Mid Year Exam Season..

You know how they talk about football season, durian season, kite-flying season, dokong season, etc... and exam season!.... A season for everything! Mid year! Thought exams were behind me after I left uni. Then came a career in teaching. But at least it was minus the stress. Then got hitched! And it was followed by parenthood... and exam season went right back onto my map! ... for the next 25 years!

Parenthood threw us back squarely into school again. Cos when the kids (especially primary ones) take their exams, it feels like we're taking it too! *sigh* In fact, I think the parents are more 'kan-cheong' than the kids themselves. I've two end of the spectrum at home. One is older - awareness has set in. He's feeling the stress and you can see a bit of it. The other one is still 'mind-less'. Doesn't seem to feel much.... she's still reading her story books.. and if I don't hound her, she'd still be playing in her tent of toys. If you have primary going kids, you'll know what I mean... There's no sense of urgency for their own exams at all! LOL!

Son is in upper sec, and I've stopped bugging him to do his revision. I no longer have to sit with him. He's old enough and he seems to be able to move on his own, quite independent. At this point, we think he's old enough to understand the opportunities that avail themselves through education... after all those years of drilling it through his thick skull. If he can't, guess he'll just have to make the best of whatever opportunities that he creates for himself.

I see parents, especially of primary going kids, stressed up as if they are also sitting for the exams during this season. At school, parents are more kiasu than the kids themselves. My lil girl is not bothered whether she knows her times table well. It's the parents who get flustered when their kids don't know.

Exams... can't run away from that! School equals to exams. Good uni entrance depends a big part on that too! Just that I wish they don't have to start the mad race so early on... cos in the process of it all, a big chunk of childhood goes out the window too.. 8(

Anyway, the Lil One finishes today. I'm relieved. The older one still has a week more to go!