You guys are warriors
The Penilaian Menengah Rendah or Lower Secondary Assessment results came out this morning but we all slept so well last night! 🙂
There was no tension at all in our household.
This is because we knew Nicholas had studied very hard for the past year and had given his best. As parents, we are very reasonable and understanding. We do not ask for the impossible.
Unlike his younger sister, Nicholas is not a straight A student. He is an average and happy-go-lucky guy. But it doesn’t bother us one bit.
This morning, he got up, had his breakfast and then went to school with his best friends to get their results. They came back hours later, some happy while some sad.
“Hey dude, what did you get?” we teased him playfully.
He could only laughed shyly and tried to hide his result slip from us.
After being chased around the house by his kid sister, he finally let us have a peep into the small slip of paper.
He got 3A, 3B, 1C and 1E.
Oh my goodness, he had failed his Mandarin again but so had his friends.
“Don’t worry, almost everybody in our class failed Mandarin!” they said amusingly.
I know, I know, Mandarin is one of the toughest language to master on planet.
“For those As and Bs, well done and keep up but for the E, you better put in more efforts!” I told my son and his friends.
“What is done, is done and you cannot changed the results. But you can work harder for better results for your next hurdle, the SPM. Move on, okay, guys?” I tried to cheer them up.
I learned from them that there were some teary students and sullen-faced parents at school today. They acted like December 21st (the end of the world according to Mayan calendar) came two days earlier.
“How are we going to celebrate, Mom?” asked Nicholas mischievously.
“Ask your daddy when he got home tonight. We go out to eat something you like, as a reward!” I told him, giving my son a pat on his shoulder.
“Yeah!” he responded happily and we gave each other high fives.
Today, I am truly proud of my son and so was his daddy.
I really want my children to feel that going to school and sitting for examinations are not weary chores. I want them to feel that learning is a joy.
After all, the journey ahead is still very long. We cannot feel pressured, tired or fed-up at such an early stage, can we?
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188 Hugh Low Street, Ipoh 
Your reaction toward your son exam result is 100% correct, afterall academic result is not the main criteria to success in life……we all know it is much more complicated than this. Congrate to your son !
Hi LY. Tai,
Thank you! 🙂 Although my son is disappointed with his failure in the Chinese language, he is matured enough to realize there is nothing he can do except to put in more efforts in future.
Congrats to Nicholas! Learning should be fun, and not solely dependent on exam results. Children nowadays are too pressured for academic excellence, thanks to our education system. Recently, I read an article from Amy Chua, the writer of The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. She shares a different perspective of parenting which contradicts to what I am believing. She believes in driving the kids to outdo themselves. It is the same perspective that my mum is using on me and my brothers when I was young. This will work for some children, but to some, it may not. Well, my thoughts is, we can practice this in moderation, but not to the extend of hurting their self esteem and parents have to give encouragement along the way. I’m still in my learning stage when it comes to parenting, so I would like to ask what is your thoughts on this?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html
Hi Andrew,
Thank you! 🙂 I have heard of Amy Chua before but I have never read her articles until you gave me the above link and you know what?
Half way reading the article, my hairs stood on ends and cold sweats gathered at my forehead. It was so scary that I could not finish it to the last part…..I really pity her poor daughters. I doubt they have a relaxed and joyful childhood growing up under such a mom. Maybe her ways works with child geniuses but I doubt it will for normal kids.
By all means, encourage your child to excel but do not use the Spartan methods. We want our children to grow up as normal youths, not soldiers. 🙂
Congrats to Nicholas. I love how you and your husband are teaching your children. Great advice 🙂
Thank you, Barb! 🙂 We are still learning everyday.
It’s not easy…. both are teenagers but of different genders which means different mentalities and temperaments….it is like getting on a roller coaster each day. 🙂