I walked to the carpark today and my car refused to start. I called my mechanic and asked him for advice. The car was towed to the workshop for some checkups and repairs.
Now, I might be a graduate like the mechanic but that does not mean I know how to troubleshoot what is wrong with my car. It is simply not my area of expertise.
This exact same scenario is happening to a child. The child had some issues with education and needed some analysis. Should the parent jump in and claimed he/she can troubleshoot the situation?
Or it should be left to the experts?
In my previous post, I pointed out the realisation will come when the child's grades drop for no reason and it seems very difficult to bring the grades back up.
This is a very real scenario. Many of my friends came to me for help in this same scenario.
Let me explain how this is possible.
When the child is in P1/P2, the syllabus is very easy. The child should score consistently above 90% for all subjects. The P1 syllabus is very close to the curriculum of K2 and the P2 syllabus is an extension of the P1 syllabus. The child should be performing at his/her best level because everything is like revision to him/her. The child should not be struggling at all. Any grades below 75% is a big red alarm for parents.
The P3 syllabus is an extension of the P2 syllabus. However, two new things are added. The Science subject and the heuristics in Mathematics. If the child gets very good grades in P2, P3 should be okay.
If the child's foundation in P2 is only average, there will be gaps. If these gaps are not closed, P3 syllabus will be very difficult for him/her. The strong foundation in P2 is the key to performance in P3.
"The strong foundation in P2 is the key to performance in P3."
For Science, it is an entirely new subject. It is not a language like English and it is not a problem-solving skill like Mathematics. It is an inquiry-based subject. The 'why' is the emphasis of this new subject.
In addition, there is a specific technique of answering Science questions. The child needs to remember many keywords to answer these questions.
Heuristics in Mathematics will be easy in the first half of P3. The second half will be a bit more challenging to students and will most probably be mind-boggling to parents. Heuristics are easy to memorise but very difficult to learn. It is even harder to teach.
"Heuristics are easy to memorise but very difficult to learn. It is even harder to teach."
Put them altogether and you will see why. If the child struggles in P2, he/she will need to work hard on the foundation. At the same time, the child is getting new information/knowledge/skills in Science and Math. This is overwhelming to the child.
How well the child can do in P3 hinges a lot on the school teachers and how engaged the child is in lessons. Take away one of these and your child will struggle in P3.
If the child struggles in P3 and no help is sought, he/she is actually on the way to failing P4.
In my opinion, P4 is the most crucial point. If the child still did not receive help in the first half of P4, he/she will most probably do badly in PSLE.
There is no need to talk about P5 or P6 beyond this point.
For those whose child is in P5/P6, I will usually reject the child from my tuition unless the expectations are set right in the beginning. It is nearly impossible to pull the grades up unless the child comes to my tuition three times a week and two hours for each session. On top of that, repairing the damage done is a lot of work. For every hour of tuition, I need at least three hours to prepare for it. However, I can guarantee the maintenance of a passing grade if the child attends tuition once a week.
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If you are a university graduate and you think your child is doing well, I urge you to do the following.
1. How are your child's P1 results? If they are below 90%, what are the gaps? Bridge those gaps during the holidays.
2. If your child is in P3, how is he/she doing in Math and Science? Does he/she know that there is a specific way of answering the Science questions? Does he/she understand the heuristics in Math or it is purely by memorisation?
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It is always easier to wait and see. However, this 'wait and see' strategy is going to be a very bad move for your child's education. The higher the level, the more gaps the child will have to close. The more the gaps, the more time the child needs. And time is very scarce in upper primary.
"It is always easier to wait and see. However, this 'wait and see' strategy is going to be a very bad move for your child's education."
Is it really okay to wait?
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