What have we done to our children?

We owe it to our children not to make them neurotic. Even if we are (by playing about with statistical data) the "richest nation on a per capita basis", we are a zone-locked, resource-challenged tiny dot that needs our future generation not to become zombies.

What we have become for sure is a Tuition Nation -- out there in the top league of similar nations like South Korea. See, for example, this yahoo article, "Real reason behind Singapore's obsession with tuition":

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/blogs/singaporescene/things-consider-sending-child-tuition-classes-102823408.html

Unsurprisingly, New Paper had this front page article today (Aug 18):

TODAY (Aug 18), meanwhile, published a letter on this subject:

http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120818-0000021/Education-must-not-be-rushed

Education must not be rushed

Aug 18, 2012

From Jillene Koh

 

It is with some concern that I have seen how parents can be "kiasu" about their children's education, especially in pre-school. Some parents hope to see their children bringing worksheets home as evidence that they are really studying in school.

 

However, childhood theorists such as Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky and Maria Montessori supported the fact that children should learn through play.

 

The saying, "don't run before you can walk", also goes for children. They have to achieve the basics first before doing higher order things.

 

However, I have seen children at the age of three, who have yet to grasp fine motor skills, doing worksheets in school.

 

I have read in a book that children spend more time doing colouring than the main work when worksheets are used.

 

For example, a child takes less than 10 minutes to count the number of stars, circles, etc, in a worksheet used in a 30-minute mathematics lesson and then spends more than 15 minutes to do colouring. It defeats the main purpose of the lesson.

 

Children need concrete materials to learn. They need the experience, like adults, who learn better through hands-on experience.

 

Some pre-schoolers attend two schools in a day, which would tire them out. All they would do is study continuously. Perhaps attending two prestigious schools may make a child smarter. But are they happy/happier?

 

Do they get the chance to interact with other children when they have to rush? When they do not get that chance, they are neglecting their social skills.

 

It may be true that one is nothing without a certificate in Singapore, but one who has strong social skills knows the way to effective communication, which helps in getting a job. Therefore, parents should not rush their children's education.

 

When I was younger, I was the only one in my class who had difficulty in doing simple addition. I got a number of canings. From then on, I was not positive towards maths.

 

However, when I grew older, I was able to understand its concepts at my own pace.

 

It was a bad experience before that, to be forced to learn fast, so as to be on par with the others.

 

It is tough for children who are forced to learn faster than their natural pace, like asking someone who does not run to do 10 kilometres in one hour for their first run.

 

Infant expert Magda Gerber formulated 10 principles for toddlers. Principle 10: Be concerned about the quality of development in each stage.

 

Perfecting skills is more important than pushing children to develop new ones, which will come when the child has thoroughly practised the old ones.

 

When parents do not rush education, their children will get a sense of accomplishment and will have fun learning, too.

 

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So, what have we done to our children?