This term for Physical Education the P2 students are doing swimming lessons at the local pool around the corner from the school. Ronin could hardly wait for it to start. Since I now have help at home, I volunteered to be a chaperone for his class. 2 hours each week for 5 weeks. That means every thursday I take Ronin to school. We get up around 6:30, cram in breakfast and run to the bus stop. Right after school starts we then board another bus that takes us, literally, around the corner to the pool. I guess they tried walking the kids last year, but between the heat and the amount of kids to shuffle (all P1 and P2 students) it was a nightmare. So buses were called for this year. And since it takes us so long to get to and from school, my 2 hour chaperone time stretches to a whopping 5 hour excursion. It's not too bad considering the mall across the street has a Wendy's so I can have a frosty while I'm out. Can't complain about that.
The first day of lessons they were assessed by a group of swim teachers. This was chaotic and slightly intense and a perfect example of the kind of process the entire country runs on. Placing people in categories based on perceived ability This kind of assessment is a big thing here. Each kid was given a number. 5 being the most advanced. Zero being the most basic. They don't even try to hide it. If you suck, you get a Zero. Now I know there are some kids here who have never taken a lesson, but I was surprised. They couldn't start at number 1?
Here, the students apply a lot of pressure on one another based on grades and assessments points. This is pressure that is spurred by the adults and runs down through each child. Ronin has come home a few times talking about test scores, points and he has deftly explained to me how cool an A+ is. This from a kid who has never cared. And I mean NEVER! And I was disappointed to find it existed, even in swimming class. And this was supposed to be a subject that is fun! I over heard a girl say "I got a 1! I don't even know what that means, but I got a 1!" Just by giving out numbers, there was an automatic understanding that they were being ranked and that some kids were better than others. Ronin was glad he didn't get a zero. Whew... he got a 1!
I know some of this is healthy. I mean, I do want my child to feel a little bit of pressure to do his best, but also there are times when I can't help but feel it is so detrimental to the child. In this swimming class, the style of teaching was based more on criticizing and comparisons. It was obvious there were favorites and those that fell short were left behind, so to speak. Even in his regular school class they had an assignment where they were learning about weight. They were to weigh each other and write down who was the fattest (Ronin's words, not mine). When we talked about it he said that it was how the assignment was explained and that he couldn't eat too much junk food because he didn't want to be the fattest one. I gasped at that. But while doing something like that in the states would get a teacher fired, it's all run-of-the-mill stuff here. And I find that so interesting. Hopefully we will make it through primary school without too many emotional scars.
I can see Ronin perfecting his ability to 'fly under the radar'. He works hard and does his best and for the most part its enough to get by unnoticed. You definitely don't want to be the kid that gets picked on by the teacher. That's really scary and embarrassing. Some of the kids were even too scared come to swimming class. However, with all that said, the teacher knew the techniques and did teach them well because Ronin is swimming like a fish! I can't believe how much he has learned in just 5 weeks. His ability and courage in the water has just exploded. He has had a great time in class even with a 'fierce' teacher (as they put it here). I think Ronin might flourish under these kinds of teaching conditions. I worry more when it comes to the rest of the boys. Personality plays an important role in a successful education.
We are one week away from term break. I can't believe he has only been going to school for one term (he missed the first one). It feels like we have been doing this forever! His teacher says he is doing well and soon he will be caught up with the rest of the kids. He just got back his term tests and he did do pretty well. Honestly he did better than I expected. The kid that sits to do homework with me is quite different than the kid that is learning in school. Because of this, I try to avoid homework at all costs. It just ends badly. His teacher says he is smart (which I know!) and works hard (which is slightly surprising). She says he is a good leader in school and that even the oldest and biggest kids listen to him. This is something I am not sure is a good thing, since he can get kind of bossy and we do want him to make friends! But she is confident all is well with him and because of that I have backed off considerably. Before I was working with him so much after school that it made us both crazy with anxiety. Now, he does his homework at school and when he comes home all we do is play. I think its all we can manage until he gets caught up on what he missed and into the groove of the learning process here. Right now in math they are doing multiplication tables, and measurements in meters and kilogram. Even if I wanted to help him with his homework, I couldn't. I have no idea about most of the things he is learning!
He has some really good kids in his class that have taken him in and who treat him really well. And apparently being from the US and having golden blonde hair hasn't hurt him any. They call him their 'American Friend'. Luckily here, that's something people still want. Well, the kids do anyway. With some adults, its another story. I am definitely feeling more of what it means to be a minority. Even though I was one in Queens to a certain extent, we were still all from the USA which does unify you in a way. Here, some people think we are arrogant, loud and spoiled. Which I guess we are. Sometimes it hard to see yourself the way others do and know that in their eyes you are kind of a nuisance. Granted this isn't with everyone! One of the things that is really great about Singapore is most of the people are so very very nice. Truly, when they like you, they really like you!
Anyway, we are learning a lot here. Growing hurts sometimes, but it's always good to look back and see how far you have come. We have almost been here 6 months. 6 months is the time friends here have been saying your life turns around. Suddenly you are more settled and you really begin to enjoy yourself. I think this is going to be true for us since our 6 month mark hits right at the term break when we will be exploring all Singapore has to offer. Ronin has 4 weeks off, and we are going to use it! Singapore is a great place to have kids. There is so much to do and we are looking forward to doing it all!
Comments