Too Much

Posted here on 10 May

The CEO of a tuition centre wrote to the papers to correct the impression of an earlier article carried in the same paper. The paper featured the centre's focus on compulsory 2-hour tuition daily and the popularity of this hot-housing method among parents. It has 20 such centres across the island and is adding 6 to 10 more in the next 20 months. This CEO claimed that the true picture is that her centre balances nurturing and caring with the academic focus. And she took issue that the report did not highlight how centres like hers are a great help to single parents and working parents by taking care of the academic portion thus giving parents the time to bond with their children after work.

Without being judgmental on those parents who enrol their kids at such centres, I think we need to give our kids a break. While I agree that kids shouldn't be left on their own devices after school, it is another thing altogether to attend tuition classes after school everyday. Kids and adults alike need time for other non-academic pursuits. It is indeed scary and sad to look back and find that all about childhood was stacks and stacks of assessment papers and relationship with parents being defined primarily by interaction over and about academic stuff.

Have you done your homework? Got spelling tomorrow? How did you do in the test? How many marks did your friends score? Why so careless? I just enrolled you in a mind-boosting camp, go ah and learn something from it.

Sorry, I'm not convinced that just because the academic portion is taken care by such centres, parents will spend the time after work to bond with their kids and talk non-academic stuff.
Children don't need to fill their every waking hour with activities that are "purposeful". Cycling, playing at the playground, daydreaming, reading, looking for creepy crawlies, enjoying a book, doodling, designing the look of a superhero, listening to the radio, paper crafts, playing board games, etc etc. These are activities that they don't need to excel in or be evaluated, just being themselves and have fun will do.

Let kids be kids. Study must study, but not too much.