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[…]

A second question about choosing of secondary schools: 1) I want to go to a school with all my friends, but my parents prefer me to go to another school that has programmes that may challenge me further. Which should I go to? 2) My other consideration is that the school that my parents want me to go may have a lot of people who are smarter than me. ❤️❤️❤️ 1) I think you are a lucky child to have all these friends and you must be a good buddy to be so popular. It’s also very sweet of you to put your friends into the equation. I would accept other reasons for not going to a particular school, but “my friends won’t be in this school” can’t quite make the cut. – Even if you are in the same school, you might not be in the same class. – You will make new friends in this school, and the next and in other stages of your life. – I am not discounting the bond of your friendship. However, it is precisely because your friendship is strong, so you do not need to be in the same school. Your camaraderie will withstand the test of time and distance. And come on, Singapore is so small. 2) This is my point of view. May not necessarily be yours but do consider this. I will rather be a small fish in a large sea than a big fish in a small pond. At least at your stage in life. You have so much potential and why restrict yourself. Imagine yourself as a plant in a small pot. Wouldn’t you want to try to grow in a larger pot to see how big and strong you could become? It is always scary to be competing with people who may appear stronger than us. However, that will only stretch us to the fullest. My life philosophy is always that we cannot be mediocre, because it is soul destroying. Whatever you do, you should do your best. That said, each to his own. I have an aggressive and driven personality so my approach to life may not work for everyone. Choose the one that makes you happy but try not to shortchange yourself. #psle #friendship

Posted on by Wallace

A second question about choosing of secondary schools: 1) I want to go to a school with all my friends, but my parents prefer me to go to another school that has programmes that may challenge me further. Which should I go to? 2) My other consideration is that the school that my parents want[…]