Philosophy on Education

My eldest is taking PSLE this year and I have so many people asking me whether it is especially stressful and busy for my child and I. My nonchalant response probably made them scratch their heads. You see, I have never been one to angst over my children's academic performances. I don't make them take tuition or enrichment classes unless they ask for it. I never scold them for the results they bring home. Instead, I encourage them to try their level best and give them tips on improving. 

My expectation for them regarding school has always been to fulfil all their responsibilities as a student such as completing all assigned homework and not having the teachers call me to complain about bad behaviour or attitude. They can always approach my husband and I for help with their assignments but we will not rescue them from the consequences of laziness or forgetfulness. They have to take ownership of their own education and face the music if they make mistakes. 

Things remain status quo during the 'exam period'. We still attend church and bible study. Library trips and family outings continue as per normal and as long as they finish their homework, they can play as much as they want. After all, I find the education system already so tiring and pressurising for students these days. I rather they enjoy their fleeting childhood. 

I used to dream of homeschooling my kids because I would love to cater to their different learning styles, abilities and interests. However, my poor health condition did not allow for that to happen. So the next best thing is to give them space apart from school to do what they like. I am more concerned with their character growth because that is what will help them succeed in life.

There is so much more to life than the academics. 

I know of countless individuals who did well in school but failed in life. Numerous ones were condemned by the system, only to prosper when they found their niche and calling. Some even eventually discover fulfilling professions totally different from what they were certified to do after years of education.

I feel it so much more important to teach them life skills so that they can survive well in this turbulent world and know how to take care of themselves after they "leave the nest". I have an age-appropriate list of things I want them to learn and I aim to have them capable of living on their own by the age of 16. Who knows? Any one of them might find him/herself going overseas to further their education.

Furthermore, I trust in God's help and guidance in the lives of my little ones. As long as they have a loving relationship with their Creator, they will thrive wherever they are and in whatever they do in the future. I was overjoyed when each of them accepted Jesus as their Saviour and Lord and had, one by one, embarked on the exciting adventure with Him.

I could not have been prouder of my firstborn son when he was selected to be the Mother Tongue Language Champion not because he is good at the subject. Rather, he was chosen because he was the most well-behaved student in his class. Despite being academically weak, he was given the All-Round Development award. To me, these are the things that truly matter.

The Great Xcape

Last week, we celebrated Mother's Day for my mum. Tomorrow, we're celebrating it for my mum-in-law. Today, we did it for me! *all smiles* As usual, I like to try out new things. All along, ironically, I found it upsetting to "celebrate" with my children because I always ended up super busy taking care of my 4 offsprings and getting bombarded with all manners of nonsense from them. I much preferred to go out with my loving husband on special dates and leave the tedious care of the kids to my in-laws. This year, I thought that the children have become more sensible so I took them along with us to try out Xcape, the "No.1 Real Room Escape Game in Singapore". I chose the Kungfu Panda X - The Revenge of Tai Lung (Funtasy) because it looked the most suitable for young children.

But before that, Joshua took me out to Kintan BBQ Buffet for lunch, followed by watching a not-as-good-as-I-expected movie Pokemon Detective Pikachu. Then, I indulged in my favourite Gong Cha milk tea while Joshua tried the mango snow ice from 记得吃 dessert place. Next, it was time to go home to get our kids and my lovely mum-in-law who was watching over them. We were hoping that doing an advanced booking for a 7-seater cab would ensure that our whole family would reach the place on time. But alas! The driver cancelled on us last minute. In the end, it was so stressful trying to get alternative transport. We had to split into two regular taxis and arrived late. Thankfully, there was apparently no customers right after our slot so we could still enjoy the full experience. 

It was surprisingly fun, even though Joshua and I did most of the puzzle-solving. I kinda wished that the counter staff had told us to remove our socks beforehand since we were stuck at one section of game where the sensors were heat-activated. We were wondering why we just couldn't get it to detect us properly. Due to that, we did not complete the escape, leaving two puzzles unsolved. That said, I think we did pretty well being so close to getting out of the room by ourselves. The kids actually commented that it was fun for them too. I'm also very glad that my mum-in-law could participate despite her limited mobility. 

We ended the night with dinner at Bugis Junction's Yoshinoya. I was pleasantly delighted by their quick service even with the dinner crowd. The children totally loved the food! Looks like this experiment of enjoying part of the celebration with my four darlings is quite the success. I'm looking forward to involving them more in the future.

The girls posing in front of the poster
while we waited for the guys to arrive
in the second cab.

The Seven Kungfu Pandas!!!

I can always expect beautiful craftwork from my elder girl

P/S: I got to update my phone’s lock screen background pic! I attempted to recreate the photo from Mother’s day 2 years ago. Everyone was wearing the same outfit except my second daughter taking over her older sister's outgrown dress. It was really difficult to get the kids NOT to make monkey faces and funny poses... ROFL

Jurong Lake Gardens

With the opening of the newest garden, Lakeside Garden, among the Jurong Lake Gardens, I thought to make it our next biking destination. We had already completely toured the other two established gardens, the Chinese Garden and the Japanese Garden. Coupled with the arrival of Joshua's new ride we got online, it would have been nice exploring the whole place as a family. Except......

Sadly, despite being the most expensive of all our bicycles, Joshua somehow found it extremely difficult to cycle on it. He was lagging so far behind us that he had to ditch us and bring the bike home in a cab! *faint* Sooooo, I found myself having to watch over all four kids alone throughout the journey. Worse still, Joshua carried our water bottles in his bag. Horror of horrors! We were so dehydrated halfway through. 

Thank God for a convenience store at the MRT station nearby where I could purchase isotonic drinks with Apple Pay since I didn't bring my wallet and only had my phone with me! I've never been so grateful for this new mode of payment. Hahaha...

Anyway, I totally underestimated the crowd at the garden, especially today being a public holiday. My eldest actually asked me whether we could go back there ONLY after the hype is over. ROFL I'm just glad that we could just breeze around on our bikes looking at the throngs of people from afar. Hee hee. 

Now, we got to figure out what's wrong with the new bicycle....

The offending bike

It was pretty good at the beginning...

This cute installation was not as
packed with people

Weird bird mascot

Discovered a "sea" of mushrooms!