Month: March 2015

Posted on

A MOVING EXPERIENCE

A MOVING EXPERIENCE

LKYToday I walked with many thousands of Singaporeans to pay respect to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

We emerged at the closest MRT station to a huge sea of people. In any other country, including Australia, I would feel slightly nervous around that number of people but not here.

People are queuing up to 10 hours to pay their respect and the hours of viewing per day have been increased to 24!

They were united in their purpose, aged people, children, pregnant women, young men, school kids- they came in their thousands with one common intent – to pay respects to their founder. And the mood was sombre but happy and sincere.

People gave out fans, drinks, food and there was an incredible sense of community. We walked in groups for a few hours, and the mood started to change and become quieter and more reflective as we approached Parliament House.

Each of us was lost in our own thoughts about this man. Each one of us needed to reflect and dwell on what effect this many had on the world. A great man has passed away. A man many of us in Australia disagreed with as young people, and yet if you take the long view- his achievements were amazing. His values, determination and in particular his unerring integrity and vision speak for themselves.

At Parliament House we were sincerely thanked for coming and we silently filed past the coffin. The mood was so quiet, respectful and lovingly solemn as each person bowed to show their respect.
It was a slice of history that will not be seen again.

It is a privilege to be here at this sad but curiously uplifting time!

Posted on

Mr Lee Kwan Yew: A Modern Day Hero

Hero stamp

I am writing a children’s book about  TRAILBLAZERS – people who have forged ahead, been innovative, determined and achieved their goals. I find that children are desperate to hear such stories and sadly starved of them!

I have tried to focus very much on people children can identify with to help inspire them to “reach for the stars” themselves.
There are stories of kindness, cussed determination, a boy with learning difficulties who was determined to read, a woman who never goes anywhere without cat-food in her handbag and much more. Collecting these stories has uplifted and inspired me and I cannot wait to share them with children!

Yesterday, when hearing the sad news of the passing of
Mr Lee Kuan Yew, I found myself pondering his story. What a modern-day hero! This man showed incredible bravery during his life,  determination with his studies, such reverence for education, absolute love of country and amazing planning and organisational skills in order to forge the prosperous and peaceful Island state of Singapore. What a story!

His story needs to be studied by children and not just by Singaporean kids!

He was the leader we all joked about in the West with the threats of haircuts for long haired young men, passing through Singapore on their ways to the hippie trails of the India and the Middle East.

We had no idea what he was really doing. He couldn’t have cared less about our opinions! He just wanted the best for his people and he got it. That singleness of purpose is a unique characteristic that is hard to achieve but that plus his high values makes Lee Kuan Yew such an inspirational figure.

Yes – I know there are detractors who point out his faults but at the end of his days he died a HERO– a man who held steadfast to his vision. A giant of a man!

RIP Mr Lee Kuan Yew- we have all learned so much from you. Let’s make sure your values and achievements are shared with children all over the world- these kids NEED and HUNGER for heroes in this sadly pessimistic, rather dark world we dwell in! You were the ultimate TRAIL BLAZER!

Posted on

“WHAT IS SPARE TIME?” Vicky

A boy plays with the time - Un bimbo gioca con il tempo
So sad that kids do not enjoy spare time these days.

As soon as an activity is finished they ask, “What’s next?”

 

Occasionally I answer, “Nothing for a while!” Just to watch what they do. It makes them so uncomfortable.
But Vicky what do we do?

Nothing.
Wonder.
Think.
Dream.

They stare at me like I am a total crazy!
Then I tell them what I used to do when I finished my work at school. I NEVER asked for more. I would sit quietly and THINK and DREAM and hope the teacher did not notice. (Judging by comments on my reports they did!)

I show them pictures and models of brains and show them the right hemisphere and tell them- “I used to go into that part and so must you!”

A few years ago I was finishing off an EQ4KIDZ course in Singapore and we hadn’t filled in every page in the workbook but we HAD completed all the learning and the kids had done so well.
I was saying, “Goodbye” and congratulating the children when a child raised his hand and politely asked,“What about these empty pages?
“Vicky, what should we do?”
I answered, “Just finish in your spare time Eugene.”
He stared at me uncomprehendingly. (Remember this kid speaks English most of the time and definitely knew what SPARE meant and also what TIME meant.)
“What is spare time Vicky?”

Luckily his mother was my teaching assistant and she heard, she GOT it and positive changes were made.

We program kids to DO DO DO. It is as if we are frightened of what they might do if they had a spare minute. Are we scared of our children?

But I ask you-
Where will our inventors come from?
Where will our future dreamers and visionaries come from?
How can these children learn to think when we keen telling them WHAT and HOW to think and even WHEN!
Spare time is that delicious interlude when you sit on the veranda and think, daydream (which is actually very good for the brain) and ZONE OUT.
When we empty ourselves out, more can flow in.
Children MUST be given spare time otherwise we rob them of the joy of freedom, creativity and imagination.
Come to think of it- I haven’t had much of this time either lately –
I’m off to the beach………..

Posted on

THE SANDPITS ARE EMPTY

children's playground and sandpit

The sandpits are empty
The Block Corner’s dead
A child is now only a bodiless head!

 

Within all the research about brain plasticity, brain stimulation, accelerated learning, directed and explicit learning a robbery has taken place.
Children are being robbed of their childhoods.
We’ve lost sight of what children need and who they are.
They are being hooked up to machines that supposedly take the place of teachers or parents and left to repeat and repeat.
They are sitting in rows looking at flashcards and parroting answers.
The sandpits are empty, the block corner is quiet.
Their eyes look dull and it is obvious they are starting to perform like trained seals.
Is this what we want for our children?
Is it REALLY all about results? Results of what?
Sure, we must teach in the best way possible and there is nothing wrong with explicit teaching methods – we use them every day.
What IS wrong is the lack of thinking, experimentation and curiosity driven learning.
I WANT Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar and many other effective literacy and numeracy programs to be used in schools. I just don’t want these used to the detriment of social skills, motor development and general vocabulary development.
We can take steps to make sure this does not happen. We just need to THINK.
Children could trace their spelling words in sand-pits, learn about volume and capacity in the sandpit and build a model of the narrative they have been listening to.
They could use plasticine to model sight words and numbers.
They could build simple structures to help them understand a spelling rule.
Who ever said that learning has to be boring and have a punitive feeling?
Are adults so angry with their fun-less lives that they have to rob children as well?
Worksheets are not always the way. Properly designed worksheets may help children to pass specific exams and practise skills that require a great deal of repetition but there is ALWAYS an alternative – even if it involves a little more planning.
We did need a U turn in Australia. For many years we had a lack of curriculum documents, laissez faire attitude and “she’ll be right” does not work in education!
BUT – we did not need the big NAPLAN stick and the factory approach that is robbing children of their right to just BE, to think, to wonder and to dream.
Some balance PLEASE?

error

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)