exams and birthdays

It's that season again, where teachers start to panic, pile on the homework, and try and make sure that the kids know the subject matter, either by understanding or mere repetition.

Yes, its the awful CA2, which always hits my son badly because it happens either during or just after his birthday, ths diminishing his enjoyment.

One of the things that really affects him is that he has to balance being nice to his parents who are bringers of parties and presents with the endless frustration of being nagged, scolded and given a earful about schoolwork.

To add to that we have tution teachers who give the parents homework, along the lines of
- "Make sure he does.."
- "Make sure you go through.. with him"
- "Make sure you check his...."

And here I was, thinking I left school behind me.

Oral examinations

For those of you who thought this post was about something else, shame on you.

This is, in fact, about that componenent of all exams in Singapore, which test your language skills by making you, read, converse and describe a picture. Students in Singapore do this in both English and their Mother tongue.

You see where I am going with this.

Hanan is taking his first oral exam this semester. In Primary One, they got away with a "Show and Tell" type deal, where parents had a chance to coach and train and practise with the kid. But in Primary Two, it's the real thing - sight unseen passage for reading, and a picture of some kiddie scene, like a playground or a zoo, to describe and talk about.

The English one should be a breeze. The Tamil one has us all nervous. I am kicking myself for totally wasting the last 5 months by not doing ANY reading with him. He is wondering why his parents are making him undergo this torture.

The oral segment of the exam is 20% of the final grade. I hope he at least clears 10%. Will keep you posted.