P1-Mee Toh NO HOMEWORK ( a waste of time) choose other school

[GL2000]

Hi ljpflee,

My friend whose child is in Mee Toh (P1 this year) was sharing with me a few weeks back that the school generally puts their focus on the top 2 classes in each level. (P2 or P3 onwards). These 2 classes will have the best teachers & the students usually produce very good results. (due to the drilling, think lots of homework) However, the rest of the classes will not be given as much attention. That is the reason why my friend is so stressed, she said that Mee Toh's parents are always comparing their child's grades. She hopes  her son can be in the top 2 classes too. Sigh... sad...
I may not get the whole picture right but you can try calling Mee Toh & check for more details.

I'm not an educator but just giving my 2 cents worth. Frankly, as parents, we complain when there's no homework & we also complain when there's too much homework..
What makes a good school is very subjective & everyone has their own yardstick. What sounds good to me may not be good to you.

I would like to share my story & its not meant to affect anyone's decision in choosing the school. While academic performance is an important component, I think its also very important to look at the other components...
I did the mistake of "following blindly" & went with the flow to register my boy in Mee Toh cos its A GOOD SCHOOL. (P1 - 2007 batch)
I went thru the ordeal of balloting & was soooo happy when he finally got a place there.
The irony is, I transferred him out from Mee Toh on his 3rd day of school. No questions asked from the school's principal when we went to get the paperworks done. We exited quietly. 
I wanted to write to MOE about my displeasures but I was emotionally drained & looking for another school for my son was my priority then.
He got hit in the eye by his classmate (using a water bottle) on Day 1 of school & I was told by the principal that its a "small matter" & its a norm that children fight.  :bangwall:Think the school will only consider it a BIG matter if the child's blind.
No medication was administered by the form teacher. He was crying alone at the back of the queue waiting to be dismissed. When I questioned the teacher what happened to my son, she just told me off abruptly to bring my crying son home. "Are you his mum? can you bring him home now? he can't stopped crying." These were the exact words that she used when I asked her what happened to my son. (The incident happened while they were queuing up for dismissal)
The teacher was new according to the principal BUT does that mean that any mistakes or short comings have to be pardoned at the expense of my son? I did not kick up a big fuss though I was very upset & brought my son to the doctor for medical attention. His eye was swollen but thank god he was fine.
All I wanted from both the teacher & the principal was to show some compassion & tell me they will investigate on the matter & come back to me. Is that too demanding from a parent? While I understand that its the first day of school & the teacher has to handle 30 students but I needed assurance. My son was crying & refused to go to school the next day & I have to force him to. When he saw the big boy who hit him in the hall, he hid behind me. Imagine his fear??
I waited patiently for the school's feedback & I gave up on day 3 eventually. It doesn't matter to me anymore whether any actions been taken at that point of time as they don't seemed interested in speaking to us. 
It just concludes that the school's way of handling such matters are not satisfactory in my opinion & more importantly, I do not want to put my son's safety at risk. 

It was an unfortunate incident & an isolated case & many parents out there reading this will think that I made a silly move by transferring him out due to such a small incident. I was in my right mind when I made the decision. I wasn't angry with anyone, just disappointed. Like I said earlier, it was a quiet exit. No heated arguments nor threatens....

I count it as a blessing in disguise. My son is with Fernvale Primary School now and he is coping very well. Fernvale's environment is not as rigid as Mee Toh's. My son's enjoying school & that is more important for me. Despite feedback from wellbeing friends that Fernvale is not a good school (its a fairly new school & no history), I held back my comments cos how much truth is there? I believed that Mee Toh is a good school too & ...??

The principal does plays an important role in a school as a matter of fact. They are the pillar & they are the ones that we can count on if we have any problems or suggestions for the school. They have to be open for discussion & not put on this high & mighty image. Fernvale's principal Mdm Kok is very approachable & very real. No pretense.

Academically, Fernvale may not be on par now with other good schools but my primary concern is my child's foundation years have to be in a gracious & fun loving environment. They study hard & they play hard too.
 
 



 


 

 

[Alaska]

Rivervale don't give HW to the P1 students as well. Most of them done in the class. So far so good, but the challenge starts in P3 onwards when science subject comes in. P1 and P2 are 'honeymoon' state.

If the teacher gives them time to finish HW in the class, why not? Good for working parents.

Best Class will only decide in P2 end of the year based on total % achievements. The stress will start in P3 because the child has new classmates, competitive environment. One mountain higher that another mountain.

[BoBo]

I'm not an educator just a working mother with 3 kids. What I write is just my opinion.

In P1, a child should not be given any homework unless they cannot finish in class. The child has just transit from Kindergarden and may be overwhelm if given too much homework. The parent may be stress out trying to help the child complete the homework and if the parent do not have the time, then likely the parent may get a tutor to assist. This added stress to the child.

Children at this age prefer and should be running around or playing some sports, burning some calories instead of sitting long hour trying to complete the homework and become worst become obese. Sometime too much homework can make a child sick and tire of school, worst if the child start to despise school or/and hate to go to school.

Homework can also prevent the kids’ social skills. If a child is spending time at his house all day, the child rarely get to meet and communicate with other children.The lack of a social life may prevent the child from developing normal intra personal and leadership skill.

 

[Alaska]

HW is not a big issue at all. At most the teacher just photocopy from assessment books or take another school's worksheet and photocopy.

Too much homework for the child? I'm more worry for the teacher. Is the teacher able to cope with markings every day for 30 students work? Instead of spending on quality time with students on other knowledge, why does the teacher spending so much of her time doing markings? This is not productive and effective employee.