journey with the Yamaha Music School. Her class is having a mini 'graduation' concert and party this evening. At age five, she began with the Junior Music Course(JMC) for two years, followed by the JXC. According to the website, this course helps children achieve the musical ability on the level of either Yamaha Piano Grade 9 or Yamaha Electone Grade 9. C took the Piano Grade 9 exam two weeks ago.

In the JMC, the children learn together as a group using the Yamaha Electone keyboard instrument in class as the syllabus covers more than just keyboard or piano playing. They play and sing together in an ensemble, playing/singing different parts and sometimes using different instrument sounds, hence the Electone, and not the piano, that has the capability to produce varied sounds.

They also learn solfege singing, play different percussion instruments as an ensemble to learn rhythm, learn composition to compose their own songs to play, plus develop their musical hearing skills to be able to sing and play by ear. The one-hour lesson each week is usually high-energy (teacher must be on her toes all the time!), very interactive, playing/singing together along with the teacher and CDs.

One parent is required to accompany their child in the class for the JMC course while it is optional for JXC. The parents get involved in some of the actitivities like singing, clapping, and doing actions with the kids.

I personally find this course a good one for a child to start with as it provides a good musical foundation, covering the many aspects of music to develop a child's musical ability, espcially the aural ability which develops fastest in this period.

From my personal experience, I believe that to be true. Sitting in her lessons every week over the four years, I've seen how these young kids can pick up notes with perfect pitch quite easily while I struggle to do so. I had started learning the piano when I was seven years old way back in the 70s using the Royal Schools of Music ABRSM syllabus and did not have the opportunity to develop much of my aural ability i.e. pitch recognition and playing by ear. Whatever I managed to pick up later in my teenage years was through personal interest and experimentation. I am not saying the Yamaha syllabus is the best. The different syllabus available these days are just different, that's all.

There are many music courses available nowadays, packaged in their own individual way and giving emphasis on areas they think are important. Some emphasise on building the foundations, some focus on the technical and theoretical aspects of playing a particular instrument, others think it's not even necessary to know how to read music notes and teach playing by ear only. Some are tailored specially for babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers, some are for school-age kids and adults, some could be more serious and exam-oriented for the possibility of tertiary-level qualification/certification, some are more for fun or leisure, etc. At higher grades, some are also recognised in university applications, contributing to credits.

Which syllabus you choose depends on what you want your child to learn and benefit, what your reasons are for wanting your child to have musical knowledge and ability. We may dream but need to face the fact that not every child can be the next Mozart, Sarah Chang, Yo Yo Ma or whoever's the hottest musician right now (I've really lost touch in this area).

In my opinion, it is better to have a well-rounded exposure to and knowledge of music to start off with. This includes singing, clapping, moving or dancing, playing percussions like the triangle or tambourine, to songs with different rhythms, tempo, and pitch. It helps develop their ability to sense the beats to the rhythm, how fast or slow, high or low, soft or loud.

Later, when they are older and have more developed motor skills for whatever the chosen instrument requires, it is not too late to focus on mastering the instrument. Prodigies aside, how well a child plays may depend on his interest in the instrument, teacher-student compatibility, his physical and motor skills suitability to the instrument and of course frequency of practice (as they say, practice makes perfect).

The weeks leading up to her Grade 9 exam were quite stressful for both her and me as C is not the diligent kind who'd be afraid of an impending exam and practise consistently. So she had to be persuaded, threatened, forced to practise, resulting in much tension. I don't know how Amy Chua of Tiger Mother fame could do what she did with her kids. It came to the point where she (and I) was on the verge of calling it quits after this JXC programme and resort to me teaching her on my own for leisure playing until such time when she is older and more ready for serious learning and exams*.

The Grade 9 exam seemed rather demanding in my opinion. What I was tested on, especially aurally, during my time in ABRSM Grade 2 was nowhere near what Yamaha Grade 9 Piano is testing students. Having said that, the ABRSM syllabus seems slightly more advanced in the area of the ability to play the piano with higher technical ability (which I personally think can be mastered quite easily anytime for any child/teenager with average intelligence, as long as the interest is there).

*While I was mentally prepared to take the 'homeschooling' route, I've been hoping that things would change once the stress of the exam is over as I felt that continuing on with the next level, the Junior Ensemble Course (JNC) would be beneficial. Last week, C agreed to continue and we've bought the materials for the course which starts next week with the same teacher. Am keeping my fingers crossed that as time goes by, she'll continue to enjoy learning music and the piano and take to exams more easily.

Here's another similar article I wrote:

Starting your child on music: Your daughter hates the violin. Get over it.

By Anna Tham

Like any new parent, I entertained my own “delusions of grandeur” during my daughter’s early childhood. I’d dream of her making a scientific discovery, becoming a celebrated author, or performing one of Paganini’s Caprices to a standing ovation.

That last one was particularly enduring when I began thinking about sending her to music lessons. Projecting our ambitions onto our kids is common and often manifests in our eagerness to put our kids through enrichment classes.

With music we become anxious about which programme, which instrument, which school, which teacher? We start comparing course content, fees, and teaching methods. We see what other parents are doing and we feel like jumping on that bandwagon too.

But before we limit ourselves to what’s popular or what others tell us is good, why not think about what’s suitable for your child; an individual with his own preferences, personality, character, and learning style. You’ll find that it’s not a case of ‘one-size fits-all’.

Was it your child himself who has asked to learn?

It’s a good sign when they articulate their choices. That means they are at the very least attracted to, and curious about music. Sometimes, that interest lasts –my daughter is now 11 and still drumming away– and sometimes we have to accept that it doesn’t.

At four years old my daughter pestered us for drum lessons. I like to think that our music sessions with cheap toy instruments helped piqued her interest.

I did secretly wish she’d chosen the violin. But that was my dream. We should know better than to live our dreams through our children.

Compulsion breeds resistance or worse still, resentment, so let him have a go at whatever instrument he chooses. If he doesn’t know, expose him to as many as possible. Go for free trial classes for an instrument or a music-and-movement class. Let him have a feel of the activity, the teacher, and the other students if it’s a group class.

Choose an instrument or music programme that your child enjoys and is comfortable with. Don’t force him to pursue what you alone think is good for him.

Think about your objectives

Is it music appreciation, general knowledge, or mastering a specific instrument that you want her to gain from music lessons? It’d be great if it was all of the above but don’t forget that learning music also develops social skills; instils discipline, commitment, responsibility, self-confidence, and teaches teamwork.

It aids younger children develop their sensory, motor and coordination skills, and even in learning a language. In the article Born to Sing: How Music Enriches Children’s Language Development, Ann Gadzikowski writes that language learning is enhanced when children experience the rhythm of music.

Look at how your child can learn and develop through music with the right perspective; not simply because it is another item to add to your must-do list in the rat race of life.

Consider what’s practical; there are no rules.

If an older child chooses an instrument, you’ll need to consider if it’s practical and suitable for him physically. A petite child may not be able to carry a large cello case by herself let alone play the instrument. Some wind instruments require suitable lip structure, and facial strength, while others require larger hands or more dexterity to play.

Also, do not stereotype, follow trends or be influenced by others. There is no rule that says every child must start at age three, or with the piano or violin, or if a particular instrument is more suited for a boy or girl.  

If your child is special, can the programme, instrument and teaching method cater to her needs? How will it benefit her? Would it be a challenge for the both of you? Or would she be bored because she is exceptionally gifted?

What is your budget? Are you ready to spend on fees or the instrument? There’s no need to buy an instrument immediately if you can make-do with one of average quality. You can upgrade later when your child progresses and shows deeper commitment.

Is the location of the music school convenient, are you able to send or make arrangements for your child to travel there? Or would you prefer a teacher that makes house calls?

Choose a programme or instrument suitable for your child considering all aspects of readiness, and how much you are willing to invest in time and money. Balance these considerations instead of going with what’s popular or convenient.

 

‘Audition’ the teachers as they ‘audition’ your kid

Some of us may have encountered the knuckle-knocking-sadist of a piano teacher in our childhood. Avoid them at all costs. Why subject your kid to abuse? A good teacher should should be able to relate to children and treat them with respect.

Before enrolling my daughter into a music education programme, we attended trial classes in two schools that offered the same programme. The contents of the content and methods were identical. The only difference was the teacher, and the kids in the group classes. In the end we opted for the one with the teacher to which my daughter responded well.

It always helps when the child likes the teacher. Weren’t we more open to listening and learning from a teacher we liked when we were in school?

Choose a teacher that your child can respond positively to. It may be difficult to determine if that teacher is ideal from just one trial class so let your instincts and better judgment guide you.

Back to school, then and now

It's 1.1.11 today, the first day of a new decade in the 21st century. Happy New Year!

Tomorrow is the final day of school holidays for most kids in this country and come Monday, 3rd January, a new school year begins (some states start school a day earlier). Caitlin will be in Year 3.

The past weeks of holidays have whizzed by so quickly. Tomorrow will probably be spent ensuring everything for school is ready - uniform, books and bag, socks and shoes, and water bottle. I foresee it will be hard for all of us to wake up at 6.00am on Monday. And I dread either me or E having to send/fetch her to/from school on the first week as traffic around school will be crazy with all the anxious parents of Year 1 children hanging around to ensure their kids settle in and be on 'standby' for those who feel insecure or cry. I'm glad C was happy, eager, felt secure and didn't cry on her first day in Year 1. Some of her clasmates cried while one required her parent to accompany her all the way to the classroom for the entire first term (3 months).

While wrapping her school books, I took a quick walk down memory lane back to my school days. Back then, my books were wrapped in brown paper. Plastic only came into the book-wrapping 'practice' later during secondary school. There weren't any pre-made plastic book covers/jackets like now. We had to cut the brown paper or plastic sheet according to size and fold them around the covers of the books to wrap them.

As for school bags, we either had rattan or plastic woven baskets, cloth, PVC or canvas sling bags; no fancy ergonomic, spine-supporting backpacks or roller-bags. The 'best' or most 'high tech' school bags back then would have been the suitcase type, one made out of hard cardboard with two metal fasteners at the side that flip open to unlock the suitcase. As 'fancy' as we perceived them to be, they were difficult to carry as the plastic handle would cut into your fingers with the weight of the books inside. Many kids' parents had improvised to make it more comfortable by wrapping and tying a wad of sponge around the handle! I don't see kids carrying such bags these days. 

I carried my food container (or 'tupperware' as it was referred as back then) and water bottle in a small cloth bag my grandma sewed using some leftover cloth she had; no fancy lunch box or bag. The food container and water bottle were just plain looking plastic ones. No opportunity or freedom of choice as to what I could use to bring my food and drink in.

Kids now have nice water bottles (that must be made of non-poly bisphenol A plastic) with fancy patterns or Disney character prints, and can be easily opened with built-in straws and flip tops. Those days, if I weren't careful in opening or closing my tumbler, I'd have less water to drink or none at all, and my books or bag would be soaked.

My grandma tailor-made my school uniforms. She went to the cloth shop downtown to buy the right coloured materials for the blouse and pinafore. It was only later that an enterprising person started a school uniform business in my hometown where we could buy ready-made ones from the one-shoplot business. Just yesterday, I drove pass a street in my hometown and came across this spanking new building at the corner of the street with the school uniform business's name in large letters across the facade. My mum said their school uniform business did so well over the years that they've even ventured into the hotel business.

Nowadays, school uniforms can be bought almost everywhere from hypermarts, and departmental stores to uniform 'specialty' shops that sell all things related to school needs. Unfortunately, C's school uniform can only be bought from her school as it's not the generic type, and unlike my (late) grandma, I can't even hem a skirt neatly let alone tailor uniforms.

What else has changed? School shoes. Those white canvas ones had to be scrubbed every weekend, sun dried and later 'painted' with liquid chalk from a plastic bottle that came with a plastic-handled sponge applicator. The shoes had laces and they had to removed, washed, chalked and re-strung. Only when I was in secondary school that velcro straps came along. Now most kids wear shoes with velcros and the liquid chalk is in a plastic squeeze bottle with a built-in sponge-tip applicator. In some schools like private ones that are not that stringent with uniform specifications, it's not uncommon to see kids wearing non-standard Bata-branded canvas shoes. You're more likely to spot the likes of a puma silhoutte, three stripes or a swoosh on their shoes.

Aah, those good old days. How things have changed, for better or worse, I can't tell.

The Green School

I've read various articles about this before but was not as inspired as after I watched this.

Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution!

I like the way he sees things and shares his perspective.

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

Educating our children

I read a fellow mummy's post here. It's a short post so if you can, please read it to follow my thoughts below.

So why is everyone still adamant about sending their kids to Chinese school? It's no better than the kebangsaan schools or any school that does not teach English or any other subject correctly the way I see it. What's the big deal about 'good to learn Mandarin', and 'Mandarin is a must because China is the future'?. You can learn Mandarin without going to a Chinese school.

"But one can only speak and write well if you're immersed in a Chinese-speaking environment," they say. Yes, of course, that goes for other languages too but is it worth the detriment of losing one's identity, confidence, ability to explore and think independently, and ability to speak/write good English, the lingua franca of the world, which Chinese schools often do not provide?

For parents like the writer of this blog, she has to 'supplement' so much more on her own to develop a more well-rounded child in terms of character, personality and academic ability, especially in the English Language subject.

While it's a given that parents should supplement by putting in personal effort to develop their kids in all areas of life - morals/values, life skills, talents, etc, regardless of what schools their kids go to - Chinese, Tamil, Kebangsaan, private, international - I would think starting right from the very beginning would make the work easier for parents compared to starting wrong and then having to correct and change them later. Our education system is way behind and just so very wrong in everything that's been done so far. I'm no education expert and what I write here are simply my feelings and thoughts. I could be biased or narrow in perspective.

Whatever the choice of school is, since there's no 'perfect' one especially in this country, parents should be aware of what is lacking and do as much as possible to curb the negatives and build the positives. Based on this premise, I believe the homeschooling concept is a good one where you start on a clean slate and the world is yours to explore. You are not dictated by what the school syllabus limits you to, and you can progress as fast as you wish or go slower if you need to. Teachers don't brush you off when you ask a question and don't treat and turn you into a robot. Education should be holistic (it's cliched by now but seriously, it should) and not just academic...

And if socialisation is a concern, I think there are ways around it. Some kids still don't get proper socialisation even if they go to school. It starts with the parents. If parents don't teach their children how to relate to the world outside, are you sure they will be able to learn good socialisation skills from their teachers and peers? If parents don't take their children out and expose them to the world around them and arouse their curiosity and interest in things, how will the kids come to know, discover, explore?

We may say it's too hard to do all these, it's just too much work, or my plate is already so full being a working parent, I have three active kids and they're such a handful, etc etc...I can't even take them out to a restaurant because they just can't keep still, I'd rather stay at home than take them to a mall, otherwise they'll want to buy this toy and that toy....I'm not good at Math or Science to homeschool, I don't have the patience, I want to avoid additional hassles so that life is easier for me. I've been guilty of these myself.

I need to look into the mirror and ask "What do I want my child to learn and what kind of person do I want my child to be now and in the future? What can I do about it?" Will you look into your mirror too?

Music benefits the brain, research reveals

Here's another article that reiterates the benefits of music, particularly learning to play music.

Northwestern University scientists have pulled together a review of research into what music -- specifically, learning to play music -- does to humans. The result shows music training does far more than allow us to entertain ourselves and others by playing an instrument or singing. Instead, it actually changes our brains.

The paper, just published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, is a compilation of research findings from scientists all over the world who used all kinds of research methods. The bottom line to all these studies: musical training has a profound impact on other skills including speech and language, memory and attention, and even the ability to convey emotions vocally.

So what is it that musical training does?

Read on here.

Then and now

The first week of the school holidays are over. And next week will just pass very quickly. Then it's back to school for C. Hopefully, the next half of her academic year will be better, in the sense that the teachers will move a little faster in their teaching pace. I felt that this first half has been rather slow moving. I don't blame the teachers entirely.

The kids in her class are a hyper bunch, with rather short attention span and easily distracted. The teachers this year don't seem to be able to keep them in good discipline and control as well as last year's teachers. Sometimes lessons can't be carried out smoothly or cannot be completed because of disruptions. There's always noise and petty disputes to settle.  This however does not mean the kids are unintelligent. They are simply mischievous but smart and fast learners. They know which teachers they can bully.

I think teachers these days have to be more skilful in handling children compared to long ago during my time. Those days, teachers only had to wield a feather duster, ruler or cane. Now if they did, parents would cry child abuse. Children during my time seemed to be more obedient and easily disciplined. Maybe that's because we were not exposed to as many things as children are nowadays.

There's so much external stimuli, influence, and information bombarding them these days from all the media and technology surrounding them. Those days, we only had the TV and radio for entertainment. No DVD, few cinemas, lesser advertisements, no Nintendos or Gameboys or computers.

TV was limited to only 2 or 3 channels compared to hundreds now. Cartoons were limited to only one hour a day; even if we wanted to watch more, there wasn't any to watch. Now, there are a number of channels dedicated to cartoons only and they broadcast 24 hours a day. And YouTube, where you can find just about anything and everything to watch and listen to!

And if you want to know something, all you do is Google. You don't need to own a big, thick dictionary or a collection of encyclopaedia.

How times have changed. It's no wonder children these days are different.