Author: Wallace

Question: My 15-year old son wants to be a singer. I have discouraged him, but he is persistent and refuses to listen to my wise words. What should I do? Answer: Hi, Debbie Downer! I understand where you are coming from but I do not think the approach is right. In Singapore society, where we are pragmatic, we want to make sure our children succeed. We often measure it with the the traditional modes of success, i.e. do well in studies, secure a good job, rake in lots of money, get married, have children, then eventually die. ? In our parents’ generation, Singapore was still young, the population is not as educated and the country not as prosperous. Good jobs were hard to come by, hence there was a lot of risk aversion. Times have changed, Debbie. If the person in question is 60, goes completely out of tune and cannot support himself because he is still pursuing a singing career, I will say wake him up. But is it too quick to pass judgment when one is 15? Moreover, he may really have the talent. Here’s what you can do. 1. Lay ground rules for him. – He can pursue his passion as long as he reaches his goals in his studies. 2. Support him – If you have the financial means, get him the help he needs. – If not, at least support him emotionally by being there for him. This will bode well for your relationship with him too. Dreams make one driven and alive, and that’s what growing up is about. I had a dream growing up- being a radio DJ. Since my primary school days, I would be glued to the radio for hours daily, knowing every slot, jingle etc. I love the imagination that radio lends to its listeners and the creativity DJs could have. I would grow up to become a part-time DJ for five years during my early 20s before pursuing another interest- journalism. I wasn’t a good DJ (by any stretch) but was glad I had fulfilled my childhood dream. We were all young before. We know how it is like to have an interest, a hobby and a dream. We shouldn’t deny your son that too. Also, he may forget about this a few months later, pick your battles. As long as it is not illegal and it’s reasonable, be supportive. #thurswithwei

Posted on by Wallace

Question: My 15-year old son wants to be a singer. I have discouraged him, but he is persistent and refuses to listen to my wise words. What should I do? Answer: Hi, Debbie Downer! I understand where you are coming from but I do not think the approach is right. In Singapore society, where we[…]

Physics Tip: Kinematics – How to interpret a velocity-time graph well Our IP Physics guru Lisa would like to offer a tip on kinematics today. This is relevant regardless whether you are taking IP or the ‘O’ Levels. A common question is to describe the motion of the velocity-time graph in the graph. Steps to take: Always look out for key points in time when the motion changes, label the parts as shown by A to F in the graph. 1. Decide the direction for positive velocity: forward direction 2. Locate the part of the graph to describe: AB 3. Observe if the velocity is increasing or decreasing: Increasing for AB 4. Conclude that increasing velocity is acceleration & decreasing velocity is deceleration: Accelerating for AB 5. Observe if the gradient of the curve is positive or negative: Positive for AB 6. Observe if the gradient of the curve is increasing or decreasing, to conclude if the curve is increasing acceleration of decreasing acceleration: Decreasing acceleration for AB Combine the above step into the final answer. Answer: From A to B, the object moves forward with a decreasing acceleration, from B to C, the object continues forward with increasing acceleration, from C to D, the object moves briefly with constant velocity before continuing forward with increasing deceleration, from D to E, the object moves backward with decreasing acceleration and from E to F, the object continues backward with increasing deceleration and finally comes to rest at F. The object did not go back to the starting position as the area under the graph for the curve above the x-axis (which represents displacement) is greater than the area under the graph for the curve below the x-axis. If this is useful, remember to share this post! Lisa teaches upper secondary IP Physics at Study Room on Wed and Fri evenings. If you have a preferred timeslot, you may PM/DM us to form a new class too. #physics

Posted on by Wallace

Physics Tip: Kinematics – How to interpret a velocity-time graph well Our IP Physics guru Lisa would like to offer a tip on kinematics today. This is relevant regardless whether you are taking IP or the ‘O’ Levels. A common question is to describe the motion of the velocity-time graph in the graph. Steps to[…]

Five Ways to Prepare Your Child for Primary 1 Entering Primary 1 is a milestone. Both parents and child can be nervous about this change. What can you do to make the transition smooth? 1) Be confident Your child can sense your uneasiness and feel that this new journey could be turbulent too. Have faith in your child that he can adjust and so can you. 2) Let him be independent You have been the best parent for your child the past six years, worrying about his well-being and looking after his every need. This is a chance for both to grow. Let him learn how to tie his shoelaces, button his shirt and carry his own schoolbag. I know the bag is heavy but he needs to know he has to be responsible for his own belongings. Don’t rush to school because he forgets a ruler. Don’t hover around the classroom past the first day. He needs to learn to be independent. 3) Pocket money It’s a great way for him to learn counting and responsibility. Guide him on the 20 percent saving principle, buy him a piggybank or start a bank account for him. 4) Learning – Good to instill discipline where the child knows he must finish his homework once he reaches home. – Studying with the child is equally important. This way, you know what he is confused with and also use this opportunity to bond with the child. – Make sure learning is fun. When you are teaching him the difference between “this” and “that”, take him out of the house and get him to learn in real life. When you are teaching him measurements, get a ruler to measure things around you. If he doesn’t like Chinese, use words learnt in class in daily conversations. – What if your child is slower than the rest? That’s okay. There are only bite-sized assessments now. Every child is different and may not start on equal footing. Most importantly, he shouldn’t fear learning or school. NEVER say things like “You are so stupid/slow” in front of him. 5. Teach him about safety – Things such as not talking to strangers, be careful about his surroundings and belongings. – Teach him to be adequately careful but don’t turn him into a wimp. Good luck! It’s going to be an exciting journey. #primary1 #firstdayofschool

Posted on by Wallace

Five Ways to Prepare Your Child for Primary 1 Entering Primary 1 is a milestone. Both parents and child can be nervous about this change. What can you do to make the transition smooth? 1) Be confident Your child can sense your uneasiness and feel that this new journey could be turbulent too. Have faith[…]

About a month ago, we got approached by a TV show researcher, asking us about a piece of old news- this year’s so-called tough PSLE Maths question. That was after all the major papers and networks had covered the story thoroughly and we had moved on to preparing our students for the ‘O’ levels. The lack of timeliness of the news aside, I was always happy to help if I could, because I understand how difficult it is to get voices for stories as a former journalist. I gave the whole background again (even though it had been exhaustively covered) to the researcher but what I really disliked was the way questions were later broached. I emphasised from the start that tuition is simply a complement to regular MOE classes, and that the PSLE Maths questions were not too difficult per se- it just requires more thinking and it is not unfair to require students to think in an exam. We have reiterated this in various posts we had on social media and other media interviews too. What struck me was how the journalist kept trying to ask loaded questions to get the story that she wants. Initially, I was asked: Is the syllabus alone enough to tackle the questions? When I answered yes and explained again how they could practise more variety of questions but the syllabus does teach the concept, the reporter came back to me later with the same question phrased differently. “Can those difficult PSLE math questions only be answered if students have tuition? Do tuition centres help to fill in that gap?” Fortunately, I am well versed in media interviews so I did not fall prey to the traps of these repeated questions. Still, I am frustrated because it is very personal to me. 1) As a former reporter, I believe in best practices. Often, we pursue stories with an angle in mind, but after research, it is not uncommon to kill stories because we may be wrong. Talking to analysts, industry experts will help us see a clearer picture. It may be a lot more effort but more importantly, as journalists, we need to reflect the truth, not the truth as we see it. When I teach journalist students newswriting, I always emphasise accuracy is paramount. Our opinions may not necessarily be facts. 2) As an educator in the private sector, I find fault with this because it reinforces stereotypes about the tuition industry and puts the blame on both MOE and tuition centres for increasing the pressure on students, all because someone wants to take the shortcut in reporting. In the end, perhaps because I wasn’t able to give a sound bite related to their angle, they didn’t pursue the interview with me. A disclaimer: not being interviewed isn’t the reason for my beef with them. I am concerned about the quality of journalism and the bad light we are shown in. Recently, a photo of a Vietnamese mother carrying two children won the prestigious Hamdan International Photography Award. According to the submission, it “documented an intense humanitarian moment. The feelings of a Vietnamese mother whose speech disorder did not prevent her from feeling hopeful and evoking a sense of strength for her children.” There were later claims that this photo was staged. To be fair, the contest wasn’t for photojournalism so there’s no rule the photo can’t be staged. However, in the bigger scheme of things, the lesson learnt is we need to also be vigilant and discern the news we read and watch, to make sure we get the full picture. Photocredit: Ab Rashid’s facebook post #thurswithwei #journalism #psle #pslemaths

Posted on by Wallace

About a month ago, we got approached by a TV show researcher, asking us about a piece of old news- this year’s so-called tough PSLE Maths question. That was after all the major papers and networks had covered the story thoroughly and we had moved on to preparing our students for the ‘O’ levels. The[…]