KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Hi, I have a daughter in secondary one in a girls' school. I find that the school expect unrealistic standards of students when giving project assignments to do at home.

As my daughter is unable to cope on her own, I end up doing most of the work in the project assignments. After obtaining feedback from my daughter on the rest of her classmates, I realise that most of the classmates' parents were also doing the work for them. This is crazy! Any one has similar experience as me?

cindylauper wrote:Hi, I have a daughter in secondary one in a girls' school. I find that the school expect unrealistic standards of students when giving project assignments to do at home.

As my daughter is unable to cope on her own, I end up doing most of the work in the project assignments. After obtaining feedback from my daughter on the rest of her classmates, I realise that most of the classmates' parents were also doing the work for them. This is crazy! Any one has similar experience as me?

Surprised to hear that. The projects are for which subject? Surely not for all subjects? Are these group or individual projects? If you don't help her, just let her and her teammates do the best they can, at the most the project standard would not be as high, any problem with that?

Honestly, the more the parents do...the harder the projects will get and become more and more unrealistic....because the teachers think the kids can cut it......

Are the parents going to work in their kids' future companies?

At primary, there are also parents doing for their kids.

ksi wrote:Honestly, the more the parents do...the harder the projects will get and become more and more unrealistic....because the teachers think the kids can cut it......

Are the parents going to work in their kids' future companies?

At primary, there are also parents doing for their kids.

At many a time, those whose projects done by parents score high marks, even full mark. A friend happily told me his dd Science project done by him and score full mark.

School should ask the kids to stay back in school and do their project. Then some kiasuparents will not be doing project for the kids.

For me, I don't.

I always tell my children that my school days are over, they'll need to deal with whatever that comes their way. Anyway, deadlines are negotiable and most teachers are approachable.

At Sec school level, your kid should be pretty independent by now - most would have garnered some project management experience while in primary school.

I only know that in Pri school, it is common for projects handed in to be done by parents. Wonder how the kid can take pride in a piece of work that they didn't do themselves.

I do not help my children with their projects at all. Not even when they were in primary school. My view is that they need to do these projects on their own to learn the requisite skills. How can we expect them to build up research, writing and presentation skills if they don't do the projects themselves. So they may not score highly, but they learn and improve. A child has to learn to be proud of their own product. What's the point in being proud of a high-scoring project done by your mother?

cindylauper - is your dd in SCGS?

I dont do her project work but I do stuffs like typing (after she wrote the article in paper), formatting, ppt etc etc for her. I insist that she provide the content which is the key to the project and I assist her in the no brainer stuffs.
I realise that her friends wasted loads of time in typing, making the ppt looks good etc.
DO NOT let them signon to Facebook/MSN when doing project work -they will spend more time "complaining" via online with their friends then do ing the actual work.

I dont do their project but might help in pointing the way (e.g. "go try internet keywords) and proof reading. Sometimes comment on the report, eg "abstract is too long". Also discuss ideas. But they have to write their own work.

I too help to proof-reading (DS is very careless) and help to discuss and give constructive ideas. Other than that, it's all up to him.

However last night, DS was furiously typing away at 10 pm last night for his project due today. He had to paste his work on a cardboard as a poster.

Since he is now in sec 1, I have resisted helping in his work as he has to learn to work independently. However, last night was the last straw. From the looks of it, if I had not given him a helping hand, he would have been up the whole night and this morning completing it. In the end, I had to help him cut and paste his work on the poster. Both of us were up until 12.30 am this morning when we finally went to bed at almost 1 am.

Told DS never to dilly dally and wait till the last minute to complete his work again. :x

My dd's show n tell in school. We received circular from school specifically asking parents to assist in handmaking the object needed for show n tell