Exam Stress - Parent or Kid?

Who do you think feels the exam stress more? Parent or kid? At 7, the children are quite oblivious to it. So, it is generally easier to push a primary school kid to do better. As what a friend said, at that age, it's how well we can teach them to minimize their carelessness.

At 16, depending on individuals, they are able to feel the stress somewhat, depending on where their priorities lie. I came out from my Form 5 class today feeling despondent. They rather sleep in class. It was a rainy day! So the weather was nice and comfy for a snooze. And that was what they did after the rain started. I had the misfortune of being the last teacher to enter...class ended at 2.45 p.m.

Doing well is not just the brains....it's the attitude! When you are young, you do what you are told! When you are older, you have to force yourself to do what is good for you! And many get stalled at the forcing part! Some call this maturity! But this time around, I am trying to take things easy. Lil Rainbow and bro are in the midst of their monthly tests now.

Lil Rainbow is still settling into her school...being English speaking at home, she still is a little lost at school sometimes. But she is slowly getting there. What she lacks she makes up with her willingness to learn and her voracious appetite for reading. I'm thankful for that. It has made the transition into a Mandarin speaking environment bearable....help to minus the hair pulling on the mom's part! LOL! I am still resisting the urge to send her for tuition. I think learning at her age should be fun. So, I am still plodding on where Mandarin is concerned with my trusty talking dictionary. Am really thankful for that! On the brighter side,my Mandarin is also improving. 8) In a way, we are homeschooling her...but it is very 'jia-lat' on the mom.

As it is, the other languages she learns at school is way more advanced than I imagined. If I put myself in her shoes at when I was at that age, I think I'd be pretty stupid! 8(

There is this constant struggle to strike a balance. But I still believe kids still need to grow up with a healthy dose of everything. We send our kids for way too many things now...not that they are not good.....but to strike that delicate balance.

I think if a kid has a love for reading right from an early age, it aids a lot in their learning process, not just the exam taking, as they grow older. I feel we're focusing way too much on the exam process that we fail to instill in our kids the importance of adopting an attitude of lifelong learning as part of life, and reading is very much an integral part of that! Kids don't seem to read much these days, I noticed....well at least the kids I deal with! 'Learning' seems to stop at the exams! My two sen today!