Lettering Surprises

Big Bee became very interested in calligraphic lettering last year, and self-taught herself which I thought was pretty impressive. I tried emulating her very delicate strokes, and failed miserably everytime, so I know that it is very challenging! She indulged in this hobby quietly and happily, using this as an outlet for de-stressing and for unleashing her hidden creativity.

Her lettering journey started off as a leisurely hobby which brought her much fulfillment and many surprises. Somehow, her school got to know about her hobby and commissioned her to letter 12 pieces which are now featured in her school diary which is given to every student. She ploughed many hours of blood and sweat into this project, oftentimes working late into the night. It was a good test of her resilience and perseverance, especially when her teachers requested for multiple amendments.

In the process, she even conducted a workshop for 20 over teachers, which she found rather unnerving at first. She was also given several paid "job" opportunities to letter for some teachers on separate occasions.

Here are some samples of her artwork which was featured in her school diary (sadly, the printing from school was not very good).

Why I Avoid Parent-Teacher Talks

Since the Bees entered primary school, I had only attended 2 parent-teacher talks (at the start of each of their primary 1 journey). I then deemed these talks highly invaluable, and stopped attending. I do not need to learn of my children’s personalities from teachers because I know them well. I do not need to listen to how inattentive or engaged they are in class because I believe all teachers should make their lessons interesting in order to capture the attention of their students. I do not need to know if they had or had not completed their homework, because truly, it is the onus of my children to do their own homework, and I believe that teachers should reinforce this message in school. I do not need to know how my child fared vis a vis her classmates, so long as I am personally happy with her performance. Finally, I do not believe in parent teacher talks probably because I grew up in an era when my own parents were too busy trying to earn a living for us and we also learned to take charge of our own destinies independently. And that is how I want my children to grow up.

Alas, I was “summoned” by Little Bee’s teacher for the parent-teacher meeting this year. Other than braving the long wait, I also have to jostle with irresponsible parents who were late or who took up extra time in their consultations irresponsibly. I also saw parents with teary eyes, red noses and anxious, depressed faces. And I lamented about the sad state of our primary education here in Singapore. My children are already in a holistic school where school co-curricular activities and huge fun events are regarded as important as academics. And even then, I saw such anxious faces amongst parents. It’s sad indeed.

To put everything into context, Little Bee is a year-end baby who is still very idealistic, naïve and filled with wide-eyed wonder and effervescence at everything around her. I love this personality trait about her – her bubbly optimism, her indefatigable enthusiasm and her zest in enjoying life to the fullest. Sure, I have to grapple with academic carelessness and untidiness (because she just wants to hurry and complete her work so she can play with her little ponies or read the next Harry Potter book). However, I had seen her grown this year – she is much more responsible in completing her own homework without me needing to ask her, and I think she had made an immense effort in making her writing and presentation of written work tidier. And I am a happy mum in this aspect.

Which was why I was so disappointed and baffled when Little Bee’s teacher started criticising how active and chatty she is in class (I know about her gregarious trait since she started to walk and talk!), how untidy she is in her work (I told the teacher that this year I already saw a marked improvement in her written work) and finally, to my shock, how childish she still is. Goodness, this little girl just turned 8 four months ago! So, in all politeness, I asked for examples of childishness, and she could not provide any, beyond the simple and thoughtless statement of “Hmmm, just very childish in her thinking, compared to many other classmates who were much more mature.” I was somewhat enraged because this is a little girl’s childhood that you are talking about. Why do you want children to grow up so quickly in this harsh world?

Truth be told, Little Bee was unwittingly streamed into what was known as a high-ability class in school, and from the beginning of this year, she already tried her best to keep up with her very capable and driven classmates. I really miss the good old years in primary 1 and 2, with totally loving and nurturing teachers and classmates who embrace holistic enjoyment in life. 

I bet I sound like a totally defensive parent, and my teacher friends would be telling me that education is a tripartite collaboration – with the school, parent and child. But what happens when our concept of education is just so different from what the teacher or the school system perceives? What happens when I am proud of what Little Bee had achieved already, that I know she had already put in effort this year, and it is precisely this effort that I chose to applaud. Not to compare her end results with some high achiever in her class?

It was a sad day indeed, and I pray very hard not to be summoned for another parent-teacher chat! 

I Refuse To

This evening, Little Bee cried and told me she would be scolded by her teacher for not buying the Chinese Moral Studies activity book. Tomorrow would be Week 5 of the academic school year after all, and she is the only student in class not to have that book. Feeling guilty, I reassured her that I would go to school and check if the book is available in the bookstore. We scoured a couple of large Popular bookstores today, but it was sold out in these outlets, and she was not thrilled about it. But she could not chastise me for long because she only told me she needed that book last week. And I usually do not keep track of what books are missing after I bought all her textbooks in school. 

Within a split second, she cheered up considerably (this is the ever-optimistic Little Bee for you!). I was secretly thankful that I was on the receiving end of her nags...and not the other way round.

And this is how I try to govern school work with my 2 Bees since 7 years ago, when Big Bee first entered the highly stressful environment of the Singapore education system. 

When other parents asked me what homework was given today, I told them I do not know because I had not looked into their notebooks or homework files. 

I refuse to. Because this is the responsibility of my child, and not me. And if they found out they had forgotten to do their homework, they are the ones who will get reprimanded by the teacher. And I can save a session of nagging in exchange for more quality time together. 

When I heard about how parents had to intervene and correct their children's mistakes in their school work, I told them I have no idea what crazy answers my children gave ... because I had never looked through my child's completed homework. 

I refuse to. Because this is their homework, and they should do it themselves. So that their teachers can understand the full extent of the level of their standards as students. And I can just ask my children pleasantly, "So, have you finished your homework? Great! Now let's do some reading!" No flipping through their worksheets furtively, only to feel angst if there were some wrong answers. 

(Okay, sometimes I cheated and looked through their work just to find out where their level of understanding was. But I do not tell them if I spotted wrong answers!)

Of course, there are exceptions when they asked me for help with their homework. But since young, I had always been telling them that their school work is for them to handle alone, and they should not ask me for help. That should be the responsibility of their teachers. And I am thankful to my Bees' school and teachers who had always been insisting in the same message as me - "Parents, do NOT help with homework. We will do that!" So, the girls hardly asked me for help, unless it is some terribly challenging homework (which they seldom get from school anyway!). 

When I hear other parents complaining about English and Chinese spelling, I can totally understand their agony. Because it can be very frustrating to expect the kids to know every word on their spelling lists. Sometimes, I do not even know how to write certain Chinese words on their lists! 

So I refuse to be angry if the Bees - especially playful and forgetful Little Bee! - kept asking me to show them the words so they can refer to them. Or if they make repeated mistakes day after day. Or if they write or spell a word wrongly that they got correct the night before. I will just keep showing them the list until they get it correct. And they might come back with lower marks than usual. But hey, that is fine, I told them. Get better marks the next time. 

Our unforgiving education system is already so stressful, and sometimes I feel really angry with this system for ruining the beautiful childhood that my children could have enjoyed. But well, we live in this country, so we just have to abide by it! The best thing we could do is give our children some slack and not drill them so much. And give ourselves a piece of peace (pun intended!) by letting go and asking our children to handle their homework themselves. In addition to less nagging and lowered blood pressure, this also helps them to be more independent and hopefully, more persevering. Don't know a Math problem? Think harder! Don't remember a word for spelling? Take a look and try again! Don't know how to do your comprehension? Read again and write what you think is correct!

What resulted is this marvellous peace at home where school work is concerned. Unfortunately, I am still a stickler for punctuality and completing your work at the right time. So, sadly, I am still a drill sergeant asking them to "go do your work NOW" or "I am going to count to 3 so hurry up and come brush your teeth!" or "You need to sleep in 5 minutes' time!" 

I am still trying very hard to change this aspect of mine that is chasing the clock incessantly, abiding by it tirelessly and timing our activities right down to the second. Not a lot of success in letting go of this area, of flippantly dismissing the importance of time yet! 

Dancing Queen

Life had been very busy once school was out a fortnight ago. What with working full time and juggling the girls' social programmes, it had been pretty overwhelming indeed!

Little Bee ended the school year with a big bang, being involved in a huge charity concert that was organised by the school. She had been very busy after her exams with lots of practices and rehearsals for this concert. She was part of the modern jazz dance group, which exemplifies her bubbly and exuberant personality.

I love how their school constantly organises such events, allowing students to understand that there is so much more than academic achievements, celebrating extracurricular participation and welcoming a whole diversity of different strengths and talents. More importantly, it is really heartwarming to see the performers interacting with the beneficiaries of the event.

This year, the concert was organised for Club Rainbow's special needs children, and all the CCA groups came together for a huge array of different performances. The showcase of the different CCAs highlighted the emphasis that the Bees' school places on extracurricular activities, and I am constantly thankful that I put them in a school which looks at the students holistically.

The concert ended with a touching finale where the whole auditorium of audience was singing with the performing students and the special needs children on stage. This reinforced the amazing school spirit and bond that enveloped the entire school all year round.

Little Bee loves her school and really enjoyed performing and being part of a larger celebration of love and life. I love how they learned about teamwork, resilience, diligent practice and team encouragement through such major performances. The sight of the dancers running through multiple rehearsals, being disciplined by their dance instructors and spending time with each other in between performances was uplifting. I felt very assured that Little Bee is undergoing a very holistic education in an environment that she cherishes and loves.

She is now in the throes of rehearsals and practices for another major dance concert for her ballet group outside of school, and I see the same enthusiasm and zeal from her for performing on stage. I am glad she got to experience stage performances, the hard work behind a few minutes' worth of entertainment, and what it means to exude a whole different stage persona when performing!

To DSA Or Not To DSA

The DSA Scheme

For students taking the PSLE, there was an option for students to apply early to the schools of their choices under the Direct Schools Admissions (DSA) scheme. Students under the DSA scheme will have to be assessed as a whole individual, rather than through numerical PSLE scores. Schools will look at a student's talent in different arenas (sports, visual or performing arts, music, leadership, etc) as well as regular school work, personal statements and an interview. They would usually have to sit through an assessment given by the school as well.

To DSA or not to DSA

We struggled with the decision to put Big Bee through the DSA because it is very time-consuming, and we heard from so many parents before us to just focus on the PSLE and not be distracted by the DSA. Many parents also cautioned me about the negative effects of failing to get into the DSA, thereby potentially affecting the child's morale before the PSLE. 

However, the holistic assessment of the DSA really appeals to me. I want schools to look at Big Bee as a person, and not just as a cold, impersonal 3-digit PSLE score. More importantly, we spoke about this with Big Bee, and she told us about her strong interest to apply through DSA. She wanted to experience the process and have fun writing her personal statement and creating her personal portfolio. Her interest helped us to decide on the DSA, and she applied to 2 schools, one of which is her "dream school", and the other is a "safe" option that most people would probably send their children to. 

Before selecting the schools, it is always a good idea to visit the schools through the many Open Houses that are available, so that the child gets a good idea of the school culture and spirit. 

The Personal Essay

She started working on the various personal essays that these 2 schools required. One school asked for an open-ended personal essay, and the other school asked for a personal essay highlighting her biggest achievement and the challenges she had to overcome in attaining it. 

It is virtually impossible for parents to help in any way to craft out the personal essays because by 12, these tweens are absolutely independent and have their own ideas of what constitutes their lives and achievements. So, after discussing what she intended to write, she was on her own in crafting out 2 very different personal essays for each of the schools. 

It is fundamental to plan in advance for the personal essays as these are reflections about what they had done thus far, involving at times a soul searching process of who they are. Big Bee spent about a week thinking about what she wanted to write and drafting out these 2 essays. 

The School Assessment Test

Each of the schools required different assessment tests to be taken, so she had to take 2 separate tests in different sittings. According to Big Bee, these 2 tests were somewhat different in nature. One essential thing to note is that the child does not need to prepare for these tests because they are very abstract reasoning in nature, with a non-composition writing component thrown in for one of the tests. So, plenty of sleep and rest before the test is sufficient! 

Some schools may have more than one assessment test. One of the schools she DSA for is a highly competitive one, and invited Big Bee back for a second round of assessments. Again, no preparation needed except for plenty of rest!

The Personal Portfolio

There was a lot of debate about the creation of a personal portfolio, and many of Big Bee's peers did not submit any personal portfolio. In fact, one of the schools actually returned the personal portfolio to me, highlighting that they only required the relevant application forms. So, this is an optional item. For me, the biggest advantage in building her personal portfolio is for her to rethink about her past experiences in school, and how each of these experiences shaped her. Even without the DSA process, the personal portfolio or reflection experience is wonderful for our children to be retrospective about their life experiences and how these had impacted them. 

There is also a section in the application for students to list down their achievements and experiences in school, so that the DSA assessors can further understand your child as a person. It was interesting to note the different approaches and priorities that each of the schools undertook. Many times, the schools' approaches and requirements reinforced in Big Bee what she wanted and where she thought she would belong to. 

The Interview

Big Bee was invited to one of the schools' interviews. The interview stage is usually the last stage of the DSA process, and is typically a nerve-racking one for many students because it is probably the first important interview that they had to go through in life! 

Big Bee was surprisingly calm before the interview, probably because she was notified of the interview at the eleventh hour. My only advice for her before the interview was to be authentic, relaxed and natural. 

Big Bee had a great time at the interview and told me about the interesting conversation that she had with her 2 interviewers. Some tips from Big Bee about the interview:

1. Smile, be yourself and be funny

2. Try to think through the answers in a more intellectual manner

3. Talk about your specific experiences

Talking About the Outcome

Throughout the whole DSA process, we kept reinforcing the concept of failure to Big Bee - that it is very competitive to get into either one of the schools she was opting into, that many others would not get in, that it is perfectly fine not to be selected, that there is a second opportunity through the PSLE. Highlighting the possibility of failure is more important for us than underlining the importance of success - for us, at least. It is all the more important because results would spread fast in school, and it is very easy for young tweens to be easily demoralised in the face of many stronger peers. 

The Outcome

DSA results typically come out at the end of August. One sweltering afternoon before the Science preliminary exams, Big Bee opened the letterbox and called me excitedly after minutes of jumping around the house in a flurry of elation. She was accepted into her "dream school"! She was also turned away from the other "safe" option school which she was not very keen on - so things really worked out well for her. 

In all, I thought this was a most fulfilling experience for her, and I am really glad we put her through this time-consuming but enriching experience. 

'Twas The Night Before PSLE...

...and it was a stormy, rainy night. Just the perfect ambience for the start of the tumultuous PSLE (Primary School Leaving Exams), which is the national exams that all Singapore students take when they are 12 years old.

To many parents and schools, this is the culmination of 6 years of primary education, and signifies everything that primary school students had been working for.

Yet, I usually beg to differ when statements like these are mentioned to me because examinations - while an inescapable part of Singapore's education system - are never the be-all and end-all for our children. And I made this very clear to the Bees. So, when Big Bee lamented about how the PSLE will shape her life, she would most probably get a reprimand from me. I would usually tell her all the other things she could do in life if she could not fare well for the PSLE. I had seen a number of cases where young children were despaired and depressed over academic work, which ultimately led to unspeakable consequences. To me, my children's happiness is the most fundamental - and I would never wish to link their happiness to academic outcomes.

Regardless, this post is about the PSLE. I thought I should write a little about coping with the arduous journey of woeful 12-year-old children preparing for a major examination which, in many cases, takes up a significant portion of one of the most amazing milestones in a child's life - tweenhood. To place a major examination right in the middle of a year when our children are gradually growing up, discovering new sensations, emotions and feelings, understanding new perspectives....well, that is somewhat brutal. But this is what it is - we live in Singapore and we should just stop complaining.

Instead, it is so essential to show our children that we are not bothered by the PSLE, that there is life after PSLE (even if you score really badly), and that life still goes on in the PSLE year.

I thought of putting together a list of 3 philosophical approaches that we used to prepare Big Bee for the PSLE year, just as a reminder for me when it is Little Bee's turn!

Big Bee throwing her cap high up in exuberance in a trip to Cambodia in June

1) Maintain status quo in your social life
Do not stop CCAs, outings, gatherings with friends, or vacations, just because it is the big ol' PSLE year. Big Bee was even more committed in her CCA in school this year, and she went through two major exams for her piano and ballet lessons, which she truly enjoyed. We had more gatherings with her friends than before (because the kids just bonded so well as they grow older!), and she hosted her very first sleepover with her closest friends in May this year. We still went ahead with vacations, of which one staycation happened right before the mid-year exams! She also read so many more books than previous years (probably escapism at work here!).

As we inched closer to the PSLE, we had movie and bookshop gatherings with her friends and their parents, and we savoured their friendships even more, knowing that all of their classmates would not be together next year.

2) Communicate incessantly with your child
Kids are highly stressed out in the PSLE year because of the pressure given by school teachers. The amount of homework is fairly astounding....and distressing. The pep talks given by teachers - while helpful - can be taxing on their spirits as well. So at home, while it is important to talk about revision and studies, try to indulge in other topics as well.

Big Bee and I have nightly chats about the books that both of us read and love, the characters and plots in these books, as well as movies and music. When I sneaked into her room at night when she was studying, I tended to distract and lure her from her bookish concentration, and instead yakked about anything under the sun.

Of course I did nag at her to revise her work when I caught her using the mobile phone way too much. But more often than not, I was the main culprit who lured her into escapism...just so she could think about other things beyond the big exams. So much so that she ever commented to me sardonically, "Which mum would keep nagging me to stop revising and go to sleep?" or "Why are you always distracting me? Shhh!!"

Constant communication will also allow us to detect shifts of moods, tension or stress in our children, and we should try to talk it out with them. Just 2 hours ago, Big Bee was feeling the stress of the final D-Day tomorrow. Being a natural pessimist, she kept asking lots of "what-if" questions - what if I fail the PSLE? What if I have a mental block? What if the paper is super hard?

I just tried addressing all these in a light-hearted manner, although it can be alarming to the parents to hear some very pessimistic thoughts coming from our usually-cheery child!

3) Discuss options in worst-case scenarios
This is an issue that my mother and I had conflicts over. She believed in informing the child that a good education is the best option in life, and without it, life will cave in on you. While this advice is truly valuable (it shaped my entire life!), it also gives undue stress to a child, especially one with high expectations.

On the contrary, for me, I had always been telling Big Bee about the alternatives she could explore if she really could not do well for the PSLE. So much so that I decided to test her last week by asking, "What if you fail the PSLE?"....of which she quipped thoughtfully, "Well, I would retake the PSLE next year, and study even harder!" I was really happy to hear her response because it was such an improvement from her earlier, stressful thoughts of "PSLE determines my entire life!!!"

Finally, every child is different. These approaches tend to work for Big Bee, who is self-motivated but easily discouraged, and who is rather pessimistic, having a tendency to think unduly of worst-case scenarios. With Little Bee, our approaches might be very different! This is why parenting different children is such a joy - it is a roller-coaster ride of diverse styles for different children!

PSLE and CCAs

OK, I know I just put 2 incredible acronyms into the title of this post, which might be baffling for some! For those who do not already know, PSLE = Primary School Leaving Examinations in Singapore and CCAs = Co-curricular (or extra-curricular) activities.

I cannot believe that this year is Big Bee's PSLE year and I guess I am still in denial. Whenever people found out that I have a kid going through PSLE this year, their responses would invariably be, "You must be very stressed!" or "You must be very busy revising with her!". However, fortunately (or unfortunately), I am not stressed, neither am I busy revising with her! In fact, work takes up so much of my time now that I really hope fervently she knows what she is doing on her own.

But this post is not about how we are managing the PSLE, although the real answer to that is that we are doing the same things as per previous years. We are still planning for movies and musicals to watch and places to go to on weekends, and I am still planning for vacations in June!

This post is about how much I believe in a well-rounded education for our children, and a bit about my anger when I see parents in Singapore pushing their kids to a wholly academic path, just to get good grades in key examinations like the PSLE. To me, every kid has only one year in their lives when they are 12 - that milestone threshold between being a big kid and a teen, that year of awakening when they have more mature perspectives, that year of awareness and realisation of their changing bodies and increasing curiosity about sexuality and non-platonic relationships. And yet, sadly, in Singapore, it is also the year of the PSLE.

I heard of parents forcing their children to drop all CCAs in Primary 6, and worse still, schools advocating this policy! I heard of parents doubling up on tuition, just to have a last burst to drill their kids. And worst of all, I heard of parents artificially pushing their kids' musical, sports or leadership positions in school, just so they can get a bid at the Direct School Admissions (DSA) exercise - when passions are overlooked for a tangible outcome of getting into their preferred schools.

For Big Bee, she is still as active in school and non-academic classes as before. She wanted to have a break from ballet in school this year, despite her past achievements in this CCA, and despite the many requests from her disappointed ballet teacher who had been incessantly telling her to stay on. I guess this is a phase of exploration for her as well, where she wants to get out of her comfort zone and be challenged in things that she had not always been doing.

So, she told me she wanted to try out in the trials for softball and netball, where they are looking for people in the school team. Being naturally athletic (not my genes!), she made it through the trials and into the school teams of both netball and softball. She chose netball in the end, for the kind of bonded teamwork and competition associated with it. And just yesterday, she was inaugurated into the school netball team!

Playing for the school team takes a lot of time and effort, of which many primary 6 mothers (including my own mother) frowned upon, who kept asking me if she would be better off studying and revising, instead of spending 6 to 7 hours a week after school to train for netball competitions. Sometimes, these questions got me worried - am I too relaxed? Is she falling behind in studies because of the crazy amount of time spent in practice, after which she will come home, too fatigued to do much work? Questions that frankly, after peer pressure from other mothers, make me question my objectives of encouraging her to take on a time-consuming sport in her PSLE year. Some mothers did ask me, "Why not chess club where they meet once a week and where their brains can be stimulated?" or "Why not Math or Science Olympiads because some schools prefer kids from the Olympiad programmes for their DSA!"

And recently, questions arose from Big Bee herself, "Mummy, why are you not putting me in English and Science tuition? Maybe they can help me boost my PSLE score!" (She had never had Science tuition before, and only went on less than a year of English tuition in primary 4, after which we stopped). Kiasu her even questioned why I am planning for a June holiday when she prefers to revise for the PSLE throughout the whole holiday! Swirling, disturbing questions. And I must admit, I am swayed sometimes.

Yet, I am glad that Big Bee's school is a holistic one, and I have fellow mothers there who are still putting their children through CCAs that are non-academic in nature, even in the PSLE year. And most of us have the same approach to PSLE - take it easy and "see how it goes." I am really thankful for that support of like-minded mothers.

I guess what I am trying to say in this blog post is to allow our kids to really pursue their passions in whatever things they request, for them to try new things, and get out of their comfort zones - even at the expense of time that could be spent on studies. Every time she is back from her netball practice, glowing with adrenaline but fatigued by the hours of competitive sportsmanship, I would tell myself that this is a right decision.

And I think as parents, it is important for us to put forth lots of calm and composure in front of our kids before major examinations. So that they understand there is more to life than academic achievements. Big Bee and I have had long discussions this year about many "what-ifs". There is a lot of emphasis from their teachers about academic achievements, and the biggest "what-if" question from her was, "What if I did badly in the PSLE?" which to me, is a masked question for "Will you still love me?". So, as parents, so long as we assure our kids about our complete acceptance and love for them, regardless of whatever they achieve, I think that gives them enough confidence to stride on in this world, especially in a cruel world where there are increasingly more depression cases amongst children.

Young Inventors

In the beginning of the year, Big Bee's teacher announced that their class would have the opportunity to participate in one of 2 special programmes outside of the usual academic curriculum, with the objective of enhancing the students' knowledge in whichever programme they chose.

One of the programmes focuses on critical thinking, with the ability to debate on current affair issues, nurturing the students' creative problem-solving competencies, while cultivating a strong understanding of socio-political issues in the world. Or at least, this was what I gathered after listening to a talk by the teachers in charge. This is a programme that is linked to other similar programmes internationally, and finalists may get a chance to travel to a conference in the USA to present their findings.

The other programme focuses on innovation. A little bit of Science and ingenuity combined, if you were to ask me. Where students would need to think out of their usual square thinking boxes, and create a new invention that would be useful for the community. This is a programme that is linked to the MOE Science Innovation Programme, and is a nation-wide programme for selected students. Finalists would get a chance to present their inventions in a science fair that is attended by selected primary and secondary schools.

The moment I heard about these 2 programmes, the first choice I made for Big Bee was the one on current affairs. As the days passed, Big Bee's strong preference for the other innovation programme came up distinctly, and we had several heated debates about her preference. I thought the first programme would be more useful to shape her understanding of the world, whereas she thought it was a lot more fun to invent new things.

Finally, hubby stepped in and gave me the best piece of parenting advice: "Let her choose what she is interested in, not what you think would be useful for her. Otherwise, she would never feel this is her own choice, and will not have interest in the programme. And will not excel in it."

The normally headstrong and stubborn me took a deep breath and an even bigger step back, and started more open conversations with Big Bee about why she preferred the innovation programme over the socio-political programme.

And then it dawned on me. Parenting is not about living vicariously through our children. It is not about enforcing our perspectives, opinions and preferences on our children. A good parent should listen to the wants and needs of our children with a really open mind. Even if we think they are making the wrong decisions, we should be generous enough to let them go and experiment in whatever ways they want. And learn through their mistakes or experiences. Because after a certain age, they probably know themselves better than we know them. And these are their first strides towards independence.

I admit I was not a very good parent prior to hubby's enlightenment. But thankfully, I was jerked into reality rapidly. And it gave me a warm glow in my heart to see Big Bee smiling contentedly as she filled up her preferred selection in the form. Albeit I still have reservations.

Ironically, my reservations came to naught. 2 of her fellow group mates and her enjoyed the programme so much that they invented something that made it through 2 successful rounds of internal and external judging. They were hence able to display and talk about their invention at their own booth in a nation-wide science fair with other finalists from other schools. She felt gratified and told me she learned a lot from the experience.

As for me, this is a huge wake-up call that I should never impose my preferences on my children.

You can read about her entire experience with the innovation programme (and what her group invented!) here. Enjoy reading!

The poster for their invention, taken by one of Big Bee's classmates on her phone, hence the poor quality of the photo 

Is Our Math Curriculum Relevant for the Real World?

Last week, I attended a Primary 5 & Primary 6 Parents' Maths workshop. This was the first time I had attended a workshop of such nature, and Maths had never been a favourite subject, so I wasn't really looking forward to it. However, with so much changes in the primary school Maths curriculum, plus the challenging Maths questions that Big Bee occasionally asked me at home, I thought it is good to understand what Big Bee is going through in school. The real Maths whiz in our family, Hubby, came along too, much to my relief, and I was really thankful for his interest and support in his girls' education.

What ensued was a 2.5 hour of mind-boggling and muddle-headed session where parents were taught the various strategies used in the PSLE Maths curriculum, and parents were made to do 16 problem sums (gulp!).

The audience was filled with parents from all walks of life - from doctors to lawyers to journalists to parents with postgraduate qualifications. But the looks of bewilderment on most parents were truly priceless. We had to throw all our years of algebra aside, and for Hubby especially, to toss his advanced Engineering maths aside, so that we can become primary school students, learning a new curriculum from scratch again.

We grappled with new strategies like repeated identity, branching, advanced model drawing, etc. Eventually, the final problem sum that we had to solve baffled most of us, and it was so ironical that a Primary 6 girl had to come up to the main board and explained the solution to the entire audience.

After the workshop, I was really perturbed. Today's Maths curriculum does not help in fostering creativity and problem-solving skills in our children at all. Today's Maths - with its allocated strategies for respective problems - reinforces the perennial problems that most Singaporean students are facing, which is the inability to think out of the box and the lack of opportunities to think beyond what they are learning in the classroom. Having fixed strategies for individual problem sums just prove to students that there are ready-made solutions for every problem they face, when the world's problems are really made up of so many ambiguous issues with no black-and-white solutions. Thereby, this will sadly reduce our children's inspiration to think beyond the traditional boundaries of knowledge to create more unique and applicable solutions, which is what a fledging and small country like Singapore really needs.

Frankly, I emerged from the workshop disillusioned and disappointed. Despite the Ministry of Education's call for more creative teaching and a more holistic curriculum, the teaching of this core subject, Mathematics, shows that we, as a nation, are somewhat unprepared to veer away from the staid curriculum of rote-memory and examinations-based learning. Worst of all, I fear that such a curriculum will not foster a life-long love for and interest in learning, and is not practical nor intellectual.

When will we be ready to steer away from rote memory examinations, from ready-made solutions for a more liberating and intellectually stimulating curriculum that will nurture the true abilities of our children?

Some of the questions that we had to solve are below. Want to try your hand at solving? ;)

1) On Monday, Alynna has $48 more than Eunice. On Tuesday, Alynna spent 1/4 of her money and Eunice received 20% of the amount of money she had on Monday from her father. Eunice found that she had $72 more than Alynna on Tuesday. How much money did Eunice have on Monday?

2) Anne, Belle, Cecil and David each have some stickers. The number of stickers Anne ha is 2/3 of the total number of stickers Belle, Cecil and David have. The number of stickers Cecil has is 20% of the total number of stickers that Anne, Belle and David have. If Cecil has 35 stickers, find the total number of stickers that Belle and David have altogether.

Post-Exams Bustle

School's out for June! Before this long reprieve from school, the Bees' school organised plenty of social and enrichment activities for the students to wind down after their stressful mid-year exams. This is the fundamental reason why I love the Bees' school - it is holistic and cares about the students' well-rounded development, which is so important to help shape the kids' character development.

This is the first year that Little Bee would be involved in all these activities, and fun-loving her was beside herself with pure excitement every day! I had been actively helping out in Big Bee's activities for the past 4 years, so I gently informed Big Bee that this year is the time when I would start helping out in Little Bee's class, while keeping an eye on what Big Bee is doing in school. Being a fiercely independent tween, our Big Bee bravely breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that mummy is no longer going to tag after her. However, I could tell from the questions she asked and her mirthful reactions when she saw me in school that deep inside, she was still thankful that I am still present in school and could wave to her from afar.

Post-exams May was a hectic one in school! Little Bee had two drama concerts (an English and a Chinese one), and it was truly gratifying to watch her indulge in her favourite activity on stage - acting! Our drama queen always loves the stage and would always recite her stage lines incessantly at home the whole day long.

I managed to take some time off work to help out in a couple of events. The first was for an in-line skating lesson. It was amazing to hear and feel the initial fears of the students (especially those who had never skated before, like Little Bee) - only to see these fears dissipating away with the wind the moment they started skating away! As always, I could see Little Bee making all kinds of cheeky faces and asking all kinds of crazy questions....like the drama queen that she is!

A tired-looking Little Bee after an hour of skating! 

The following week, I helped out in the annual Zany Brainy Games Day - as per usual for the past 4 years! This year was like cycling back in time because once again, I became a parent chaperone of a primary one class, instead of a station master for older students. I forgot how enervated and exhausted a parent chaperone could be, especially after conducting a scavenger hunt, dashing through different locations within the school, under the hot noon sun!

I really like the parents in Little Bee's class. They are very united and everyone got along really well. There are plenty of communications and coordination between the parents before such events, so our children could all enjoy better-organised group activities even more! For example, instead of the usual recess, the parent chaperones decided to bring some food for the kids to have a picnic under a balmy pavilion. A simple idea but a grand way for the kids to chill and bond with their friends without the frazzled need to buy food in an over-crowded school canteen!

Some of the food that the parents chaperones brought for their recess picnic

Zany Brainy Games this year comprised of a poster competition, in which each parent chaperone was in charge of a group of 5 girls to create a poster about kindness.

My team's poster, decorated by the prolific students!

This was followed by a spelling competition and then a movie session, before the scorching scavenger hunt! However, I thought this year's programme provided the parents with some respite from the heat and never-ending activities, compared to previous years!

The groups of students had to dash around school, performing activities and  looked for clues
so that they could collect pieces of this tangram puzzle and solve it. 

In all, it is just so important to be present and supportive in school, no matter how busy our lives are. It allows us to get to know our children's friends a lot more, so that we could have common conversation topics about their friends at home. I noticed it is valuable as Big Bee enters tweenhood when I got to know her friends and chat with them like friends. There is a certain sense of acceptance and contentment from Big Bee as she sees me interacting with her friends or when we chat about them at home.

Furthermore, when the kids see us in school, participating in their activities, they will understand that we too want to be a big part of their lives, and this is a start of a lifetime of friendship with our children....

To The Zoo They Went

Little Bee had always relished field trips with schools since her pre-school days. When she first heard about the very first field trip to the zoo with her primary school, she was beside herself with excitement. I had never seen her more enthusiastic to attend school on the morning of her field trip!

I love the Bees' school for their beautiful balance of work and play. They are never too academically driven - and they make sure that their students have a very rich experience of student life activities and out-of-classroom programmes. In this age of crazy rote learning, with stressed out teachers attempting to churn out high-achieving but one-dimensional and somewhat robotic students with no passion for life, I think their school's approach to learning is very laudable and refreshing. And you could tell from the students - they are energetic, with a genuine love for the school, and they walk around in school with a spring to their steps and sparkles in their eyes.

Little Bee is also blessed with a wonderful form teacher who teaches them English and Math this year. She had been so supportive, nurturing and caring, albeit she is fresh from NIE. But that is perfectly fine. I had never seen a more devoted or committed teacher - not even with Big Bee's many teachers. She emails the parents all the time, and replies to our individual emails. She also maintains the class blog regularly, and takes photos of the students in all the various activities consistently - before posting these up to the blog almost every week. I feel totally blessed to meet with a dedicated teacher like her.

Little Bee came back from the zoo trip, rejuvenated and happy, of course. The following day, she wrote a little diary entry about her trip....

Her Primary One Adventures

A full quarter had passed, and Little Bee had just enjoyed her very first one-week March break in primary 1. She seemed to have adjusted really well in primary school, much to my relief. My biggest worry was that she would not be able to wake up at the unearthly hour of 6am, but she had proven me wrong (despite some episodes of her lolling around on bed, chanting incessantly "I am very tired", poor girl!).

Recess Bento Boxes
The days in primary school start much earlier these days for me. I am no longer living in a place within walking distance of the girls' school, so they now take the school bus which would fetch them at 6.30am. So, I tend to wake up at 5.30am to make bento boxes for Little Bee, who is always a very picky eater. These bento boxes can range from really simple ones to fairly fun ones which I enjoyed preparing.

Some of the bentos that I enjoyed making...

Social Life In School
Little Bee had always been a super gregarious social princess, so it comes as no surprise to me that she has plenty of friends, and she goes for recess with a big bunch of friends.

She had also adjusted well to her CCAs. She is part of a Chinese CCA (I put her there to cultivate her love for the language, and it seemed to be working!) and is also in Gymnastics. Recently, I received a slip from the school, informing me that Little Bee had been selected to go into the training development squad of the school team because they see potential in her. After some serious discussions with Hubby, we decided to forgo this opportunity for her because there are just too many practices, and I feel that Little Bee needs more time to rest at this stage of her young life. Ha, as you can tell, I am no tiger mother at all!

My Little Independent Girl!
Finally, what amazes me was her atypical responsibility in doing her homework and informing me about worksheets or notices that I needed to sign. Little Bee in kindergarten life was someone who needed a lot of supervision and monitoring with regards to academic work. But she had since transformed!

I guess she is developing the Big Bee syndrome - a syndrome of "Oh my god, my mum is really blur, so I'd better make sure I tell her what to do!"

Secretly, though, I find this approach (of me being blur, and not monitoring their work much) to be working really well with my girls - inadvertently, to say the least. I am usually very busy at work, and by the time I am back at home, I am usually exhausted, and all I can do is to spend a swift couple of hours with them over dinner and chilling around, sometimes without looking through what their homework is. Little Bee was initially very dependent on me, but after a few incidents where I forgot to sign her worksheets, thereby resulting in her being reprimanded by her teachers, she learned to be independent and take charge of her own schoolwork, which is really what I wanted for them! These days, she would remind me of what worksheets to sign, and would finish her homework by herself in the afternoon. So, I think it pays to be a blur mum like me, because it fosters lots of independence in the kids!

I will continue to blog about her adventures in primary one in time to come, but I thought I would like to share this little journal entry by Little Bee on her first day of school - which shows her excitement and beautiful optimism. I hope this optimism and zeal shines brightly for a long long time :)

Transformation

We spent a homely, peaceful and quiet New Year's Eve by ourselves - bonding as a family of four, giggling, chatting and quibbling at times :) The weather was treacherous, with rains sleeting down incessantly. The last day of 2012 did look a little gloomy, a little melancholic, as if the high heavens were crying their hearts out for the end of this year.

Because of the rain, we stayed home the whole day, attaining some quiet time to get to know ourselves and each other, laughing over old photos, playing board games and just lazing around in general, which was such a luxurious thing to do in this society of rapid pace these days.

In the evening, I decided it was time for Little Bee to bid farewell to her long, luscious locks - in readiness for primary school this week!

We headed towards a nearby hair salon, with Little Bee almost bursting with her signature zeal and thrill. She sat through the whole session with big smiles on her face, and after all her hair was chopped off, she fluffed her stylish bob in a haute couture mien, and claimed she loves this new hairstyle!

This was probably the final item on our to-do list for Little Bee in preparation for primary school. As we chomped on a simple dinner at an adjacent restaurant, Little Bee could not resist touching the short ends of her new hairdo, grinning brilliantly and exclaiming loudly, "It feels so soft and fluffy!"

Little Bee pointing to her bunch of cut hair in the salon!

As I gazed at her dazzling optimism, I know that this beautiful image of her at this stage of her life will be etched in my mind indelibly. I hope that she will forever be so full of spirit, gusto and grand enthusiasm for life, even in primary school!

Final Farewell To A Grand Era

I looked forward to Little Bee's graduation concert on 26 October with large dollops of excitement intermingled with equal helpings of bittersweet reluctance. With Little Bee's graduation, the days of preschool and kindergarten are officially over for me.

I would miss those carefree days of incessant beaming smiles, minimal homework, games and laughter in school. I would long for teachers with lesson plans that are fundamentally focused on nurturing thinking skills in children, rather than cramming them with exam techniques. Most of all, I would miss the teachers in Little Bee's school - teachers whom the students call by their first names, teachers who care so much for the little kids, teachers who hug and kiss these children daily. Teachers whom the children really love and look forward to seeing everyday.

The theme for Little Bee's graduation concert was "A Night To Remember", and they termed it as a graduation celebration. For it is a true celebration indeed - a celebration of the achievements and nurturing over the past 3 to 4 years, a celebration of the children's gradual but apparent maturity, a celebration of the kids' amazing talents on stage.

Unlike many other kindergarten celebrations, Little Bee's school does not involve stage performances where little kids were decked up in thick, unnatural make-up or elaborate, gaudy costumes. And that is exactly what I like about them. Instead, every one of them donned a simple school T-shirt and black slacks - and that's it. The stage was to showcase the raw talents of speech and drama for the kids. Their essence, their showmanship, their expressions. All these were showcased without any frills on stage, so that the children's pure presence could be magnified.

And magnified they all were. The students acted in plays, recited poems and lines from scripts so intricate that we adults would surely suffer from memory loss, danced passionately, narrated fluently. The 300+ parents' hearts swelled with pride and wonder as we observed our children transform from bright-eyed and excited kids before the concert to professional, adroit actors on stage. That transformation was awe-inspiring, and I hope this would be cultivation that would last them through their lives.

Little Bee's class performed 3 acts in the concert - a post-modernistic play about space exploration, a rousing Chinese drama about Singapore, and a spirited and energetic Bollywood dance number. Little Bee was one of 4 key presenters for the Chinese play, where her friends and her introduced the meaning behind the drama. She spoke confidently, with a loud, robust voice that was ringing clear.

She displayed zero stage fright, and relished her time on stage, getting under the skin of different roles and acts - and performing so passionately, as if she was in her own little world. As one parent told me after the concert, "Little Bee was so focused and immersed in her performances, so much passion, as if she lived for the stage - such a pleasure to watch!"

And that is my Little Bee - someone who truly enjoys being in the limelight, being on stage and performing. And I am eternally grateful to her school who nurtured this aspect of hers so positively, so encouragingly. I am definitely closing this chapter in her life (and in mine!) very hesitantly, very slowly - and I am going to miss it for a long, long time!

Budding Journalist?

Big Bee's class (and their P5 seniors) created the school's first student-produced e-newsletter, which was distributed to the whole school in October. The kids learned all about news gathering, writing, journalistic photography, photo editing and even video production (the e-newsletter was speckled with short video clips, which was really cool!).

The 20-page newsletter was filled with a plethora of news items - ranging from a report on the historical background of their school, to journalistic articles on major school events, to interview features with alumni. There were comic strips drawn by the students, poems penned lovingly by them, as well as heartfelt multimedia slideshows about the school's founders and teachers.

One of my favourite segments were the creative articles about the significance of different parts of the school - from the courtyard to the canteen. Big Bee's article about the piano in the canteen took up a page in the e-newsletter, and I am heartened that she found it fulfilling to read her own article in a beautifully and professionally laid out newsletter.

Here is the article by Big Bee featured in the e-newsletter (the name of the school is omitted and is represented by XX):

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Music To Our Ears
Creative Piece by Big Bee

It is a hot and humid Monday morning and classes are over in school. I am sitting in the noisy canteen, staring absent-mindedly at the old piano. Long, snaking queues are forming in front of various stalls while the students are chattering nineteen to the dozen excitedly.

Gazing at that very old and badly tuned piano with keys that are out of position, memories from the past flooded into my mind...

My friend and I once played a lively, merry duet on the piano while giggling away. Playing the piano was one of our favourite activities during recess and we always looked forward to our turns at the instrument. These are fond memories we shared in XX, memories that we would relish even as adults.

On another occasion, one of my classmates played such a melodious and enchanting piece on the piano that a large group of students began to gather around her. We started clapping and singing to her tune spontaneously, filling the entire canteen instantly with zest and vibrancy.

My mind also drifts back to a gloomy day when my best friend cried uncontrollably because she had failed her Maths exam. I tried my best to comfort her but to no avail. I decided to play a calming and soothing tune on the piano and eventually, her sobs subsided and she broke into a smile.

The piano in the canteen has brought much joy and happiness to the students and I cannot help but smile as I reminisce about those days when we were young. Suddenly, I am jolted from my daydreams when a petite Primary 1 girl dashes across the canteen shouting,"Mummy! Mummy! Let's go home now!" I smile at her contentedly and we head to the carpark, hand in hand. I am glad my daughter can relive the days I had in XX.

The Amazing Race

*Very backdated post*

I really enjoyed my time at the Bees' kindergarten. It is a school that encourages creative thinking, curiosity and love for learning, as well as articulate expressions of ideas. The Bees flourished in their pre-school, and I was somewhat sad to see them regressing in the learning and expressive curve as they stepped into primary school, which still reinforces too much rote memory and the relentless push for good examination scores above the fundamental need for expression and creative thinking.

Last November, a month before graduation from K2, Little Bee's kindergarten organised an exhilarating Amazing Race in Sentosa. This was a family-friendly activity which involved a parent teaming up a child, and we were given clues to dash around various pit stops around the island a la Amazing Race style!

The children had a whale of a time looking for clues and learning so many new things about Sentosa! As for me, I relished the opportunity to participate in this fun bonding day, and shared plenty of laughter with Little Bee, as well as her classmates and their parents. And I love that we got to see Sentosa in a different perspective thereafter! I also cherish the bonding sessions with her classmates, teachers and other parents, knowing that the end of her journey in kindergarten is nigh, and that we would be meeting new friends and new parents in the next chapter of her life.

I think the easiest way to document the Amazing Race is through photos! Enjoy!

Challenges for the day!

One completed station, whew!

We dashed all around Sentosa (lumbering at some points when we parents were fatigued!), and one of the challenges involved taking the trams, fun!

Some of the classmates managed to congregate at this point, much to Little Bee's delight

Busy writing down what she had discovered...

Notice Little Bee's tense expression as she handed a completed sheet to one of the teachers at a pit stop? Heh.

The best way to take a Sentosa tram - face outside and enjoy the view! 

Everyone was a winner! MacDonald's vouchers were prizes for the day.

Eyes Brimming With Tears...

These 2 months had been filled with so many activities for Little Bee, who is moving on from her beloved kindergarten to the big kid primary school. I couldn't help but feel constant twinges of aches in my heart as my little baby is finally leaving that carefree land of boisterous play and wondrous innocence.

We had our last parent-teacher talk with Little Bee's teachers, and it was a somewhat emotional session - especially for the teachers. Both of them teared when they told me how they will miss having Little Bee in class, and what a joy it was for them to teach her. I had to give reassuring pats on their shoulders and backs to prevent them from breaking down! It make me truly cherish her kindergarten and all her highly committed and very dedicated teachers who really love their students.

Both teachers were full of praises for Little Bee - about her leadership potential in class, how she was able to rally up the classmates as always, but yet, willing to listen and be an occasional follower this year. Which is a nice indication of growth for her as she expands her emotional intelligence and awareness of a diversity of opinions and ideas. She had matured in the right direction. Earlier this year, one of the concerns raised by her teacher was that she could face a crossroads with her assertive and strong personality - she could be a great leader whom people respect and love, or she could be an impossible dictator that people abhor. This time, Her teacher told me she is kind, and is always helping her fellow students. She is also full of initiative in class - apparently, another classmate and her initiated a class activity to enhance the teacher's lessons, and had much ownership and accountability over this activity, which the teacher was very thankful for. Given her outgoing and gregarious personality, she is also always speaking out in class, asking inquiring questions of depth.

I am still in emotional tangles about Little Bee leaving her kindergarten for good. She had spent 3 beautiful years here, and the teachers had done an amazing job of nurturing her. Most of all, I will miss these loving teachers, teachers who truly care for the development of every student, who do not allow any student to fall behind, and who show so much love for the students with constant hugs and praises. Teachers whose eyes can brim with hidden tears, and whose noses became ruddy shades of emotions when talking about how much they love and miss her...

I hope she will continue to meet wonderful teachers like these even in primary school.

Visions Of Her Future School

Big Bee's school celebrated their 1XXth anniversary this year, and published a large beautiful book with specially-commissioned exquisite photos of the students, teachers and staff in all sorts of activities around the school, as well as a charming collection of creative essays by the students. The photos reinforce the strong bonds and culture that permeate their school, and the essays highlight the students' dreams, aims and perspectives about different aspects of school life.

I was elated to find out that one essay that Big Bee wrote earlier this year was selected to be featured in this memorable keepsake. Her essay took up a whole double-page spread with 2 handsome photographs, and I delight in revelling in that spread every once in a while.

Here is Big Bee's featured essay - I hope she will grow to love writing as much as she loves reading now.

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FUTURE SCHOOL

It is 27 March 2062 in the morning at 7.30. The school badges worn by all the students are vibrating and flashing with lights.

Going to the different levels of the school in 2062 is not tiring at all as there are escalators to transport the students up to their classrooms. At the square where the students assemble every morning is an automatic, moveable shelter that can be opened or closed according to the weather. If it rains, the students need not run for shelter during assembly. A prefect can just go to the general office and press a big, red button located there, and the shelter will cover the square.

After assembly, our badges vibrate again. Time for lessons! The lessons are held in special, high-tech classrooms that are air-conditioned. We also have comfortable sofas and white marble tables for doing our work instead of chairs and desks. The whiteboards are now really special! Fifty years ago, the teachers had to use marker pens to write on the whiteboard. Now the teachers only need to type whatever they want on the computer in their desks, and the words that they have typed will be projected on the whiteboard. All the students now have our very own iPads that are used for learning.

The music rooms are in a guitar-shaped building. One of the many rooms inside is for learning piano, another for learning violin, and yet another room is used for singing lessons. The art and craft rooms are in a big building shaped like paint brushes. That is where we learn to paint, and there is currently an art exhibition to showcase the art pieces that the students have created through the decades.

The toilets are all very clean and do not smell as there are toilet robots that keep them very clean. We do not need to worry about people not flushing the toilets or dirtying the floors.

The canteen is the best place in school! There are now no stalls or hawkers selling food, but there are vending machines. All we need to do is to press a button indicating what food we want, pay the money to a canteen robot, and the food will be served to us by a conveyer belt so that there are no queues at all.

"Buzz....!" The badges of the students start vibrating again. How time flies! It is now time for school dismissal! Some students take their school buses home, and others stroll home with their parents. There are also some who stay back for after-school activities. This is yet another busy but fun day in my school in 2062.

All About Singapore

Our homelearning had revolved around the theme of Singapore on this month of our nation's birthday - and the Bees are loving the little snippets of Singapore that we had been reading nightly. I have no time to do painting or craftwork yet, but we had been doing lots of reading that hopefully will translate into a nice lapbook at the end of the month.

This theme coincides with what Little Bee is learning in school as well, so once again, it helps to integrate and reinforce what she has learned in school. By watching the National Day parade on TV, the Bees were also able to understand a little about the history of Singapore, and I intend to bring them out on more trips around Singapore this quarter.

Last week, Little Bee was asked to write 6 sentences about Singapore for her weekly homework in school, and with some help from me, she wrote these down, which I thought is some lovely reflections from her about how she feels about Singapore.


Sorry for the dark photo quality as this was taken with my iPhone! Here are her 6 points about Singapore, and she came up with most of them herself.

1. Singapore is one of the smallest countries in the world.
2. Singapore's National Day is on 9 August. (she said she prefers to use the term "birthday" instead of National Day though!)
3. Singapore has no natural disasters, like tornadoes and earthquakes.
4. Singapore has many races like Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasians and others.
5. It is always warm in Singapore because we are near the equator.
6. My favourite place in Singapore is Sentosa!

Days Of Very Full Plates

It is true that my blog had been inactive. It is true that this might possibly be the longest hiatus that my blog had taken, that it felt a wee bit strange and somewhat unfamiliar as I logged onto Blogger earlier on. It is a fallacy though that I had lost interest in blogging, for writing still remains a primary love of mine.

I must confess that part of my tardiness stems from my obsessive compulsive behaviour again, this time revisiting the life of one of my favourite writers, Jane Austen, in Becoming Jane, and the restrained yet fiery passion and romance between Austen and Tom LeFroy.

Another fundamental part of my blog's inactivity is due to my completely hectic schedule at home. School had reopened and hence the normal busy pace of life had restarted, and there are also other exciting developments on the homefront. I had certainly been sleeping at 2-3am every night and waking at 6.30am to fetch Big Bee to school, and I wish there is a pill that we can just swallow to ensure that we have all the goodness of sleep in our system, yet without having to waste time sleeping!

Little Bee had gotten her confirmation letter into the primary school that her sister is in, all thanks to the great Phase 1A system, and I sometimes still take out the pink confirmation slip, gazing in wondrous disbelief that my little baby will be going to primary school soon. On the other hand, Big Bee has been exceptionally busy with school CCAs and lots of dance performances, on top of her homework, and these performances had kept us parents busy, entertained yet proudly pleased at the same time.

Here is a peek at what had been keeping the Bees busy on the academic front. Little Bee's kindergarten is stepping up on more "serious" work to prepare them for primary one in half a year's time, and I try to include in funner, less academic elements like painting, games and journal writing at home during their free time to ease off the sobriety of academic work.

Surprisingly, both of them are coping well and handling these work in their strides, still finding lots of time daily to play, to walk the dog and to engage in endless giggles with each other. I do think these elements of enjoying life are most important!

Little Bee's Chinese writing exercises from school

Getting to understand the intricacies of Chinese comprehension in school for Little Bee

Little Bee's weekly homework which sometimes include a short writing exercise about anything under the sun...

...or some drilling in Math

Little Bee's weekly Spelling exercises

Little Bee's weekly 听写

Big Bee's weekly 听写 and 默写 above and beyond all her other school homework