My daughter did not 'qualify'

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Today, I have come to realize that being a foreigner still has its disadvantages...

My eldest daughter, who is presently in her secondary 1 level, is a participant in what the school calls as 'Math Olympiad' event - a handful of students who qualify in the school level are selected and trained - to compete with other students from other schools.

We've paid the fee for their training sessions, and she is religiously attending her sessions, and religiously studying her lessons - only for her to be not taken as a contestant.

But I am glad that she knows why.

She isn't a citizen.

And why would she be selected to represent the school?

In case, just in case, she wins, and it is found that she isn't a citizen, but a class lower, being a permanent resident, then it is a shame to all the citizens!

I mean, that is the gross and grave impact of taking in an 'import' to be your representative.

Anyway, life has its good and bad turns. We'll have our way someday. We'll keep on trying, and keep on believing, and the break will come.

Till then...

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Principal has done the right thing

IN SCHOOLS

Letter from Ong San San

I REFER to "Let teachers motivate ..." (Aug 31). I have three children and empathise with Mr Roland Ang. Yet, I think the school his daughter attends has done right in engaging neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioners to motivate its students.

In this challenging society, we must improve at the speed of light if we want to see or improve on results. Motivational speakers will help students to stay positive, think through what they want to do in the future and give them confidence and courage to work towards their goals.

My child tells me her co-curricular activity teacher talks to her about her future and shares his experiences in life with her. This motivates to do better in her studies.

NLP programmes are costly and not all are fortunate enough to be able to attend them. They are not a substitute for a teacher but will enhance a student's learning process.

From TODAY, Voices – Tuesday, 01-Sep-2009

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Teach ’em young

Compulsory Sex education
Five-year-olds to learn about birds and the bees in British state schools

LONDON — Children as young as 11 will be taught about homosexual relationships and civil partnerships under plans by the British government for compulsory sex education.

They will also get lessons in contraception, pregnancy and sexually-transmitted diseases in the first three years of secondary school.

New-style classes will also be compulsory in all faith schools in England, although they will also be free to apply their "values" to lessons by telling pupils that same sex relationships, contraception and sex outside marriage is wrong.

The government said issues would be covered in PSHE — personal, social, health and economic education — which is to become a statutory part of the National Curriculum from September 2011.

Under plans, which are subject to a public consultation, children aged five to seven will learn about the "simple physical changes to their bodies since birth" and the differences between boys and girls.

Between seven and nine, they will be taught about puberty and "how to form and maintain relationships" with different people. In the final two years of primary school, pupils will learn about human reproduction.

The curriculum for 11 to 14-year-olds covers sexual orientation, contraception, pregnancy, homosexual relationships, civil ceremonies and the importance of marriage.

Students between the ages of 14 and 16 will be taught about media portrayals of body image and "social and moral dilemmas".

The move has provoked anger among parents' groups who claim children are being exposed to sex before they are ready.

Britain already has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in western Europe and recent figures showed conceptions among under-16s hit record levels.

But Mr Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary, said lessons were needed to prepare children "for life in the 21st century".

"Parents bring up children, not the Government," he said.

"Schools, however, can play a vital role in teaching children essential skills for learning and life." THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

From TODAY, World – Wednesday, 29-April-2009

Parents to pay for their children’s misbehaviour

A THREE-YEAR British government study into classroom behaviour will call for greater use of parenting contracts for parents failing to keep children in line and £50 ($111.90) penalties for those condoning truancy.

More schools will also be encouraged to use traditional methods such as detentions, suspensions, isolation rooms and lunchtime curfews to punish badly-behaved pupils.

The study came as teachers warned that existing methods were failing as a “reward culture” seen in banks was spreading to schools.

Ms Jules Donaldson, from United Kingdom’s largest teachers’ union, claimed some teachers were fuelling the problem by handing out prizes like plasma screen TVs, Ipods and Nintendo Wii games consoles if children promise to behave.

Schools can apply to courts for a “parenting contract” requiring parents of wayward pupils to take parenting classes — with fines of up to £1,000 if they fail to attend.

Under laws, parents can also be hit with penalties of £50 if their children are found in a public place without justification in the first five days of an exclusion.

- THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

From TODAY, World – Thursday, 16-April-2009

Cacophony at the symphony

Letter from Joseph Au

I WAS surprised to see a full house for a recent Singapore Symphony Orchestra concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall. However, I noticed that the balcony seats were mostly filled by youngsters whose tickets may have been sponsored by the concert organisers or schools.

I was initially glad students had the chance to attend such an event.

But halfway through, trouble started. Coughs rose from all over the balcony and continued without pause. The annoying, distracting coughs went on non-stop for the remaining 80 minutes of the concert.

If it was a deliberate attempt to cough as having fun at a “boring” concert, then I would suggest teachers should teach the students the proper etiquette at concerts. I also hope the students were not forced to attend such concerts just to gain extra-curricular credits.

From TODAY, Voices- Tuesday, 14-April-2009

Bouncers join classroom

LONDON — Bouncers, ex-soldiers and former police officers are being brought into schools to provide “crowd control” and cover absent teachers’ lessons.

One school, thought to be in London, employed two permanent cover teachers through an agency for professional doormen, the National Union of Teachers annual conference in Cardiff heard yesterday.

Bouncers, who more usually work night s keeping order in pubs and clubs, are being employed in schools because they are “stern and loud”, said Mr Andrew Baisley, a teacher at Haverstock school in Camden, north London.

Recruitment agencies are advertising for people with “ex-marine, prison officer, bouncer, policeman, fireman” backgrounds to become supervisors, who do not need to have any teaching qualifications to oversee lessons.

It comes as ministers prepare to unveil the final part of a major review of children’s behaviour this week which will call on governors, head-teachers and parents to support teachers when they discipline pupils.

From September, new rules will limit the amount of cover that teachers can provide for one another, meaning schools could become more reliant on non-qualified staff, the union said.

The union today voted to oppose the use of unqualified staff to cover lessons. Members also agreed to campaign for a reduction in class sizes to 20 and a guarantee of time out of the classroom for teachers to prepare lessons.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: “Heads should ensure that the people they employ have the relevant experience and training — and that all the proper checks -are carried out on anyone working with children."

- THE GUARDIAN

From TODAY, World - Tuesday, 14-April-2009