Frankly speaking, today I am completely drained out! Joshua is having his exam and I have been poking at the chinese electronic dictionary all day! Feel like I am in standard 1 all over again - this time in a Chinese medium school. It’s really no fun and I’ll come right out and admit it….YES, I sometimes pity the poor guy that I do his homework for him. I know I shouldn’t but you should see him cracking his knuckles after 45 minutes of non-stop writing. Try writing for 45 minutes and see if your fingers ache or not?
No difference what since the teachers hunt down and chase after parents and give the parent-and-child a nice shelling sometimes! Some of us, mothers, run and hide when we see the teachers come out! After kena scolded again how? Childish, right? But I am not joking leh!
And I’ve been poking at the keyboard too in between studying for my….I mean, Joshua’s exam….wait, in between trying to figure out what Joshua’s supposed to study for his exam. It’s so hard to find any time to go toilet the whole of today. Things are worse for people like me because mommy don’t know right from wrong, son blur banana trying to get through the day without being smacked on the hand. Why didn’t I start speaking to my kids in Cantonese, Hokkien and whatever-else-language-I-know before this??? Why? Now, my kids are total bananas wor. Sei mow?
Chinese school teachers are crazy! They’re nuts! Slave drivers! Damn, I need some rest. I go watch my ‘ASTRO on demand’ now before heading off to slumberland.
Ciao!
Why do you keep sending Joshua to this school? My heart aches for him just reading this. Eh?? You study for his exams ah? So, come exam time, how are you going to give him the answer?
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It’s a very hard choice, to tell you the truth. I mean, learning the language is good and I like the fact that they instill discipline and all that. In every aspect of life, discipline is good. But tell you, the pressure is intense and the stress is insurmountable esp for a boy his age. Lost of fun in living leh, lidat! How?
You have an electronic dict too? Me too!!
Wait until you get to Std 2, then you will know the real meaning of pening!!!
My daughter complains that my sentence-making has too little words!!
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Yup, the electronic dictionary is a life-saver esp when you don’t know what the hell you’re supposed to do with the bunch of strokes and dots in front of you. You mean it gets worse??? Oh no. Ha ha ha ha ha….ya lah, I mean, our limited language skill is like that mah….limited, so, words also limited lah. Eh, don’t expect me to churn out literature in mandarin wor….cannot be done!
Aiyah… donch scare me lah. I adi registered for Chinese School but I am very half hearted about sending the kids there.
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You are same like me lah! Last time also I half-hearted only. Everybody was like, “Yes, that’s the right thing to do. YOu MUST send him to a Chinese school’. And now the so-said EVERYBODY is sitting around doing their own thing while I am going through the grind. Just be ready for it lah….
cuz, very sad to tell you that I totally agree with Judy.
Pls understand that I DO NOT have anything against “chinese” school….2 every1 his/her OWN ok? but I really feel that all the hype about learning chinese ( language ) is very unfounded. I am especially and very proud to declare myself a true banana.
I do not face any problems whatsoever in my travels to Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai, etc..as one need not know how to read in order to communicate.
Let’s face it cuz…me, you, Karen, Damien, Pam and the whole damn gang are not struggling in life just because we don’t know certain language right?
I believe that every mom and dad would want the best for the kids…for that I salute you for all the sufferings ( now and later ) that you put yrself thru. I know its easy for my to blab about the above cause I tai chi the teaching of mandarin/chinese to my wifey. Maybe taking a class in chinese would help your cause..not much..a little maybe. Hang tough ok?…and face the bloody teachers for God’s sake! show them our well known spunk cuz.
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I know…tiring lah trying to get him through the chinese school system. REALLY….very energy-zapping. And I work from home so it’s double-hard trying to teach him something that I don’t know and working and cleaning and fetching the kids and cooking and…..AAARRRRGGHHHHH!!!!
I am not the one into the whole chinese school thing. All I agree with is the ‘discipline’ the ‘hardworking attitude’ and ’striving for excellence’ thing that they might instill in the kids. But come to think of it, for weaker students, it might counteract….make them feel lousy and useless.
Ya lah, husbands demand and then their wives go through the whole torture, so damn easy to be a father. But hey, I work too! I work damn bloody hard for my money too, so, how come I have to go persist through something that wasn’t my idea in the first place and work at the same time. My business might suffer because someone else thought that chinese school is good, rite?
but actually ah….there are benefits and advantages lah but at the moment, the disadvantages far outweighs the advantages! make me want to throw myself off the 6th floor of my condo. (6 floors only….dont know whether can die or not)
better not lah hor?
u think it’s fun to stand there 30+ years old being scolded like a school kid with all the other parents looking on? You want to try? They don’t give face ok? They will shout from across the parking lot “JOSHUA TAN’S MOMMY! JOSHUA TAN’S MOMMY! Miss, STOP THAT WOMAN! JOSHUA TAN’S MOMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYY!!!!!”
One time, I escaped, but my unfortunate sister-in-law was caught and got a shelling on my behalf. Poor woman called me up “Er, Joshua’s teacher caught up with me just now and told me a string of things and asked me to call you and pass the shelling on!” Ha ha ha ha. This is not a joke. Cerita Benar.
I really feel for you cuz..how I wished they ( the teachers ) try and pull that stunt on me…sure kena “F” to glory and back!
Yup…chinese schools are well known for their discipline, hard working, etc but as you said…it might be counter productive and make a child have the feeling of not wanting to go to school…for the fear of:
-being laughed at
-being punished
-not being able to cope
-etc.
but as I have said cuz, you must hang tough..no matter what OR exercise the other alternative…change school.ALL THE BEST KIDDO….
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It’s been a long time since I’ve been called Kiddo but the last time, I think I remember it was still you! Ha ha hahah….but don’t call me that in front of my kids, ok?
Sigh….it’s really a difficult situation and decision lah. I mean, half the time I want to remove him from the hell, and half the time I think he can cope and deal with it. Tak tau lah!
You know, I think you look too gentle and delicate. That’s why the teachers bully you! You should get Jamie or Jorgie to impersonate the father… See if they lay off you or not…
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Gentle and delicate???? Looks can be deceiving. You ain’t seen me deliver punches to a man’s arm until blueblack for days hor? When I naik angin, the teachers will know lah. I am like a sizzling, silent volcano waiting to boil over! mua ha ha ha ha ha
Despite being pro-chinese school and all, I am kinda relieved we are leaving it all behind (at least, it gets ppl off my back on why my kids are not attending chinese school..leaving the country mah, no chinese school there!!
). Yes, they instill strong discipline in the children and I am of the belief that if the hard work doesn’t kill you, it will make you stronger. I feel that if the foundation of primary years are strong, then I will not have to worry about the secondary years as they will be disiplined enough to study on their own.
But despite all that, I sometimes wonder if it is at all bad that they don’t do to primary school. As Jamie puts it so nicely
, we didn’t and we turned out pretty ok. However, having considered the alternative (which is non-chinese school..), trust me you will NOT want them in there. Why do you think there are so many strong opinions in political blogs??
Henceforth, I think it’s not only because one gets to learn mandarin in chinese school, but the fear of what is taught in non-chinese school is what drives many chinese parents to send their children to chinese school despite all the hard work and competitiveness.
Should you ever falter and feel like giving up, marsha, think of the alternative…
*twilight zone theme song*
Anyway, I’m just glad the decision was made for me!
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That’s why lah….ee-yer…..tau-tngia!
marsha: kat has a good idea there…I am always game for a game….”Let’s Get Ready To RUUUUUUUMBLLEE”…bring it on..kekekekeke
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You guys go ahead….I will sit here and watch the action.
Wow…reading your post and comments make me think twice about sending my toddler to a Chinese school. We’re moving to China soon and I’m looking forward to picking up Mandarin and hope that he will too - makes our decision easier when we come back. Guess it’s really as true as it’s made out to be? Kudos for keeping up with it!
So…the electronic dicky helps? I’m looking out for one that can decipher my crummy strokes and read them out loud and clear LOL