Dear C In the blink of an eye, you've completed your first year in Secondary School this week. Well done! Even as we celebrate with you this milestone, there is something that we do need to state for the record. You see, the truth is we fully expected that you might not be promoted to … Continue reading Congrats Son! But We Best Get To Work Soon On Your Advancement
Three days ago, a father's community chat group I'm in was unusually abuzz for much of the day. The reason? Enthusiastic discussions over the excessive emphasis on academic performance of kids in our country. I did not weigh in on this age-old discussion in my nation. I was thinking: How could I? My son's been … Continue reading Should I Get My Son Off The Academic Track Now?
He read The Ilyiad at 14 He read The Ilyiad at 14Not once but thrice I had to blinkI said that just ain't possibleWere you mad with nothing else offering? Surely there must have been otherEasier books to attemptLike Robinson Crusoe or Moby Dick?What?! You also read the Odyssey?!! And did you say The Old … Continue reading My Monday Metrical Musings #218
It's official! With the release of my youngest son's PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examinations) results three days ago, I've finally severed any direct contact as a parent to this odious national exam. What a relief! Now when I say odious, I do mean it. You only have to google the words "PSLE", "parents", "students", and … Continue reading PSLE Postmortem — A dad’s final thoughts on national exams
Welcome to my guest post series! (If you are keen to be a guest writer on my blog, please check out my guidelines by scrolling to the bottom of my About page) This year, I was blessed to connect with other stay-at-home dads thanks to a new community of fathers I connected with. One of them is my … Continue reading Guest Post: What One Stay-Home Dad Learnt From His Son’s School Meltdowns (Part 1/2)
It's been two weeks since I resumed teaching face-to-face, now that Covid measures here have further eased. Yes, it does seem we're back to pre-Covid days again. Well, sort of. The thing I'm forgetting is this: even as the educator in me looks forward to engaging my students live and in person, the non-traveler in … Continue reading Back to daily in-person teaching after 2.5 years
Dear Patience I need a healthy dose of you this season. Because I'm not a good parent when it comes to coaching my autistic son during this exam season. Let me explain using just one of his school subjects by way of illustration. Weird Science! Photo by Wilawan Pantukang on Pexels.com The topic we revised … Continue reading Daily living with autism #10: Science is hard!
A victim of the old paper chase? Just that bit more quality is missing she saidNot once mincing her pronouncement of his mid-termsSmart he is your son, there was never a doubt But Could he say a few more words for that science test answer?Or offer to shine beyond the HumanitiesEmbrace other spheres, other possibilities, … Continue reading My (May) Monday Metrical Musings #82
Since I started on my stay home parenting journey, my social circle had shrunk and I find myself often wondering about the fluidity and fragility of friendship. How some friends stay put in your life while others leave, returning once in a blue moon or not at all. And then there are those from your … Continue reading “I apologise for being a jerk.” Making amends after three decades
When it comes to all things parenting, there's just no side-stepping that dreaded word: SCHOOLING! Which formed the core of a podcast discussion I was involved in two days ago. I had been invited back to record an episode for the local parenting podcast series Hey Mama. I was previously on their podcast in October … Continue reading Parenting motivations #9: Parents’ Schooling Stress
