Archive for November, 2011

I have been really busy just as I predicted. Time for only a few quick updates before I forget how to blog.

1. Bye bye Streamyx and Hello Unifi. Naturally there are teething problems but we refuse to call the chargeable 1300 number so we’ve been running around in circles changing dongers, and moving or rather switching our pc from room to room just to get connected. Have to do all sorts of troubleshooting and testing just to find the reason for the bad connection. Is it the pc problem/the network adapter/the interference from the neighbour’s wifi, need to change channel, change donger, change pc or pull out hair? blah blah blah…*Shakes head*

2. We got ourselves several new shelves and tables and enjoying our family bonding session of putting them together. The kids love this. All the banging and screwing and counting of screws and looking and following the diagrams is a delight to both the kids. They’re having a fine time with the Allen Key, Phillips Screwdriver, etc. After that we all sit back and enjoy our hard work of putting up the shelf and the kids feel proud that they were involved in putting up their own tables or drawers etc. Putting together furniture is definitely an activity where you can and should involve kids, just be mindful of safety when handling tools and sharp nails that is all.

3. I received my Giant Squid trohpy over at Squidoo. That makes me a Giant Squid now. Too bad, I am too busy to celebrate or make any new lenses for the holiday season. I guess I will just have to update my existing ones if I can find some snippets of time.

4. I have received two back to school brochures from departmental stores and I thought the school holidays has just started! Yes, it would end very soon too and then I would have a Year 2 and Year 4 student at home. Gosh. Time flies!

Well, times up. I thought I had a lot of things to blog about but I can’t remember now. If I am not careful, I will forget how to blog in no time.

My streamyx was out for 2 days. 2 whole days and I could not get online for all of that time. So what did I do? I went to catch up with some sleep and played some silly addictive pc games thats what I did.

Anyway, with the school holidays approaching, the kids will be home and the hubby will probably take leave here and there so that means all my time will be occupied. That means there will be a slow down in blogging. Well, no one missed me online for 2 whole days accept myself, so I guess 2 months won’t make any difference either.

What a pity about my Squidoo lenses though. Its the holiday season! Which means I should be doing more lenses, not less. Oh well, it can’t be helped. Family comes first, always. Squidoo lenses are hard to write. I need uninterrupted me time to make them. Blogging is much easier. As I have mentioned before, I can write a blog post in 5 minutes so I suppose I could steal some time here and there for my blogs still.

Well, thats my 5 minutes for this post. I’ve got a few things to get out of the way today, some filing to be done etc. The man is so organized that I must drive him crazy being so disorganized so I had better go and organize a few things today to make him happy. Time to go. Oh, but before that, I have another post to write for my Parenting Times blog. Something about being a kiasu parent. Hop over there if you are kiasu.

I have bought several books on Maths and Science in English for primary schools to teach my children. You have to first become a student before you can become a teacher. Guide to Career Education can be your resource for teaching and learning. Some of them are excellent bilingual English/Chinese books. I have been teaching my kids Maths and Science in English from the time they were in Std 1. They are going to be Std 2 and Std 4 next year. I also help them with their Maths and Science in Chinese by using an electronic dictionary and bilingual Maths and Science books.

My preference would be for them to be taught Maths and Science in English in school but since it is not happening and I don’t forsee it changing anytime soon, I have no choice but to do teach them myself. As a parent, I feel that I need to be in the background always ready to provide them with the balance they need in life. I send them to a strict Chinese school, so I try to provide them with entertainment, play and relaxation at home. If I send them to a school which is more relaxed than, I will be there to guide and push them harder in their studies.

It is the same with Maths and Science in English. Since I think it is important for the kids to learn Maths and Science in English, I will teach them myself if it is not being taught in school. It is not difficult to teach. Maths and Science, unlike languages is all about concepts. The concept is the same. Once the children grasp the concept and understand the lesson, it is only a matter of teaching them the terms.

My girl just brought back her Std 4 books for next year. I am relieved to see that she still has the Maths and Science Books in English textbooks for the year 2012. Or should I feel sad that she will be burdened with yet another year of carrying extra books for subjects that teachers are teaching only half heartedly because they have no choice.

Unlike my Std 1 boy who is learning Maths and Science in Chinese, my girl had the chance to learn Maths and Science in Chinese as well as in English. However, the school takes a rather laid back or relaxed attitude in the teaching of Maths and Science in English. I can’t say that I blame them since it will be discontinued. Why should school time and resources be spent on something that will be phased out soon. There are only a few periods for Maths and Science in English. The test papers are very easy and given almost like an afterthought. There is hardly any homework for Maths and Science in English and most of the time, it is taught in a hurried manner to finish off the syllabus at the end of a term or school year as if to get it out of the way.

With such an attitude, it is better that the kids learn Maths and Science in Chinese alone. They won’t have to go through the burden of learning the same subjects in two languages in school and carrying extra loads of books to school, especially when the teaching of Maths and Science in English is half hearted. Even if given the choice, they will never choose to do any Maths and Science tests in English because they will be better at it in Chinese since the emphasis has always been on teaching Maths and Science in Chinese even though they were given a ‘choice’. I don’t see it as a choice really, it appears more like a burden, an extra thing that teachers are forced to get out of the way. It is not a bonus to be able to learn it in two languages under this sort of circumstances or learning/teaching environment.

So, that means it is up to me to teach my kids Maths and Science in English.  I am not good in Chinese so I find it useful to teach them in English and then later go through the Maths and Science terms in Chinese with them. I am thankful for the bilingual books. It helps the kids improve both languages as they grasp the concept.  My only wish is to see the Maths and Science books in English or the bilingual Maths and Science books being continued to be published by publishers and sold at bookshops. It will be a sad day, when even that stops soon after the Maths and Science in English is phased out.

Updated:

I just found out from my girl that she had to return the Maths and Science Books in English for Std 4 next year. I guess she won’t be learning them in English anymore. She is in Std 4 next year. My son who is in Std 2 will not be learning them in English since he is the ‘pioneer’ year for the switch back to teaching Maths and Science in mother tongues. Looks like this mother will have to work harder.

There still appears to be some confusion as many are unsure on whether the subjects will still be taught in English and until which year. So here is the schedule for the phasing out of teaching Maths and Science in English.

Updated again

Well, looks like that schedule for phasing out is outdated now…