My friends in Singapore (yes, the country with the model education system for most of the world) have been telling me not to return with my daughter to Singapore for her education.
Why?
Because the cost is too high.
For many middle-class parents in Singapore, it involves the full-time commitment of (usually) the mom, ferrying the kids around for after-school tutoring, volunteering at the top schools to make sure that their kids get admission priority, monitoring kids’ homework. Families even have to engage drivers if they have more than one kid of school-going age. Getting children to produce good grades requires the labor of many people in the support network – parents, grandparents, tutors, domestic helpers, drivers. It does take a village!
This morning, just woke up to the New York Times article about students taking “Taking Stimulants Not for a High, but for a Higher SAT Score“. High school students are finding it easier to take drugs for the focus that they need to ace tests and exams. Is it worthwhile sacrificing our children’s health for good grades?
