Half the Story

I happen to see this advertisement promoting "intensive tuition" for $90, 3 subjects. What struck me was not the price, but the word "intensive".

While I do believe that certain students would do better academically with some tuition, local parents might have taken this a little too far. Just last week, an article from the newspaper revealed that a parent spent close to $200 on assessments books and the likes. The child is merely primary one!

The most explanation from parents, I supposed, is that this is for the good of the child, to give them a headstart amongst their peers. This is all good and well. However, academic results are just a fraction of what determines if a person is successful. Once, on a public transport, I saw a parent telling her child that it is useless to get first in some sports event (her child won some race I think) - getting a good grade is more important. Local parents seemed to forget that there are more ways to be successful tha just through academics, and that the definition of success
depends on the individual. Academic results is important in today's world. However, it is not everything.

Interpersonal effectiveness skills (such as how one interact with other people) are important too. If parents merely focus on the academics and perhaps certain sports just for the purpose of their children emerging ahead of others and winning some competition and glory, their children would perhaps grow up with this competitive mindset that "I must be better than the rest". Time spent studying or training means less time to interact with other children or to see other children as friends, not competitors. Would they grow up to be socially inept?

The very young are impressionable. If we instill such min such mindset in them at an early age, they would grow up believing in such things. I believe that trying to reverse such thoughts would be difficult later in life, especially if the children are successful in their endeavours all along.

So I hope parents would give their children a little break. Tuitions and enrichment classes are fine. But do remember to give the children to interact normally with their peers - without any sense of competition.