Both my boys are having exam this week. In fact, the older one started since last Wednesday.
Once I used to get so stressed up and paranoid over their exams...but after multiple practises of going through exams...I am more cool now? Why? Firstly, it was too difficult to always stays on the top. Secondly, I left all the revisions to them and either you be one of the top or don't fail ( don't be one of the bottom lah) and that is pretty achievable..the don't fail and don't be one of the bottom part!
While the older one is a little stressed up that he can't finished his syllabus and that there are still areas he doesn't understand ( he's in Form Four Science stream ) , the younger one is so relaxed as if there is nothing to study!!!! The older boy know how to set his own goals and what he wants to achieve...the younger one is always telling me studying is so boring and half of the time you don't even use what you have studied in school. True..but too bad..schooling is what he has to go through in life and no excuses.
When the younger one was in primary school, he will take part in whatever competition there is just to escape going to class!!!! That part I don't mind, because I believe that is also very important especially areas like story telling, chess and badminton competition.
So you can imagine the scenario at home, one I will always asked to take a break and if he doesn't understand skip first and hope it won't come up in exam. The one I will be screaming go do your revision.....NOW, Don't touch my handphone etc etc!!!!!!
Although I am a SAHM, I just don't sit down with my kids for their studies like some good moms do. I did that till they were in Std 3 ( then chinese became too hard, I gave up). If the results were far from satisfactory , I always asked them to go thru their papers and see why they didn't do well. Is it because , they did not study enough? or they were careless? or don't bother to understand what they have studied? I take the easy way out. That is why I think I should really have gone back to workforce earlier. And I always give them the option for a tutor if they really need one.
Sometimes I feel so guilty reading on how some moms help their kids with their studies but me 'bo chak' simply because I am darn lazy. I don't even send them for any enrichment classes because they didn't ask? Only badminton for the younger one and Art for the elder one and have since stopped last year. I want them to be streetwise, and I believe this trait is simply inborn because the younger one is definitely streetwise but not the older one.
The only good thing is they have warm meals and clean house to come home to? They have me to share their disatisfaction at school ...but when it comes to schoolwork...sorrylah...my days of studies are over. Anyway, they seldom asked me also...I've returned everything to the teacher.
My girls have finished their exams last week. my youngest received some exam papers back, she is weak in her chinese paper even with 2 times tuition in school a week, so now we are considering buying a digital dictionary for her, which is pretty expensive...are your sons using any digital dictionary? is that helps?
ReplyDeleteWe had Besta since both me and my hubby are bananas. For languages, the only way to improve is to read a lot. Besta will help in translation so that one will understand better but to be good...must read a lot! My younger boy had a 'tiger teacher' that made him read essays and recite the points to her almost everyday ( in the last month). It helped him to get 70s , not enough for an A but that's good enough for me. Both of them sucks in Chinese!
DeleteThey are both in Kebangsaan schools...no more Chinese for them.
Ai...how come I cannot edit. Anyway, I just want to say they are now in Kebangsaan schools ( secondary).
DeleteThe main reason you should stay cool about exams is... it's not you taking the exam haha. Otherwise you will be double stressed with two kids. (But of course it's easy for me to just say hehe - might change my tune when I get to that point)
ReplyDeleteBetter also if they can be independent.
Stacy, don't remember feeling so stressed myself when I was sitting for exams. Because when I sit for exams, I am in control but when the boys sit for exams I am not! When your child starts school, I guarantee you won't think this way! Especially if you hover around other parents that are so involved in their kids education. Don't follow my example..a bad one. One is consider independent only if they know how to take responsibility for themselves not when they are left on their own and going into exam hall without studying much.
DeleteIt is the bond that you develop with your two boys that will be treasured, not the time you spent or did not spend coaching them in their school work. As long as they know that you are there for them, it is good enough and of course it is better to have warm home cooked meals to come home to after a hard day's work in school.
ReplyDeleteI really hope so!!!When I was young, my parents never coach me nor my siblings and that has kind of influence or rather set the expectation that as long as my kids has no learning disability , they should be able to study on their own. But again, our education back then is very different from now. Kids nowadays are made to learn a host of boring and useless stuffs.
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