Wednesday, October 08, 2008
The Electric New Paper :
She has to live with EM3 stigma
HE did well in her PSLE.
27 January 2005
HE did well in her PSLE.
And she blends right into the Secondary 1 Normal Academic cohort at Assumption English School.
But Siti Syafiatul Istiqamah Haji Mohamed Jais, 14, lives with a stigma - classmates and teachers alike are well aware of how different she is from the rest.
Why? The West View Primary School alumnus was from the EM3 stream.
She still made it into the Normal Academic stream. And there are others who go on to join the Express Stream as they progress.
But Siti wishes she hadn't been in EM3.
And if the Primary Education Taskforce has its way, this will no longer be a problem as it is recommending the removal of EM3 and of streaming altogether.
'It would have been so much easier if I was in EM2. I think I would have found the syllabus okay too,' said the ex-Madrasah student who transferred to West View in Primary 5.
'But now unlike my classmates, I have a lot more to catch up on. And I'm not that used to it because it was a bit too easy at EM3 level. I'm very glad that I'm being challenged and stimulated now though.'
COPING WELL
Yet, she is managing to cope well.
Though she has not had results from any tests yet, she is confident that she will be on par with her classmates.
This is because her teachers give her special attention to make up for her gaps in knowledge from her simpler EM3 syllabus last year.
Of her 13 subjects, it is Maths that requires the most attention.
'Actually when my teacher explains it to me, it's not that difficult. It's just that I've never learned it before,' she said.
And her parents are more than happy with her progress.
'She's already doing very well, considering how she came from a Madrasah school only two years ago,' said the Malay-speaking Mrs Hajah Siti Faridah, 50, a laboratory attendant.
'But I do pity her that she has to struggle and work so much harder to catch up now.'
Siti's mother is well aware of another more intangible challenge that her daughter faces.
The stigma of having been from EM3.
'She feels a bit inferior to the rest because of the EM3 tag, but hopefully it won't matter as much in time,' she said.
Siti agreed whole-heartedly.
'It was a bit nerve-wrecking at first because I come from such a different background from the rest,' said the 14-year-old.
'And my classmates commented about how I had only 126 for my PSLE, while the rest of them have about 160.'
However, after nearly a month at school, she said her classmates have become accepting and treat her normally now.
It is precisely such adjustment problems that the taskforce hopes to remove in doing away with the EM3.
The taskforce chairman, Ms Lily Seah, 40, instead hopes that an ongoing 'natural streaming' will take place.
This involves teachers paying attention to the different learning abilities of their students from Pri 1, and adjusting their teaching accordingly.
'The current streaming has become an event of sorts for schools because they just prepare their students for it instead of focusing on the actual learning,' said the businesswoman who trains educators on human dynamics.
'Why not encourage constant observation of how each student learns and from there carry out whatever other mode of differentiation the school deems appropriate.
'If implemented, streaming will become unnecessary and redundant because an ongoing 'natural streaming' will be in place. And removing the stigma facing EM3 children will be a good bonus.'
HAHAHAHAHAH.LAUGH ALL U WANT!
She has to live with EM3 stigma
HE did well in her PSLE.
27 January 2005
HE did well in her PSLE.
And she blends right into the Secondary 1 Normal Academic cohort at Assumption English School.
But Siti Syafiatul Istiqamah Haji Mohamed Jais, 14, lives with a stigma - classmates and teachers alike are well aware of how different she is from the rest.
Why? The West View Primary School alumnus was from the EM3 stream.
She still made it into the Normal Academic stream. And there are others who go on to join the Express Stream as they progress.
But Siti wishes she hadn't been in EM3.
And if the Primary Education Taskforce has its way, this will no longer be a problem as it is recommending the removal of EM3 and of streaming altogether.
'It would have been so much easier if I was in EM2. I think I would have found the syllabus okay too,' said the ex-Madrasah student who transferred to West View in Primary 5.
'But now unlike my classmates, I have a lot more to catch up on. And I'm not that used to it because it was a bit too easy at EM3 level. I'm very glad that I'm being challenged and stimulated now though.'
COPING WELL
Yet, she is managing to cope well.
Though she has not had results from any tests yet, she is confident that she will be on par with her classmates.
This is because her teachers give her special attention to make up for her gaps in knowledge from her simpler EM3 syllabus last year.
Of her 13 subjects, it is Maths that requires the most attention.
'Actually when my teacher explains it to me, it's not that difficult. It's just that I've never learned it before,' she said.
And her parents are more than happy with her progress.
'She's already doing very well, considering how she came from a Madrasah school only two years ago,' said the Malay-speaking Mrs Hajah Siti Faridah, 50, a laboratory attendant.
'But I do pity her that she has to struggle and work so much harder to catch up now.'
Siti's mother is well aware of another more intangible challenge that her daughter faces.
The stigma of having been from EM3.
'She feels a bit inferior to the rest because of the EM3 tag, but hopefully it won't matter as much in time,' she said.
Siti agreed whole-heartedly.
'It was a bit nerve-wrecking at first because I come from such a different background from the rest,' said the 14-year-old.
'And my classmates commented about how I had only 126 for my PSLE, while the rest of them have about 160.'
However, after nearly a month at school, she said her classmates have become accepting and treat her normally now.
It is precisely such adjustment problems that the taskforce hopes to remove in doing away with the EM3.
The taskforce chairman, Ms Lily Seah, 40, instead hopes that an ongoing 'natural streaming' will take place.
This involves teachers paying attention to the different learning abilities of their students from Pri 1, and adjusting their teaching accordingly.
'The current streaming has become an event of sorts for schools because they just prepare their students for it instead of focusing on the actual learning,' said the businesswoman who trains educators on human dynamics.
'Why not encourage constant observation of how each student learns and from there carry out whatever other mode of differentiation the school deems appropriate.
'If implemented, streaming will become unnecessary and redundant because an ongoing 'natural streaming' will be in place. And removing the stigma facing EM3 children will be a good bonus.'
HAHAHAHAHAH.LAUGH ALL U WANT!
