Review time spent on CCAs

[Pioneer]

 

Not everybody is like that mah. Yes competition makes you better yourself, but it's not the be all and end all in life. It's also the journey, and what you gain out of it, that's important.

 

I know it sounds a bit morbid, but everyone dies at the end. At the end of your life, I don't think anyone would say "I wish I had won this medal or that prize".

I agree with you about we all have to die but the values you picked up - resilient, pursuit for excellence, collaboration, perseverance, etc. They are very important values you want to see in our future citizens.

[Jman888]

 

Not everybody is like that mah. Yes competition makes you better yourself, but it's not the be all and end all in life. It's also the journey, and what you gain out of it, that's important.

 

I know it sounds a bit morbid, but everyone dies at the end. At the end of your life, I don't think anyone would say "I wish I had won this medal or that prize".

 

Getting medal in school is not the real effect, the real effect come from what you learnt and experience gain that become useful in adulthood, or even career, or being parents etc.

[Nlatio]

nbzzzz.... now a days many teacher got give special CCA.... need to blow, lick, kiss, suck..... why last time no have....

[Voodooman]

Sleeping so little for a young teen is not good. If this is the system now at some elite schools, then something must be wrong. I am lucky I still have a childhood, no wonder I am still driving a Japanese car, never go to elite schools. LOL.

 

Anyway, the mother has a choice, can't have the cake and eat it, right?

[tf2noobz]

you joking right? Teachers are adviced to be present during CCA.....usually on a rotational basis with the 2ic or 3ic. Kids will be kids and when contact sports is involved there will be injuries and others. Should anything happen to the student the teacher must write up a formal report to MOE should the child claim insurance or worst death! The Coach will never be asked formally about any incident bcos its the teachers job.....so how to go back?

Part of the kpi mah! Teachers will try to win either Zone or nationals. To win the zonal competition is already and achievement and the Nationals is a sought after prize! Can put up during work review and appraisals.....who dont want?

not all...there is librarian, photography,elds, cultural groups. Sports no need to say but usually the children would enjoy the games. But i try not to recommend uniform gtoups....too much time taken up for parade practices and what not!

Agree totally. Teachers spend time chasing KPI, then after that can't teach properly. That's why they encourage teach less learn more.

[Benarsenal]

I agree with you about we all have to die but the values you picked up - resilient, pursuit for excellence, collaboration, perseverance, etc. They are very important values you want to see in our future citizens.

 

Getting medal in school is not the real effect, the real effect come from what you learnt and experience gain that become useful in adulthood, or even career, or being parents etc.

 

All these can be learnt and picked up without the "win at all costs" mentality.

Edited March 24, 2014 by Benarsenal

[Jman888]

 

 

 

All these can be learnt and picked up without the "win at all costs" mentality.

 

not win at all cost lah, all the training, learning and preparation in the process, and just enjoy the competition or tournament, I doubt they would emphase on "win or die" lah.

[Benarsenal]

not win at all cost lah, all the training, learning and preparation in the process, and just enjoy the competition or tournament, I doubt they would emphase on "win or die" lah.

 

The bold part, I agree, of course. But is it really put in practice?

[Philipkee]

 

Not everybody is like that mah. Yes competition makes you better yourself, but it's not the be all and end all in life. It's also the journey, and what you gain out of it, that's important.

 

I know it sounds a bit morbid, but everyone dies at the end. At the end of your life, I don't think anyone would say "I wish I had won this medal or that prize".

Problem with this statement is tt ppl will also say," I wish I had not studied so hard and enjoyed my childhood instead" at their deathbed.

[Ahseng]

My time i joined Computer club and played warcraft lan game in the comp lab. Seebeh song!! I LOVE ECA!

[Darryn]

Her kid is spending three hours a day on the road - that is the first thing she should be looking at - whether this is really worth it.

 

Beyond that - of course we all have our own anecdotes, and cannot say that our experience is the same as hers.

 

Having said that -

 

I know that for my daughter's school, CCA is once a week. IF you make it into the school team (like she has) then you will have additional practice - which may be an additional one or two days a week, or weekends - this term break she was supposed to go back three days for additional training.

 

BUT - being part of the school team is OPTIONAL. You don't have to do it, and as a parent you don't have to approve the additional trainings if you don't want to.

 

Just as an FYI - I hope my kid can go the DSA route - there's a couple of nearby schools I have my eyes on, if she should happen to be so talented. So I do encourage her to follow her sporting interests (which happens to be TKD - she has a competition coming up soon)

[Evillusion]

Agree totally. Teachers spend time chasing KPI, then after that can't teach properly. That's why they encourage teach less learn more.

Till now no one knows what was meant by Teach Less Learn More. A stupid phrase by the man in charge...might as well say Work Less Earn More! Nb......!

[Bonafidestack]

I guess that's Singapore for you. Nothing is ever done "for fun". Everything must have an end goal and a purpose (i.e. to win).

 

Sad isn't it?

One word. Meritocracy.

[Wyfitms]

don't think the system will change before my kids are in sch

 

so the thing i can change is to

 

move closer to sch

send the kids and bring them home to cut down on travelling time for them

[Strat]

IMO, I rather my kid spend time in school doing CCA than spending time in arcade or outside loitering and wasting time..

[Nzy]

Maybe they should remove the CCA bonus points for the L1R5 computation.

 

Or else have to join these kind of competitive CCAs in order to go for competitions and get the 2 bonus points. Without that 2 points, the best L1R5 they can get is 4 when the cut-off for top JCs is 2 points.

[Aristotle]

Maybe the mum see a lot of time taken up by cca, and no other time slot to put in extra private tuition slots for the daughter and try to find loopholes to "complain" about cca too long

 

I tell you lah. This kind of mother or father, I see until sian. Nowadays life of a Singapore education system student very sad. Their tuition all stack like nobody's business. Half day also become full day. No wonder all not enough sleep. And no, it is not the cca that the student that want to skip. It is all those kiasu parent's extra enrichment programmes that is supposedly going to get their son/daughters ahead of the peers, that the students want to siam.

[1fast1]

In my time, they called it ECA. Extra-curricular activities. I guess they thought that was marginalising it as something outside schoolwork, so they're changed it to the euphemistic CCA: "Co-curricular activities".

 

When I first went to "Type R club", the school made a big fuss about how at least one sports ECA was compulsory. I've been accused of being many things, but an avid sportsman is NOT one of them.

 

So I decided on air rifle as the least of evils. Signed up only to find that there was endless rifle drawing, rifle carrying, rifle cleaning (with the smelly oil), rifle returning, etc. etc. etc. So much mind-numbing, soul-crushing tedium. And you had to run up to the target to change the bullseyes and run back. If you ran at the wrong time (while people were preparing to fire), you ended up having to knock-it-down. Found myself doing far more exercise this way than I'd intended, having chosen (what I'd thought was) a soft option, so I just quit. Luckily Type R didn't force the issue and let me get away with 4 years sans any sports. Did wonders for my figure, made me quite the all-rounder.

Edited March 25, 2014 by Turboflat4