Just Singapore

Just. Just received the phone call from the school. It was shown in the handphone, the numbers 6269 XXXX and I know its from the school, Qi Hua Primary School.

It was 9.05am when the teacher called me. I am grateful that the teacher called me. I thanked her… really thanked her for her effort, and later, accepted my ‘request’ and ‘favour’.

Form Teacher
At the beginning of school, January 2008, the class was given a form from their form teacher, and that is how I got to know their form teacher, Mdm Chua. She was a good teacher. Everyday Clara came home, very cheerful, very motivated, telling me stories (what Mdm Chua had told them), asking me questions(to see if I know).

Everything changed when Mdm Chua gave birth to her baby. She had to go on leave to look after her baby. Clara loves the teacher. She even went to her website, sent her message (that was what she told me).

After that, who is the form teacher? One relief teacher after another one. I am also confused. Just yesterday, she told me again about the current form teacher… saying the class is always ‘last’ and the teacher always scolding the class…. Before this teacher, there was another one (relief teacher also)….

What The Teacher Said:
She had given out consent form for Supplementary Classes (long ago she said), and Clara did not sign it. I told her, Clara was absent a few days ago, she was sick. But she said, she had it.

I asked for the date of the supplementary classes. I did not even know any head or tail about it! I asked and jotted down the dates. I asked her for her name. She was reluctant to say her name, but “I am her form teacher.” But later on, she added, Madam Tan.

After saying so much, she was not going to allow Clara to attend the supplementary class. Then she would have missed the lesson! And she had already called me, and I have consented to it! After that, she agreed… and I asked her to help me to ask Clara to call me later.

Look Into It
She asked me to look into it.

Richard asked me: What are you doing?
I wrote about Biofocus International, he said I asking for trouble. I wrote about the school, he asked me not to write…..

I told him so many things, he also never listen. Bad things are so easy to do. Bad things are so easy to learn. And children ‘pick’ up the habits and learn everything, good and bad…

My fault…
I did not check her school bag. I did not check her handbook. I expect her to do all by herself, to be responsible. My mother was illiterate. My mother never had to check my bag. But I do everything myself. There were no student handbook also! So what if there is student handbook? When I check, it was blank…. soon, I also learned to leave the kids alone… let them learn themselves. I am so busy, I am thinking of earning money, money is a problem already!

You think I love to live this kind of life? I can look for a job, and not care about the family, have money, have CPF, but the family would even be worst!

Co-operation
Not every child in Singapore is born rich. Not every child can AFFORD to go school and have TUITION after school. Not every child is so fortunate to be borned into rich families or LOVING PARENTS who cared about their children. It JUST happened that I AM the unfortunate ONE that was sent to REPRESENT the illiterate, the unfortunate, the poor.

You cannot expect every parent to Check the work of the children. The parent can only tell the children. I always ask her, tell her, and if she wants to listen (it also depends on the teacher-student relationship)!

It takes two to tango.

Not Happy, Come Talk To Me
If I had written here, and anyone is not happy, come and talk to me. I need your help. I am most welcome to sit down with the teachers and the principal, if only you want to help. I am only a mother, a wife and I have to do so many things! Come lor, Come and talk to me, call me if you want. This is the kind of students-turned-parents that Ministry of Education had ‘nurtured’. If only you want to ‘entertain me’!!!

And How Do I tell YOU to look into it?
I TOLD, I CALLED the teachers of Qi Hua Primary School, to HELP… (elaborate in some other posts)… did THEY or did SHE…

Links:
QiHua Primary School
QiHua Primary School Crest
QiHua Singapore Sculptures
QiHua Victory
Which School To Go