My eldest son Angus was able to go to an "elite school" St Michael's School (now known as St Joseph's Junior) as his father was an old boy of that school. So we need not have to volunteer for 40 hours like Zoe Tay or pay a large some of money to contribute to the school building fund. Yet when Angus completed Primary 5, we made the painful decision to pull him out of St Michael's. His father observed that the school was giving him tons of worksheet and homework just so that he was prepared for the PSLE the following year.
I remembered he was given a list of 500 hundreds word to know and spell before going to Primary 1. Since he could not remember all these words and spell them, he was branded slow and had to go for Learning Support for English class. Of course he did not managed to pass a single Chinese Test since Primary 1.
We decided to home school him together with his two sisters. But first we have to de-schooled him. Trianed him to stop doing home work and wait for instructions from his teachers. It took us a year.
From the time he was 13 years old to 15 years, he was allowed to explore and do what he wanted. He decided to focus on GO, a mind game that is more challenging then chess. He spent his weekend sparing with GO master from China and his command of the Chinese language improved. He obtained a 2nd Dan for GO.
He was allowed to explore music by learning to playing the piano and guitar himself. Only when he was sixteen did we asked him to start to prepare for his O level. Because of his strong command of the English language, he was able to do a subject without even knowing what it was about and have never attempted the question. He did well to go to the Poly and graduated top 5% of his cohort. This while doing his A level by himself.
I wrote this note because I am worried that many parents made the wrong assumption that once their child is in a good school, they can abdicate their role as parents and leaves everything to the school and the army of tuition teachers. It does not matter which school a child is enrolled in as long as the parents are responsible and play thier part.
As for Angus I will allow his own words to speak for him. This is an extract from an essay that he has written to apply for a higher institution of learning.
As a child, I was home schooled all the way up to my polytechnic days. My father had a strict policy that no teacher be give me in aid of my studies. Having a strong belief in self directed learning, he never forced me to study more than I wanted to. I had an extremely carefree and amazing childhood; exploring avenues which would never have been otherwise open to me, had I enlisted into in a normal school.
Resulting as of this unique approach to what an ‘education’ is, I developed an independent and natural thirst for knowledge. A thirst developed not just to know, but to understand.
Too many a time we find ourselves regurgitating theories with big names and phrases giving the semblances of understanding.
Many a time, you’ll find me asking simple questions which sound childish, but if we always have to hide behind the embellishments of our language then we’d never be able to have a conversation with much substance.
After all, as an art student, creativity and the question of what art actually is, is already an extremely complex question. An education to me has always been about having breath and a depth in knowledge of the subject.
I have to admit that at times I do get carried away when I am on to something or involved in a project. Passion is very much a part of me and I can go days on end working on a project without knowing until I fall ill.
Fortunately, the days in the army serving as an officer, has really forced me to see things from a more practical and less idealistic point of view. While I still am able to view a concept for its full glory and what it could be, I am also capable of executing it in a practical manner.
Two of my passions which I have taken very seriously throughout the course of my life are Music and Chess. To be more precise, I perform the classical guitar and play competitive Wei Qi. A couple of very different activities which require two very different unique skill sets.
Having studied music and performing at venues like the Sub Station and Arts House has enabled me to develop a senses of thinking with emotions. If you don't feel what you are playing then it is almost guaranteed that the music one plays will be technical and expressionless. Over the years, exploring the various genres of music has allowed me to harvest and control certain emotions.
On the other hand, I spent a great deal of my childhood engrossed in the art to Wei Qi. Developing a rigid structure of organisation and a sense of logical thinking. Wei Qi is a mental sport where each move is compounded by the moves before. A sport where not having a plan is a sure way to defeat. Calculating every point every step of the game to secure victory can be an extremely painstaking but rewarding process.
Going into the arts industry, these are two very relevant skills to possess. Having the raw passion and drive is the first step to creating that spark of creativity required for ever work of art. However, being able to control that rage of emotions produced as a by product is even more important to actually achieving a work of substance. Ensuring that an artist keeps a certain professional distance from his own works is vital in the sale of his ideas.
I have a great interest ideas and concepts. From whichever field it may come from, an idea has never failed to capture my imagination. And being in a town like this would enable me to explore and connect across various disciplines. At the same time having the control over the thoughts that come my may play a crucial role in the development of a creative piece, it ensures that imaginations don't degrade into mere daydreams.
P.S.
We would not recommand that you homeschool your child unless you are willing to give up the Television and and ensure that you do not allow your child to play any computer games. (PSP, FB games, Lan game etc)
But then again most children who are enrolled in Primary 1 this year will be watching T.V. and play computer games. Hmmm.. Food for thought? Much ado about nothing?
No comments:
Post a Comment