1st helper experience

On 15 Nov 2012, we brought back our very 1st helper, Nonna May.
She seemed very accomodating, responsive and helpful.
We had our initial ironing out but till 6 Dec 2012, things are looking good so far...

希望一切能顺顺利利！2013 好好前进！

To date, till mid Jan 2013, so far so good! She is patient with Abel and has been a great help!

My 12 years of Teaching (reality check)

On 3 Dec 2012, I, with much thought and careful consideration, typed my resignation letter to MOE and called it quits.

In fact, it was 2 years of leave that helped me to seek some sort of work-life balance amidst juggling motherhood, family and flexi work.

Of course, I miss the team effort in rushing and initiating projects but I don't miss a single bit of overworrying what grade I get and what I might shortchange myself if I'm out of favour with the influential and powerful. In a sense, I'm free and committed to contribute to the family's financial well being either through creative or proper means, come 2012 and beyond.

Actually, I'm quite surprised to handle this matter so calmly and decisively. Perhaps, it helps to the fact that ever since the day I took my NPL, it has been weighing on my mind ever since. Maybe if Abel is a normal chatty child like Joash or Xavier, I don't mind going back full time. The truth is, Abel is starting to be chatty so I don't want to lose everything which we invested upon him for the past 2 years. We want him to overcome this aspect with prayerful and purposeful parenting.

Thank you God for helping me see my path as a mommy carefully. 

I pray that You will continue to equip and prepare me for more challenges ahead, be it as a mom or as a wife or as a follower of You.

Fall.Rise.Soar

Today, we went to Pat's Schoolhouse Tanglin to make payment for our confirmation.
A load was off from our chests, even though we used $$$ somewhat to get the burden off. Indeed, in Singapore, a problem that can be solved with $$$ will cease to be a problem once it's done. Now, we will make use of the holiday till year end to pull all the stops and get him ready.

Despite ending 2012 in a dramatic way, we are still thankful for the opportunities that avail to us. @ the same time, we know the One who directs our paths. May we find courage to drop what's over for us and pick up what's meant for us. Better to view positively than cry over spilt milk.

Mixed feelings on 17 Oct 2012

Today, we met up with the management of CS Montessori and discussed @ length on Abel's school readiness so far. The moment of truth came when they found him lagging behind in terms of attention span, speech ability and emotional management. It was concluded that it would be best to discontinue his presence in the centre in 2013.
My heart really dropped to the bottom pit when we realised that Abel was just not good enough for the rigour of this enrichment centre. Seems like all the efforts we had put in him were not good enough.
As a double whammy, we forfeited the placing @ Brmck for 2013; now he was denied of a place in CSM. Suddenly, we are @ a crossroad. To do intensive therapy for 2013? Or look for a school that has teachers knowledgeable in this area?
I know this is not his fault for misbehaving in class. Impulsiveness varies from child to child. It is unfortunate that the teachers are clueless in managing him and conclude that he is lagging behind wrt the milestones. We as his parents also do not expect them to give much attention to him @ the expense of others. I believe they must have tried their best in getting to Abel. However, I think it must be too overwhelming for him in completing written tasks within. 2 hours. @ 3.5 yo going 4.

I cried a bit when I was on my way home after grocery shopping. Besides Adrian, I really don't know who I can trust and relate to. All these ongoing activities cum therapy tire us out. However, when hope is in vain, we were reminded by God that as his parents, we have a responsibility to nurture him to find favour in both God and Man. Knowing his main obstacles may suggest a bumpy road ahead, but we pray that God will give us the grace to succumb this shame and change it into a deep strength for our little one.
When the world turns its back on you, always understand they do not know your child well enough. Forgive them as they trespass against you. Be hopeful always and look out for those who believe in your child and are willing to work with you in tandem with his development.

In retrospect, it's a good thing he's out of this CSM pressure cooker. I kinda panicked when they started pushing him tons of written work to do. While they may have fulfilled the requirement in preparing the child for mainstream schools, I think they also kinda kill the spontaneity for learning. It's also getting super structured and rigid in fostering the spirit of compliance or even conformity. Where is the creativity?

How boys and girls learn...with differences!

It's known that in milestones' growth, boys are behind girls mainly in speech cum language development. However, when they reach teens, the gap narrows and the boys will charge ahead with significant progress. Girls always surge ahead in the schooling years as they prefer to do more desk related activities and pay more attention to the teachers for a longer period of time. Girls are also able to learn quite a bit via auditory teaching. See this link for more information: http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/855-how-girls-learn On the converse, the boys need visual tools and movement related activities to stay engaged. It is necessary for the educators, predominantly females to recognise this vital piece of information. For the boys to catch up and not fall too behind the girls, the educators need to factor in their innate learning predispositions and design activities that enable both boys and girls to maximise their learning potential. See this link for more information: http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/854-how-boys-learn After reading these articles, I finally understand why my boy is able to listen what the teacher has taught despite being on the move. During circle time where the teacher shares stories or information, his hands prefer to be busy with piecing puzzles or building blocks. While this is certainly not encouraged in a mainstream environment, the teachers are perceptive enough to engage him creatively without sacrificing the content. However, sometimes, he does not do his written work properly. Could this be due to his distracted self during lessons?

Looking back and beyond on Growing Up

Having a boy who is 3 years old and counting reminds me that I am in a very unique position that probably my God and spouse know my struggles better as a mom. I could still remembered how instant time flies...1000+ days ago, I was still holding my little baby boy who looked so soft and feeble in my arms, whilst in the hospital ward. It seemed as of time came to a standstill and the air was filled with tremendous peace and tranquility...my boy simply existed and was totally dependent on me to further his existence. As time goes by, I see him gain strength from strength. You know you are a fully fledged parent when every small gesture of growth can thrill you to bits whilst every tiny difficulty yet to overcome can evoke powerful emotive responses from within you. Parenthood also makes me grow as an individual who is braver to speak up what's bothersome, even if the recipient may not like to hear the content in entirety. Watching how he grows from a baby to a curious toddler simply gives us a deep sense of thanksgiving. Till now, we are having fun showing him the tools to effective communication. He has also taken an interest to reading on his own. It is such beauty to hear a young child reading out aloud! Despite having inaccuracies in the pronunciation or even intonation, we often break into peals of laughter when he remembers the words and says them with gusto. This brings me the idea of building him up in reading and writing in a fun manner. The preschool is doing a great job in refining both his fine and gross motor skills. As a om only to him, I hope to use this space to learn how to nurture him into an effective reader and writer. As the saying goes, "Today a reader, Tomorrow a leader" ~ W. Fusselman Pushing academic pressures aside, I believe preschool should be the best period in unlocking the child's imagination and exposing them to wonderful texts that leave an indelible imprint in their minds. Hopefully, the use of great books, games and even activities can develop the child to be awakened by his innate desire to express himself through words. Children are a unique lot. Some express better via speech and they thrive in Speech and Drama workshops. There is another group who prefer to pen down their powerful thoughts and opinions. Very often, children often struggle in writing as they lack sufficient words and ideas to form sentences or even paragraphs. Also, there is a dearth of writing ideas that encourage a child to write passionately. From young, he is trained to write to be marked, or submit a writing piece with guided instructions. Where is the unfettered feeling of writing anything that catches your fancy? How about cutting some cool articles and give comments on what you feel? Share your experiences on anything under the sun? Like eating, cycling or even swimming, writing and reading are essentially what makes us human. We read to experience or understand something better; we write to share with others what is really deep in our hearts and minds. All in all, effective reading and writing skills will equip him to handle the challenges ahead. In my next post, I will share some resources on what a 3 year old can be excited about. I will select texts that may be gender appropriate even though both boys and girls will enjoy reading. I will also share what my boy is learning now that helps him in his language acquisition. To end, allow me to depart with this quote I found on the website, "Pausing to listen to an airplane in the sky, stooping to watch a ladybug on a plant, sitting on the rock to watch the waves crash over the quayside - children have their own agendas and timescales. As they find out more about he world and their place in it, they work hard not to let adults hurry them. We need to hear their voices." ~ Cathy Nutbrown www.quotegarden.com/children.html