Parents up in arms about the 2009 PSLE Maths paper?
For any foreigners reading this who do not understand what the hullabaloo is about PSLE in Singapore, it is THE national exam where they weed out the unsmarts from the smarts at the tender age of 12. It is THE exam where you sit for 2 language papers (one being English and the other a second languare which I feel in my personal opinion, was nonsensically renamed 'Mother Tongue'. Then there's Mathematics and Science. Majority of the children sit for the 4 main papers. There are exceptions.
Then the nation tabulates each individual's scores and has your raw scores compared across the board. Out comes your final score. THAT score allows the smarts to go to 'better' secondary schools and lets the unsmarts attend 'ordinary' secondary schools. Within the secondary school, you will, with the help of your very important PSLE score, be able to attend the 4 year 'Express' Course or 5 year 'Normal' Course. Apparently in Singapore, when you're 'Normal', it actually means you're slow. If you're abnormal, you get to take the faster 4 year course. Given that majority of Singaporean 12 year olds get streamed to the 'Express' Course (including myself), we have a whole lot of abnormal people floating around on this island.
It's a lot more complicated than just having the same syllabus being divided into 4 or 5 years. It makes a whole lot of difference because their pathways have more or less been marked out. But that's another story and I'll come to that when I come to that.
THAT PSLE score, you might want to remember for the rest of your life because some idiotic teacher in your secondary school, might still be asking you for your PSLE score 3 or 4 years down the road, as a means to gauge how smart you are (You were smart then, so you must be smart now. You were unsmart then, you must be unsmart now. Ah.....do you get how important it is now? Get it???) THAT score, you might want to keep holding on to because some idiotic employer, when you're finally old enough to go to work, might view your PSLE score as a means to determine if you get hired!
Now tell me, how smart a system is that?
My PSLE score? I don't remember. If you're idiotic to even ask me now (*knock your head*), I'll keep mum and let you remain an idiot.
Now, tell me, if parents whose kids went to 'top' primary schools, are complaining that their kids came home crying because of this year's PSLE Maths paper, what more my son, who was failing Maths at the beginning of the year? Well, he came home smiling because well, 'Maths is over! Yay!'
I asked him last night, on the drive back from church, why he hadn't panicked and cried when his 'smarter' cohort across the island had. Besides, he said he had time to attempt ALL the questions when his 'smarter' peers hadn't!
Now, I'm not saying he's right or that he might pass but my 12 year old's theory is (and he DOES love theories) that he had NO PRESSURE to perform super well in his Maths PSLE paper. No one expects him to get an A* (the highest grade). This is a boy who has shown a marked improvement in his Maths over the past few months and as a parent, I have to recognise and remember that.
Yes, as I was saying, we all just hope that he passes! He has come to the conclusion that because those 'top school' boys were expecting to get A*, they expanded all their energy trying to get the sums right and broke down when they couldn't. Whereas he, going into the exams with no expectations, just went about doing each sum he could do and skipping sums he couldn't do. He treated it just like any other test or exam. After he had done those he could, he'd just go back and try to solve those he couldn't.
He also thinks that some kids were thinking too hard about the sums. He had 1 or 2 sums he thinks he got right (his tuition group concluded this) when his 'smarter' peers did not because they were doing too many 'steps'. He was trying to solve the sums simply.
I was very pleased with his theory (*mother smiling smugly*). I have taught my son well, regardless of the outcome of his results!
But am I worried? Yes lah, of course! The boy doesn't realise the sharks he is pitted against. This is Singapore, I do wish my son to survive the shark pool at the very least. But we are up against some policy makers who think demoralising kids with such 'interesting' sums is the best way to go.
So, with parents' complaints come the standard Civil Servant responses.
Yes, yes, we are all aware that Singapore is known for their superb Maths standard. So what? Why twist and turn words in a mathematical sum? WORDS ---> belonging to the English language. Are we testing Mathematical concepts or English comprehension here? Do you think every Primary 6 teacher is equipped to solve such sums? Yes, yes, I know, they undergo training etc. I was one of them remember? I spent countless nights solving these sums in preparation for my lessons! Not all teachers can impart these concepts. Why the need to send our kids to good private tutors then?
What's this about this year's sums being no different from other years? Actually, that's exactly my point. Year in, year out. Samo, samo. Why fix it if it ain't broke, right? We're top Maths performers in the world.... yadda yadda. Authorities, wake up your idea, man!
Sigh. This will never end. I will end my day's blog with this though. There have been people who did badly for their PSLE, who are now performing far better than those who did well. So parents, take heart. Don't be the idiots which those idiots take you to be. Be there for your kid regardless. Period. Can't stress enough. One day, your kids will remember, not the PSLE questions. Not their results. But that through their tears or their fears (or in my son's case, his smiles!) the fact that their Mummy or Daddy was there patting (not whacking) their backs.
