Mar 16 2010
Mrs X, a mother of four, questions if we need a nation of well-rounded kids
If you want fatted goats, feed them well in a comfortable, confined space. Better still, have someone provide deep, relaxing massage while they lie stationary, listening to calming piped-in music – that way the exercise is done for them, on them. We’ll do what’s good for them while they in turn do what’s good for themselves – ensuring quality meat supply.
Look around you and tell me what you see. Why do we even need well-rounded kids (sic)?
What we really need more of are happy, well-adjusted children.
Of course, it would be nice if they could be obedient and respectful. Who wouldn’t adore children who are mentally resilient, morally upright, capable of independent thinking and clear speech, ready to take the initiative and trusted to lead? In fact, give us children with a smidgen of talent, and we parents will propel them ‘towards complete world domination’. (Jason Johnson NPOS 14Mar2010). .
Isn’t the notion of ‘well-rounded kids’ rather achievement-oriented? It sounds disturbingly like another phase of the production line. Is this another ingredient now deemed necessary for a smooth-going economy?
If you want to help our children, then do something decent, help them to live. Help them cope with this changing world and to stay grounded. This must start at home, with the family. Get this fixed.
Be careful our quest for well-rounded kids doesn’t result in stunted growth all round.
Mrs. X, who prefers to remain anonymous, is a mother of four. She sees little sense in the structure of the local education system and strongly believes that good, all-rounded education should begin at home.
One response so far
It’s a catch-22. Schools have Key Performance Indicator (KPI) so they give what parents want, ‘academic excellence’. Most parents are too busy to do research, their automatic reaction is to have their kids better than other parents. They just do what the Govt advocate. Deep down is to look good, already conditioned that if your kids have A’s it means you are good parents. Parents feel guilty if their kids don’t get good grades. Get a good job. It becomes their definition of success. Has the government’s definition of success got to do with this mindset?
I have been doing research for a good number of years and realized that unless parents’ mindset is shifted to understand that we can be partners-in-education to focus on developing & nurturing self-leadership for students, parents and educators, the government would continue to do it their way. If it takes a community to raise a child why not provide life skills and continuous learning for parents, grandparents & educators?
After all, the only thing that is constant is change.
Although the social emotional learning (SEL) was introduced years’ back, schools does not have the time to focus on this simply because it’s not part of the curriculum. Teachers have to complete and rush through curriculum because they spend time giving remedial, CCA and other activities.
Music, arts and sports are great for teamwork. Together with life skills, we could have a nation of leaders!
Kids want to learn geography in the beach, to see, feel and observe the real thing. How waves are formed etc. Not passive learning.
If you introduce life skills, you teach less and students learn more. Parents, educators and the public will benefit from this new way of learning to develop self-leadership.
Until and unless government shift this mindset of achieving academic excellence, parents have no idea how they can also benefit from life skills. Teachers will lose their passion to teach.
Kids will have no self-expression nor the space to develop creativity. Do not know how to be resilient. Instead become whiners.
That is why Singaporeans do not want to have children.
That is why we have a nation of resigned individuals, more stressed people going to Mental Hospital. Less people who can live life with purpose and more playing victims. A nation of complain kings and queens. Jack Neo’s latest movie ‘Being Human’ portrays the duality of what is and what are the new possibilities.