Had a conversation with the Wheelock girls over dinner one day about how Australia's preschool education system focuses solely on the individual strengths of each child. Contrasting that with Singapore's preschool education system that believes in a more holistic approach to learning, which aims not just to build strengths but improve weaknesses of the child. The talk provoked thoughts on the way I had lived my life and the way I should approach a child's strengths and weaknesses as an educator in the future.

Many of us who grew up in the true blue sg education system would find ourselves spending the largest part of our time working on improving what we're bad at. My grades for math started dipping since I was 9 years old, and from then till I was 16, I struggled with and battled math. I always had to spend more time on math, because well, "practice (is supposed to) make perfect". I wouldn't say my practice made perfect, but it did make significant progress. I was scoring one digit results for amath in school exams, but I think I got a b3 at olevels. 

Why then do people say practice makes perfect? It hardly ever would if we spend our time practicing what we're bad at isn't it? What if we choose to use that time or at least a part of it to perfect a skill we are good at? How much easier would it be at try harder at, to keep practicing, to keep going, if we were facing something we enjoyed, something we were good at? 

How many of us would be stuck at the question "hey, what are you really good at?"- you'd stop and think to yourself, "well, I'm good at art, but I'm not great at it, and that's the same for singing and the other things Im good at too". 

Why are we raising a generation of children who would grow up to become jacks of all trades but masters of none? And how many lucky ones of the lot, will actually find that one thing they're great at, and yet how many talents go un-noticed and un-supported. 

Shouldn't we be paying a little more attention to interests and strengths? Let an active child do sports, gymnastics or dance, rather than worry it might make him "even more" active. Have a child dreaming to be a movie star? Can we not be too quick to douse that dream? A child that you can't get to stop talking? Why not choose to give him different avenues to talk? 

I'm still a firm believer of "who you are is good enough", and no not everyone has to be a star at something. It's just sad to think of the many could be's and what if's one would have in life- all cause we grow up feeling like we had to be like everyone else, and instead of letting our strengths define us, we let our weaknesses. #foodforthought 

Had a conversation with the Wheelock girls over dinner one day about how Australia's preschool education system focuses solely on the individual strengths of each child. Contrasting that with Singapore's preschool education system that believes in a more holistic approach to learning, which aims not just to build strengths but improve weaknesses of the child. The talk provoked thoughts on the way I had lived my life and the way I should approach a child's strengths and weaknesses as an educator in the future.

Many of us who grew up in the true blue sg education system would find ourselves spending the largest part of our time working on improving what we're bad at. My grades for math started dipping since I was 9 years old, and from then till I was 16, I struggled with and battled math. I always had to spend more time on math, because well, "practice (is supposed to) make perfect". I wouldn't say my practice made perfect, but it did make significant progress. I was scoring one digit results for amath in school exams, but I think I got a b3 at olevels. 

Why then do people say practice makes perfect? It hardly ever would if we spend our time practicing what we're bad at isn't it? What if we choose to use that time or at least a part of it to perfect a skill we are good at? How much easier would it be at try harder at, to keep practicing, to keep going, if we were facing something we enjoyed, something we were good at? 

How many of us would be stuck at the question "hey, what are you really good at?"- you'd stop and think to yourself, "well, I'm good at art, but I'm not great at it, and that's the same for singing and the other things Im good at too". 

Why are we raising a generation of children who would grow up to become jacks of all trades but masters of none? And how many lucky ones of the lot, will actually find that one thing they're great at, and yet how many talents go un-noticed and un-supported. 

Shouldn't we be paying a little more attention to interests and strengths? Let an active child do sports, gymnastics or dance, rather than worry it might make him "even more" active. Have a child dreaming to be a movie star? Can we not be too quick to douse that dream? A child that you can't get to stop talking? Why not choose to give him different avenues to talk? 

I'm still a firm believer of "who you are is good enough", and no not everyone has to be a star at something. It's just sad to think of the many could be's and what if's one would have in life- all cause we grow up feeling like we had to be like everyone else, and instead of letting our strengths define us, we let our weaknesses. #foodforthought