Living in Singapore is very stressful. I remember when I was younger, I hated to study. I always felt pressured on how I should perform coming from an elite school. I was not a top student and in fact I did not do too well in school. My mum just sends me for more tuition hoping it will help my grades.
Now being a parent I feel so sorry that baby G has to be put through such a horribly "inhumane" education system. I want her to love school but sadly being in singapore, no child will ever love school. And even though G is only a baby, I worry about the what ifs. What if she doesn't do well in school? What if she gets compared with by her peers or cousins? But there's a but and I shall get to that later.
With the upcoming school holidays.. I know several parents will sign their kids up for study camps and what nonsense. That's not how I want G's holidays to be spent. Why bother calling it a holiday when the poor child can't even rest?!
And who says getting top in class is so important for a prospective career?! I'm a perfect example actually. I only had my psle cert. Didn't do well in school. Didn't complete secondary school or high school but yet I am still a university grad in psychology.
I've been to a few interviews and honestly no one has ever looked at my poor grades. I've been offered jobs not based on my grades but my personality is what won them over.
So to me grades aren't too important. Its your personality and social skills which will get you somewhere in life. So what if you are a top student but if you can't hold a conversation with another or have a shitty personality, sorry but you won't go far.
So to all parents please stop forcing knowledge onto your child. Let your child enjoy being a child cause they only got a few years of being a child. And really everyone makes it in their life somehow with a good and stable upbringing. It's what us as parents teach our children that moulds their character which is more important than numbers.
Knowledge can be learnt and easily attained with hardwork... But one's personality can't. It's either you have it or don't.
