I live in a densely-populated, competitive Asian society, so it’s not uncommon to find parents signing their children as young as four up for enrichment classes. Elementary education used to be the place in which children learnt how to read and write. These days, preschool education plays a crucial role because it is meant to prepare little minds for the rigours of primary school. Children are expected to spell multisyllabic words and write simple sentences when they enrol in primary school.
My boy is in Kindergarten 1 (two years of kindergarten before they move on to primary school). As a teacher in the public school system, I am ironically chill about the paper push. I think academic grades are transient. They serve a purpose in telling you how much your child has learnt at a particular point in time - and yes, failing to achieve stellar grades at important milestones will destroy his chances of entering prestigious schools. But grades are only good for indicating how well children have conditioned their minds to think in set ways dictated by the national curriculum. I would much rather my son enjoy a carefree childhood rather than let his mind be manipulated to think inside the box.
Before I got to know my boy, I wanted him to be resilient. The world is more volatile and unpredictable compared to the time when I was growing up. He is bound to encounter more setbacks than me, so I want him to have the strength to pick himself up and try again.
These days, I look in awe at how he spends his time. I used to find it exasperating - the way he started playing with his toys before shower time. I have come to enjoy the way he acts whenever a fancy seizes him. One minute, he can be hard at work tracing numbers and letters. The next minute, he can don his makeshift lion dance costume and dance enthusiastically. Time doesn’t hold him captive. His imagination roams free. His limbs act on their own accord.
Today, I have to decide whether to set the mid-year paper or update the student workbook. Both deadlines are looming and occupy valuable cognitive space. I will probably get them done by next week because I’m a good worker, but I hope that my son does better than me. That he will manage his priorities and responsibilities expertly - unfettered by time - and still dance whenever he feels like it.