As I write this, M2 would have passed up her last paper, bidding her time to leave the exam hall and then it’s all over! She will still go for her extra tuition class but only to celebrate the end of UPSR with her other classmates.
Tomorrow I will bring both girls out for a fancy dinner to heave a sigh of relief and celebrate properly.
The carrots are being dangled again this year! I figured if it worked last year for the girls with the reward being ‘The Great Adventure Road Trip to USA’, this year we will do a regional destination for its city and the islands. I love this Asean country for its food, golf courses and shopping. Both M1 and M2 have never been there but I think they are old enough now to appreciate the culture and the food, besides the shopping and sights. Also this time, I dispensed with secrecy and let it be known where and when. So the girls know what is at stake and what they have to do in order to enjoy the reward, pocket money for spending included!
The current August school holidays has ended with two weeks of staying put and not much excitement on the homefront. M2 has exactly three weeks to her big UPSR exam while M1 has the year end to show her results. She promised she will not be watching anymore ‘Friends’ until the year-end exams are over; I hope she keeps to her word.
Having made all these exciting travel plans with the children, suddenly a curve ball was thrown when we were summoned to Singapore for a year-end wedding.
Both M1 and M2 are really enthusiastic about Singapore as well but hubby is a little bit concerned. Three destinations. Uh-oh… so much traveling, so little time!
Nowadays I find it tough for my girls for being what they are, children. There is so much expected of them, especially when it comes to school and exams. So much pressure and so much at stake. Is this an Asian thing? I don’t recall, back in the dinosaur era, I was in this situation though.
I went by the school last Friday to meet the teachers and discuss M2’s progress in preparation for her upcoming big (UPSR) exam. Whilst there has been improvements in her capabilities, there is still room for improvement! My goodness. My parents never took to such concern over my welfare when I was in school. And look how I turned out; pretty darn fine I should say.
M1 is no less neglected by us or her teachers. She also has her fair share of Meet-the-Teacher/Parents sessions to discuss class progress. However, it is just the timing of the current school term that required us to meet with M2’s teachers for an update.
While I may enforce sitting at the dining table simply to have an optimum ambience for studying, I don’t sit next to them and breathe down their neck. I used to do it though— being a study police—but find it wasn’t the best approach for both parties; stressed us out instead. Anyway, they are still young and have many more years of schooling to do, they must learn to be independent and manage on their own. After all, we can’t be forever holding their hands, they will never learn.
How else can we help? For one, there’s always the moral support, in person and in spirit! Then there is the love and chocolate that I ply them. If anyone has any other ideas, do share with me. Suggestions are most welcomed!
The school holidays are here again and it gives me mixed feelings. When the children were younger, I used to relish these times as it would mean the family would go away for short holidays, especially to the beach or to visit the grandparents or even an exciting overseas trip.
But as they grow older, trips are lesser as school work becomes more of a priority especially when the year has one of them facing a big exam. Last year, it was M1 facing her PMR exam (Junior High School level) and this year it is M2’s turn, facing her UPSR exam (equivalent to Middle School exam).
So when trips are lesser, complains increase.
“I am bored,” M2 would sigh out loud and constantly announce her state of being during the school holidays whenever we stay put. So much so, I banned her from saying the irritating phrase.
Or more horrifying if the iPod was taken away from her and she’d go, “I have nothing to do… (Moan…) What can I do? (Groan…)” Hello….. what happened to good old activities like riding a bike, playing with the dog, playing badminton in front of the house or playing with the children next door?
Groan….. even my mother would chastise her for making this statement.
But thankfully, this time, with her facing her big exam, she’d have her revisions to keep her busy. So while M2 continues with the diligent revision during the holidays, M1 is just vegetating, watching the whole series of Friends to pass her time and I can be sure that I will not hear that ‘I have nothing to do’ statement from both of them.
Typically after completing an exam, I remember attempting to look around, trying to peek over a friend’s shoulder or just walking out of the classroom.
Nowadays, what do the children do, especially before handing the paper over to the teacher? M1 told me she’d pretend to be occupied by counting how many people are sleeping, rechecking her answers or doing some doodles; basically pretending to be busy.
M2 on the other hand, would just doodle and can’t be bothered with the pretense. Recently, she showed me what she did after an exam.
Wow… My drawing skills pale in comparison sometimes.
It’s so typical every time after the exams. I would receive a phone call from M2 the minute she arrived home and reported the good news. But if I do not get a call from her, it’s pretty obvious the results are otherwise.
It became so predictable until she perfected her Drama Queen act, and each time I fall prey… dang.
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