Corporal Punishment : 不打真的不成器吗？

Corporal Punishment –A case of condoning violence or Spare the Rod Spoil the child 嚴父出孝子，慈母多敗兒, 不打真的不成器吗？

Most of you would have recalled the case of a Malaysian couple posted to Sweden who were charged and convicted under Swedish law of gross violation of children’s integrity. Their method of discipline –canning, would have been the norm in many Asian countries but deemed to be a criminal act in most Western countries.

This is a topical issue in Malaysia as we  consider our laws to align with the Convention on the Rights of the Child . The Star in Page 16 ( 27 /01/2015) with a sub headline-Parents in Chinese schools Okay with caning . I must confess this is one of the most divisive issues even in my own household !! The phrase Spare the Rod , Spoil the child has a biblical root “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him” . There are many   phrases of similar meaning in different languages 不打不成器, 棍棒底下出孝子, which show a universal acceptance  of corporal punishment in many cultures but why has it been outlawed  now ? 

In the context of child discipline ,  corporal punishment (not amounting to causing injury) was acceptable and it is still acceptable in Malaysia  because of the domestic nature of the act , a case of what a family does within the confine of four walls is a private matter .  

We accept that children have fewer “rights “ because they are not fully responsible for their own acts and if not checked /disciplined , parents will ultimately bear the responsibility . The discussion now is –what is an appropriate form of punishment ? If it is not acceptable to verbally assault /insult an adult, why is it acceptable  for an adult to humiliate a defenseless child ?  Punishment of any form is meant to act as a deterrent ; so a quick slap on the hand of a 3 year old child touching a hot kettle may send an instant message  of “touch means pain “ but will the same message work for a 7 year old who fails to hand in his homework because he did not know how to complete it? Does removing the ability to inflict pain mean  taking away the ultimate tool for parents and teachers to instill fear when fear is the only language they understand ?

As I mentioned earlier, this is a controversial parenting subject with no clear cut answers . Every child is different and every family has a unique set of circumstances .

We are doing a survey on corporal punishment in schools and at homes so we can gauge the parents  response and come to a common understanding on the acceptable  forms of punishment . While this survey is not scientific , it reflects the views of those who chose to respond. When we have many taking part (200 or more ) , it is fairly representative of the views of the parents in Subang Jaya with children in SJKC. You can also submit your comments but please be reminded of the common etiquettes of posting –no offensive remarks directed at any individuals and respect others’ views even if you disagree with them.

*** Irrespective of whether you support, against or like to put forward alternatives, we invite you to comment and take part in our survey.  - Web version only: if you are using mobile version scroll to the bottom and change to web version to vote)
(answer polls: top right of this page (for mobile: scroll to bottom of page and click web version to vote) , add comments at bottom of this post)****

Happy Parenting

Ken Koo

Update on Tuition

Further to my earlier announcement (16/01/15) ,Our AJK had held a meeting on 17 January 2015 and voted in favour of   conducting  tuition classes AFTER  AGM approval has been obtained . Our AGM is scheduled for 7 March 2015 so tuition should commence by  the end of March . To recap, AGM approval is needed because all fee paying activities must be approved by PIBG AGM. 

 

I was one of the AJK members who voted in favour of an early start but I was in the minority. However, the school management has its own discretion to conduct free (no collection of fees or subscription from students ) classes or activities without the need to obtain PIBG approval. 

While some parents have made private arrangement for  their children to attend tuition classes, it is also gratifying to know some parents are using this opportunity  to pay closer attention to their children’s homework and spend quality time with them.

On a separate note, I was with a  businessman/politician who is well known in the Chinese education sector. His observation about the main difference between SJKC  and SK children is the latter are more expressive .  He believes that the amount of written work and the parents academic expectations have driven SJKC children to be more conservative  ,communication wise . In fact , the  common answer to most questions is “I don’t know” because a typical SJKC child will only volunteer an answer when he is 110% sure.

With the implementation of KSSR, the way one answers a question is as important as the answer itself.  Our entire generation has been tuned to exams where answers are typically “absolute” with no latitude for alternatives . It will take a fundamental shift of attitude involving  all stakeholders to come to terms with the new paradigm –success is relative and excellence is comparative.

My next article will be about corporal punishment –watch this space 

Ken Koo

YDP –PIBG LH

28 January 2015

TUITION and EARLY AGM

I have received many called from parents regarding the status of the school tuition classes.Based on the information available to me , tuition will only commence once we have approval from PIBG AGM. Lick Hung has a tradition of conducting tuition classes for higher levels (4, 5, 6) and for standard 6, the tuition hours also used to complete the syllabus early so students can have several trial exams before UPSR which is normally conducted in September.   2015 will be the last year for UPSR

 .

PIBG is required to obtain a mandate from its members during AGM if it wants to conduct fee paying activities from the students . Tuition can be conducted at any time if no fees are charged but there is nothing to stop the parents from making a donation to PIBG . This is an acceptable practice in the interim while PIBG awaits its AGM normally held in March .

I am personally in favour of an early resumption of tuition on the basis of PIBG paying an agreed rates to teachers and  on the understanding that attendance to tuition is not  DEEMED to be compulsory  . I believe that most parents will make an appropriate donations to PIBG to cover the costs of running the classes .  Once we have AGM approval, PIBG can formally charge a fee . Based on the survey conducted in 2013 and the feedback from the parents –teachers dialog  in  June  2014 , I strongly believe that a vast majority of parents will approve tuition as one of the fee paying activities .

http://lhpibg.blogspot.com/2014/07/meet-teachers-day-report-card-day.html

The last AGM was held on 14 March 2014 so technically the term ends on 13 March 2015 but with the unanimous approval of the AJK (committee members ),  it is possible to hold an early election .

Parents have also highlighted the problem of lack of electricity and the state of disrepair affecting many classes.  I trust the school will take notice of these issues since they are safety issues .I will also be contacting the Board of Governors to see what they can do to assist since these come under their jurisdiction .

I take this opportunity to thank all the Staff of LH for their dedication and parents for their support during my term as YDP. Special thanks to many parents who took extraordinary efforts to organize parenting  talks , art and craft events and continuous education programs for parents and children.

With our AGM around the corner, I look forward to receiving your feedback on our performance as well as suggestions for the incoming AJK. If you want to take a further step to be more proactive, please let us know so we can share our experience with you .

As usual , happy parenting from your YDP

Ken Koo

15 January 2015

《给未来思想家的21封信》

台湾著名亲职教育专家～游乾桂心理医师再次受邀来马，带领新书读书会:
(1) 12月8日晚上7点半《给未来思想家的21封信》在ONE CITY, USJ25，欢迎青少年与家长一起出席。
(2) 12月9日晚上7点半《让天赋飞翔～放对位置就是追梦天才》吉隆坡林连玉纪念馆举行讲座，欢迎家长老师与书友们出席。

游老师将分享新书内容，让孩子们找到 通往成功人生的魔法，与各位大人探讨如何成为孩子成功人生背后的助力。

报名费RM20，联系：0122237513，座位有限，先报先取。谢 谢。

Streaming –A very hot Topic indeed.

We have crossed over the half way point of voting  with 12 more days to vote.  Having received 220 votes as at the time of writing with the voting trend quite consistent at 80% not in favour of streaming. While the number  represents just over 5% of the parent population of LH, it is still a fair sample considering many parents may not be aware of the survey and many who use handsets may not want to go through the trouble of voting since it requires a little bit of navigating around the page.

The  comments we received to so far are  likewise encouraging –many are constructive , insightful and courteous irrespectively of their point of view. This is the environment  we want to inculcate namely to  promote constructive exchanges of views . 

Since the start of this topic, I have had the opportunity to engage with a number of teachers and been informed that no decision has been made on this subject  I have also been reminded that streaming is a matter of school policy which in practice means that it can be implemented without input or consultation with parents .  Assuming that an overwhelming majority of parents are against streaming  and LH decides to proceed with streaming , what will be the consequence?  

 Administratively , probably nothing will happen and there is nothing parents can do other than voting with their feet if they  feel strongly about the decision . Practically , there will be lots of stressful parents and children , some wishing to get into the preferred classes , others wanting to get out . The true impact , academic wise will only be delivered some 9 months later . The new breed of students  , having received the  love, attention and devotion they  deserved  (and expected?)   , will hopefully lead us to a new dawn with all rounded excellence .  

Please continue to vote before the closing date which is in 2 weeks. 

By far , our most popular topics have been academic related such as KSSR and STREAMING  and continuing on this thread,  we will be discussing “TUITION-“ at the conclusion of the current survey.

As we come to end of the academic year, we are preparing to welcome new parents attending standard 1 in LH in 2015. We will be organizing several parents get together events to share the joys of attending LH, how to navigate the academic maze and mess of KSSR, what to expect from a HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOL, what to buy and what not to buy, how to survive as banana parents  and many more. Watch this space . 

Drop us a line if you are interested in the event .

Happy Parenting

Ken Koo

LH PIBG Chairman

STREAMING - THE SECRET WEAPON TO ACHIEVING HIGH PERFORMANCE, IS IT ? -- 成績分班制度

Streaming, not the internet kind, is a hot topic among LH’s parents recently. I have received reliable information that the top 25% to 30% students will be placed in elite academic classes starting 2015 affecting standards 6, 5 and possibly 4.

Parents Academic Research Team (PART) are hard at work again getting feedback from parents, teachers and ex LH students on the pros and cons of streaming. 

Conventional Proponents of streaming say:

1. Having students of similar academic ability facilitates teaching, be it contents or speed of delivery, hence better efficiency in terms of completing the syllabus and preparing for exams. It allows an opportunity for the school to explore beyond the prescribed syllabus.
2. It encourages students to compete with a bigger pool of students within a close proximity thus promoting academic excellence.
3. It provides a controlled environment for the school to achieve its academic KPI by directing resources to targeted  areas; best teachers for the high achievers, lower teacher-pupil ratio for the less gifted to allow for more personal attention etc

The Opponents of Streaming say:

1.      It creates different classes of “citizens “within the school compound by virtue of one’s academic ability. This will inadvertently label the success or failure of the children by their inclusion in or exclusion from the elite classes- resulting in different treatment by the school.

2.      Teachers may be less motivated to give their best to the lower ranked classes because of the perception of weaker academic ability and the corollary is children will feel the academic glass ceiling, they will not give their best perceiving that their best may not be good enough to be considered as excellent within the ranking system.

3.      Streaming is a form of segregation which is against the order of nature; children develop at different pace and will benefit from interacting with other children of different academic ability. Those who are more academically inclined will help those who are weaker hence creating a more conducive cooperating spirit as opposed to the win at all cost attitude. Too much emphasis on academic achievement at an early age stifles the natural development of children making them less versatile or adaptable in the future.

Irrespective of whether you support, against or like to put forward alternatives, we invite you to comment and take part in our survey.  
(answer polls: top right of this page, add comments at bottom of this page)****

Once we have a fair sample of say 400 participants, we will publish the results and see how we can move forward.

Please take part and have your say

Happy parenting

Ken Koo

YDP PIBG LICK HUNG

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Parents Academic Research Team

Another UPSR Leaked

UPSR English papers leaked 

There is another leak in UPSR english paper, Students  likely need to retake the papers, reported in STAR.

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2014/09/11/UPSR-English-papers-leaked/

  * Latest news: Only SK students need to retake English papers. SJCK English papers are not affected