I like "tuesday with morries" cos there is something striking in it that echoes what is within me: dont buy into the culture that we are living in. learn to step back and examine what we take for granted... what we think is so obvious... if it does not fit you, then seek for what is better!

why must the passing mark always be half or 50 out of 100? why cant it be less or more, like even 100 (e.g. when it comes to driving test)? I was posted with this question by someone today that left me thinking for a while...

anyway, here is the main point for this entry...

my wife and I have decided to home-school our kids all the way, up to primary six. We have decided not to let our kids go to public school...

instead, they will be waking up to go to school at home at a slightly later time :D...
where the principal and main teacher is my wife and I...
where the classroom will be the study room,
where the bus driver will be me...
where the canteen is in the living room, with home cooked food and special treats,
where the lessons will not be in the room always but involves going to various places of interest locally and overseas with personal "tour guides",
where they must learn to interact with all kinds of people and not just their own peers so that they have a wide circle of friends (toddlers, kids, teenagers, young adults, adults, elderly),
where they can pursue and perfect skills and talents that they are interested in,
where learning is not forced and is not restricted by the syllabus,
where exams and tests do not happen often and comes in various forms,
where meaningful playing can be learning,
where learning is at their own pace and self motivated,
where individual attention is always there and no one will ignore your questions or think that they are stupid,
where there is no uniform,
where break time is flexible,
where there is constant guidance to know and do what is right and meaningful,
where virtues is not just spoken but must be lived out by the "teachers" themselves (those eyes are always looking),
where misbehaviour means a personal time of reflection on the naughty chair by the balcony,
where the "students" learn from the "teachers" and the "teachers" will learn from the students as well,
where encouragements, hugs and kisses always abound,
where phrases like "why are your results so lousy, why didn't you get an A, why didn't you improve at all, why are others better than you?" will NEVER COME OUT of the "teachers" and parents' mouth,
where they are taught about biblical truths and the unconditional love of God so that they may grow up to be well pleasing to God and a blessing to others,
where our kids will eventually be sent off to take the PSLE with this understanding that grades isnt everything and their parents are always proud of them, so long as they have tried their best! :D

The following statement came as a shock to me when i was told about it by a home-schooling parent who home-school his son who is now 14:

secondary education is actually NOT compulsory in Singapore!

If a parent so desires, he/she can choose to home-school their teenagers with no questions asked! think about the flexibility of choosing the exact subjects that you want to take for O levels compared to what you MUST take due to the limited choices offered by the school! So if God permits, we may do homeschooling when our kids are teenagers too!

what do you think? do post your comments or questions about this style of schooling to me so that I can have a wider perspective of this way that is truly less travelled in a competitive country like Singapore.

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Click on the link below:

http://www03.quizyourfriends.com/takequiz.php?quizname=061011084742-661517

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Ariel falling down the swing!



A.C.E posing for the camera!



My good friend and brother-in-Christ, Shinn Jong, getting married!



What a student of mine would do to "destress"! Be Ultraman!?



Mid-Atumn Festival @ Sch: Ariel and my wife posing with Jas and Jos



Mid-Atumn Festival @ Sch: A.C.E enjoying the cross-talk though i doubt they understand a single word!



Mid-Atumn Festival @ Sch: Ariel posing with Letts, Jas, Jos, Kit Yeng and Ces



Mid-Atumn Festival @ Sch: Ariel posing with a "Halo"



Ariel posing as a fairy!



Ekklesia and Nicoles as fairies!



Christian's BDay Celebration with his cousins!



Christian's BDay Celebration with his friends!



Pulau Ubin Trip: Entering in!



Horseshoe Crab: it's part of the spider family, not the crab family!



Sea Grapes: tiny but edible!



Fig Tree: rare sight to me cos i always thought it is only found in Israel!



The most primitive toilet: you can even see the fishes swim as you do your "business"



Cat's Tail Plant! Lovely red "fur"



Bamboo shoots! remind me of the movie "Flying Draggers"



A Huge Spider spinning its web!

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failure and not doing well is not an alternative in life. It is part and parcel of life. if you go through life without it, you will be unpolished and an armateur when it comes to taking on bigger challenges in life. failing may make you feel lousy but being resilient (never giving up) is the key to go and grow from there...

I am glad that some of the students have assured me of that... they will not give up... they will try harder... they will not lose faith in themselves... that's the kinda spirit that will carry them far in life... :D

and of cos, dont try to compete with others... compete with yourself... improve yourself and be better than you were before... it is more positive that way and it is not stressful...

let's put this aside ba...

today is a special day...

it's CHRISTIAN CHOW's 5th BIRTHDAY! :D

Happy birthday, darling!! :D love ya loads!!

not feeling well at the moment... but i hope that will not stop me from bringing my kids to Pulau Ubin tmr for hiking!

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I have finished marking the scripts for 301, 302 and 304...

Let's try to look at the results on the bright side of life...

It is tested on an entire year of work... that's quite a lot to remember... but i did create mindmaps to help, didn't i?

It is a difficult paper... definitely above O levels standard and the time allocated is not really enough for you to think through... but it will train you well for your O levels and you will be able to pass and do well in it with ease, isn't it? not many scored A1 and A2 but there are a couple of them who still made it above 80!

it came after s.s... i guess the first paper wore your brain down to do the physix paper at your best...

oh well, the real results will be out tmr! :D

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Watched the documentary “the child of our time” (Thurs Ch12, 10 pm – it’s very, very educational and interesting!!) and they taught 6 tests that parents can conduct on young children (4-6 years old) to find out about certain characteristics of the child.

1. leave a sweet on a plate with the child all by himself/herself. Tell him/her that he/she will get a plate full of sweets if he/she can wait for 5 minutes. (test on self-control: if the child resists the temptation, he will most likely grow up to be well disciplined)

2. ask the child to build a tower with a building block. Accidentally knock it down and see if the child will take the initiative to build it up again. (test on resilience: if the child rebuilds it again, he/she will most likely be resilient)

3. fill a bowl to the brim with water. Ask the child to walk quickly with the bowl. When the child spills the water, ask the child the reason behind the spill. (test on optimism: if the child blame it on the environment and not himself, he /she will most likely be optimistic)

4. using toy figurines, paint a scenario where the mother is cooking dinner and left the boiling pot by itself. If the child accidentally spills the boiling soup on his hands, what would mommy do? (test on level of happiness: if the child says that the mommy will show concern and comfort, then they will most likely grow up to be happy adults!)

5. ask the child to play a prank on their parents with a snakes in a can (similar to jack in a box). (test on exuberance: of the child laughs happily and loudly at the reactions of the parents (be it good or bad), they will most likely grow up to be excited about life!)

6. hide your mobile phone (with speaker) within a toy doll or stuff toy and talk to the child (with another voice) through the phone in the doll in a private room. (test on social skills: if the child shows concern for the doll more than himself and listen well in the conversation, the child will most likely grow up to be popular with good interpersonal skills)

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