Disappointed with School System today

[Nolicense]

I would say that there is a difference between creativity and imagination.

 

yes.. one is a mental faculty.. the other is a realized work that is of value...

but what's your point....?

[Darryn]

Why so complicated story abt superman n all?

 

Go to local skool write like a true local lah...........the classic schoolbook characters always go by the name of Ali, Muthu or Ah Kau.

I tot they were Arthur Brian and Cheryl?

[Toothiewabbit]

My sprog is in Primary 5, for the first time so far - last night I was truly disappointed in the school system.

 

By and large, I find the schools are doing a pretty decent job - so far the education has been going pretty well, I haven't always agreed with what they teach. But hey, I don't need to - they have been doing it rather well.

 

Last night, chatting with the kid - it is the first time I have been seriously upset at what they are doing.

 

Just had the "Chinese Composition" exam for first semester, and we were chit chatting about what she wrote.

 

Apparently they were given picture prompts - about a boy bullying his grandma, running into the road and almost getting run over.

 

Well ok, putting aside the rather ham fisted and heavy handed moralising - we talked about what she said next...

 

I suggested a story line of...

Seeing the boy in danger, Superman came flying out of the sky, and stopped the car just in time, lifting it up to protect the boy. But then, when he found out what had happened, he said "Nah - you don't deserve to be rescued" where upon he dropped the car onto the boy, turning him into ketchup.

 

Crotch spawn informed me that if she wrote that, she would be marked down for "going out of context" - WTF?????

 

Out of context?

 

No wonder the kids are so boring - they have to tell a predictable and "moral" story -

In my day, we were encouraged to try and shock / surprise the teacher.

Not write stories to some freaking boring formula!!!

 

Blardy hell - how to move forward like that?

 

 

 

acheree, care to share what was the composition question your daughter had to answer? Any 3 pictures that comes with the composition question har?

 

liddat then we would know if your suggestion is out of context mah.

[Throttle2]

My sprog is in Primary 5, for the first time so far - last night I was truly disappointed in the school system.

 

By and large, I find the schools are doing a pretty decent job - so far the education has been going pretty well, I haven't always agreed with what they teach. But hey, I don't need to - they have been doing it rather well.

 

Last night, chatting with the kid - it is the first time I have been seriously upset at what they are doing.

 

Just had the "Chinese Composition" exam for first semester, and we were chit chatting about what she wrote.

 

Apparently they were given picture prompts - about a boy bullying his grandma, running into the road and almost getting run over.

 

Well ok, putting aside the rather ham fisted and heavy handed moralising - we talked about what she said next...

 

I suggested a story line of...

Seeing the boy in danger, Superman came flying out of the sky, and stopped the car just in time, lifting it up to protect the boy. But then, when he found out what had happened, he said "Nah - you don't deserve to be rescued" where upon he dropped the car onto the boy, turning him into ketchup.

 

Crotch spawn informed me that if she wrote that, she would be marked down for "going out of context" - WTF?????

 

Out of context?

 

No wonder the kids are so boring - they have to tell a predictable and "moral" story -

In my day, we were encouraged to try and shock / surprise the teacher.

Not write stories to some freaking boring formula!!!

 

Blardy hell - how to move forward like that?

 

 

 

Sometimes i just cant understand your types.

 

Its very simple.

 

There are subjects and topics to exercise and nurture creativity

And there are those which do not and should not.

And there are those which are a mix meaning being creative within a boundary

 

Kiang do hoh, mai keh kiang!

Edited April 16, 2015 by Throttle2

[Sosaria]

It's okay lah... personally, I think TS was just voicing his opinion - which everyone has a right to - and it's not like the system going to change to suit him. It's just airing an opinion. Complaining like a true local!

[Darryn]

acheree, care to share what was the composition question your daughter had to answer? Any 3 pictures that comes with the composition question har?

 

liddat then we would know if your suggestion is out of context mah.

Got three pictures one with fourth frame ?

 

Something about doting grandma, boy always walk home from school with her, he ask her to buy toy, she say no because no money then he tantrum and run out in front of car...

 

What happen next

[Sosaria]

... Grandma act instinctively to push the boy out of the way, and get run over by the car instead. Grandma injured and ferried off to hospital. Boy regrets his actions and repents. Not sure though if I have the vocab to actually write that...

[Nolicense]

... Grandma act instinctively to push the boy out of the way, and get run over by the car instead. Grandma injured and ferried off to hospital. Boy regrets his actions and repents. Not sure though if I have the vocab to actually write that...

or grandma dies and every year boy pay respect at her grave. bring his kids and grand kids over the years and reminds them to respect elders by telling the story.

[Nolicense]

Got three pictures one with fourth frame ?

 

Something about doting grandma, boy always walk home from school with her, he ask her to buy toy, she say no because no money then he tantrum and run out in front of car...

 

What happen next

this exercise is not about creativity. its about language proficiency.

pictures are just what they want you to write about with the premise up for free play.

the last frame is just the excuse to say they give creativity in class.

they just want you to write what they want you to write without telling you to do it.

 

in a different culture, freedom of creativity given wouldn't do that. they will just give you a topic or title and tell you to write

[Darryn]

... Grandma act instinctively to push the boy out of the way, and get run over by the car instead. Grandma injured and ferried off to hospital. Boy regrets his actions and repents. Not sure though if I have the vocab to actually write that...

That was one of two dotter said ...

 

the other was car stop just in time....

 

yes it's about language proficiency, and I can't argue why they do it (if give free rein, people just memorise a story for exam, which is worse)

 

It's just so damn boring and predictable and formulaic ----

 

I would hate to be the marker...

 

As far as the idea of telling you what to write without telling you what to write - language ability is all about communication - I would much rather they give a starting scenario - and let you go where the story leads from there,

 

eg: A boy, who is rather spoiled, is walking home with his grandma...

 

What really bugged me the most "I will be marked down if I go off topic" - meaning to say it could be a perfect, grammatically correct, expressive story, but if is "off topic" lose marks...sad

[Joseph22]

That was one of two dotter said ...

 

the other was car stop just in time....

 

yes it's about language proficiency, and I can't argue why they do it (if give free rein, people just memorise a story for exam, which is worse)

 

It's just so damn boring and predictable and formulaic ----

 

I would hate to be the marker...

 

As far as the idea of telling you what to write without telling you what to write - language ability is all about communication - I would much rather they give a starting scenario - and let you go where the story leads from there,

 

eg: A boy, who is rather spoiled, is walking home with his grandma...

 

What really bugged me the most "I will be marked down if I go off topic" - meaning to say it could be a perfect, grammatically correct, expressive story, but if is "off topic" lose marks...sad

I think T2 gave the best reason.

[Benarsenal]

That was one of two dotter said ...

 

the other was car stop just in time....

 

yes it's about language proficiency, and I can't argue why they do it (if give free rein, people just memorise a story for exam, which is worse)

 

It's just so damn boring and predictable and formulaic ----

 

I would hate to be the marker...

 

As far as the idea of telling you what to write without telling you what to write - language ability is all about communication - I would much rather they give a starting scenario - and let you go where the story leads from there,

 

eg: A boy, who is rather spoiled, is walking home with his grandma...

 

What really bugged me the most "I will be marked down if I go off topic" - meaning to say it could be a perfect, grammatically correct, expressive story, but if is "off topic" lose marks...sad

 

Frankly, our education system is more about testing your understanding rather than thinking skills.

 

I've gotten many primary school compositions marked "off topic" before, but perfectly fine grammatically and structurally. What Nolicense said is correct. They just want to see whether you can follow what is given to you.

 

Sad.

[Ender]

Composition is not all about writing stories with creative writing skills. There are advance classes/clubs for creative writing. Many professions like engineers, scientists, Doctors, Journalists also needs to write good article/compo and very importantly well within context. And chances are the students most likely will turn out to be in one of these profession rather than the next Jing Yong.

 

If you read up some of the past year comprehension they use P6 or P5. Some are geography articles taken from magazines, and these are very good composition material imo, They are are laid down with facts and written within context.

 

Imagine a zoologist writes for national geographic with afew pictures of wildlife that he shot from Africa,. Suddenly he gets creative and want to shock the editor, with Tarzan, wild cannibals..Don't think he'll get publish. Or we'll end up with another Ip Man movie, that has more entertainment than facts.

 

Edited April 16, 2015 by Ender

[ChinJinPhua]

Who's the boy? Amos Yee?

[Coltplussport]

I think T2 gave the best reason.

 

 

Exactly, think TS should just say the same thing to his dotters. kiang tio ho, mai geh kiang.

[Super366]

Thank you Darryn for creating this discussion.

Yeah William Y is looking at it a little off, he has his baggage. Take it that Darryn is reasonable, maybe eccentric with a taste for dark German ale....I'd buy him the marche jug anytime.

Now. Darryn, did you realize that the Chinese language is pictographic. Actually they are drawings, not a b c, but little pictures in itself.

From what little post schooling in Mandarin, in the United States of all places, Singaporeans have this paucity of ability in their mother tongue. I think only a small number of Singaporeans in SPH, NUS and NTU can be certifiably acknowledged as competent in said language...mother tongue.

Most of us think we boleh, actually we appear as ostriches to other 'pro' users.

I do not wish to get into political discussion about Mandarin. Chung Cheng off Mountbatten is not strange to me. I do know that the complexities of the language make it easier for Mandarin to have layers of meaning in a single sentence, much more elegant than English. I fear the SPH fellows using it. Causes me to be priapic, it does. I seek to qualify the perceived elegance of mandarin versus English in that I do not know or use the two languages well as I should.

The form of the language has evolved, mandarin, with who is in charge. Yup, different groups, even they look the same (Europeans too) modified and transformed the so called Mandarin. The NUS permanent head damage fellows not here? This living language is the extension of the power of the native speakers. We must use the language of the speaker, sure, when we are learning the language we can fool/play with it. It makes learning much more meaningful and fun. We all know the fun of elitist scribbles...

But, I am sure you boys and girls know when playtime ends and that we need to abide by social norms and discretions. We need to use the language as the native speaker to gain legitimacy. With it, we can conduct our business of rice and water.

By bracketing the composition pictorially, there is studied relevance and application. Yes, it did occur to the tender me so long ago, why the frack was chinese 老师 was giving us picture composition when the English teacher has stopped. Frustrating right, I have to be creative with pictures, not words...then epiphany, actually it is because of the language used.

Then I found out about this Gay guy called Andy Warhol. He reads in pictures. I like his junk, no not that junk, you know what I mean.

You see Darryn, it is how you 'SEE' your...issue's quandary. Why did you mention one to have the role of PM wife and second one to be PM? Incest? Not at the same time you mean? Haha...

I digress.

I do not wish to write more as to quote " what we do in life, echoes in eternity..." Picha our collective lobang.

I do know that the thinkers would realize that the pragmatic fellow that they were and our agrarian and shopkeeper backgrounds.

It is just that, people get sacrificed, as the Roadrunner mentioned. Some struggle so hard because they lack, in their environments to be power like Darryn daughter or Super son.

I dunch noe about Africa like you with the impossible name. Diamonds sparkling. No hab la. Only got catching ants, hardy boys, Nancy Drew and the famous five. Enid Blyton contributed seriously to my English development as did Mr Duncan Watt (the newsreader).

Nothing Singapore does is stupid. As a signature from Ktlgc???, supposedly by Albert Einstein....

I gather this, a fish can never understand why it is effortless for the monkeys to climb trees. The monkeys will never understand how fishes can stay underwater for so long.

So many ways to bite an ankle......

[Jman888]

... Grandma act instinctively to push the boy out of the way, and get run over by the car instead. Grandma injured and ferried off to hospital. Boy regrets his actions and repents. Not sure though if I have the vocab to actually write that...

 

This one confirmed the 'model' answer A [laugh]

[RadX]

Why so complicated story abt superman n all?

 

Go to local skool write like a true local lah...........the classic schoolbook characters always go by the name of Ali, Muthu or Ah Kau.

You dun

 

 

 

 

There.... Creative anot

 

 

 

This for @mockngbrd too