tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post6314120507642966155..comments2023-10-29T07:25:14.554-07:00Comments on Story of My Life: When a Math question teaches you a lesson on humility...Chellespeakshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-16794437512412907862015-03-20T20:51:43.938-07:002015-03-20T20:51:43.938-07:00Thanks! 5000+ views a day for your blog is very im...Thanks! 5000+ views a day for your blog is very impressive, and not easy to achieve. Congratulations!<br />I have written a short guide on how to avoid Careless Mistakes at: http://mathtuition88.com/2013/05/05/how-to-avoid-careless-mistakes-for-maths/<br />Some tips are psychological in nature, like when faced with a 5 mark question, if students get the answer in one or two steps (happens really often), something may not be right. Also, neat and tidy handwriting is a major factor all the way from Primary level to JC. Hope it helps!<br />I also have a free Math newsletter (http://mathtuition88.com/free-newsletter/) which you are welcome to subscribe to. Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-23542256303501172792015-03-20T10:40:56.209-07:002015-03-20T10:40:56.209-07:00Thanks for reading. The school had finally accepte...Thanks for reading. The school had finally accepted her working. :) <br />The test wasn't used for any collation of any score and 15/20 is a fine score. As a parent, for me, sometimes you just know your child can do better, especially when it is a mistake resulted from carelessness. That said, the blog has captured you enough to sustain your interest as a regular reader. :)Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-82894682233444025282015-03-20T08:43:26.854-07:002015-03-20T08:43:26.854-07:00Nice post! 3+1=4 is perfectly acceptable to me!
I ...Nice post! 3+1=4 is perfectly acceptable to me!<br />I guess this is what happens when the answer scheme is followed too rigidly.<br /><br />Keep up the good work, and as a Math tutor, I would have to say that 15/20 is a perfectly respectable and fine score. <br />God bless.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-44049418175877829262015-03-17T22:56:14.053-07:002015-03-17T22:56:14.053-07:00HI there! Thank you for reading the entry.. and I&...HI there! Thank you for reading the entry.. and I'm grateful that you actually asked for my permission to reproduce this. May I ask that should you post it, you show me your comment along with the post as I don't wish my kid or her school to bear any negative consequence? hope you understand. We may discuss further via email... mngern@gmail.com :)Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-52633588761333380652015-03-17T21:51:57.101-07:002015-03-17T21:51:57.101-07:00Hi, can I ask for your permission to reproduce thi...Hi, can I ask for your permission to reproduce this post on our education portal http://www.domainofexperts.com? Explicit mention shall be made of the fact it first appeared on your site, and we shall cite Michelle as the author. Hope to hear from you again :)DOE Administratorhttp://www.domainofexperts.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-64734832899425258622015-03-15T19:57:57.428-07:002015-03-15T19:57:57.428-07:00Dear Anonymous, thank you for sharing with me your...Dear Anonymous, thank you for sharing with me your thoughts, even if they aren't pleasant. I don't expect everyone to leave a positive note or provide encouragement. That said, this sharing wasn't as well to gather affirmation of what I was doing as a parent was right/wrong. All i intended to do for this sharing is to provide an instance where we have overlooked our child. While you may be the fortunate few who have figured things out from day 1… not many people have that idea or role model to follow. If they found it useful and helpful, it has already helped a learning parent, me included. <br /><br />That said. I asked which is worse because while i know one is ability, the other is essentially attitude. Which is harder to unlearn, unless there's a desire to do so. And my experience as a teacher has shown me enough when society is more forgiving to people with different ability rather than bad attitude.<br /><br />To conclude, just because i choose to highlight this incident doesn't mean there aren't times when I laugh and play and have tender moments with her…. :) <br /><br />Enjoy your week ahead.. :)Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-24794106645749717102015-03-15T09:19:57.658-07:002015-03-15T09:19:57.658-07:00This was quite an eye-opening read for me, though ...This was quite an eye-opening read for me, though I'm afraid not in a pleasant way. It left a sour feeling in me, and I feel as if such actions would lead to an undesirable parent-child relationship, in a general sense, or breed an undesirable mentality developed by the child as she matures. Now, of course they say there’s no single ‘right’ way to bring up a child, but do I feel that you really could have thought through things a little before saying such harsh words. I do notice that in the end you realised that you admitted to be at fault and apologized, but the damage has nonetheless been done. It’s a bit like somebody giving you a cut on your finger and then hastily putting a band-aid on it—it still hurts underneath.<br /><br />In short, I doubt I would adopt this sort of parenting style for my children, and would instead turn more to positive reinforcement methods. In fact, I'm a little surprised to be have met someone that does so in this day and age, and thus, the eye-opener. Thank you for sharing this.<br /><br />>>(I'm not sure which is worse… to do badly because of carelessness or because they are clueless)<br /><br />Well, it is most certainly worse to do badly because of cluelessness, because cluelessness implies problems with the method of thinking, whilst carelessness does not. One takes more effort to rectify than the other, they both amount to the same marks given in a test. You, as a teacher of all people, should be aware of this.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-53328622643262155522015-03-15T01:45:32.009-07:002015-03-15T01:45:32.009-07:00:):)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-88430376949133650372015-03-14T21:47:46.402-07:002015-03-14T21:47:46.402-07:00Haha… but even with your way of questioning, anon...Haha… but even with your way of questioning, anonymous would still answer as 7… Because an egg, whether broken or not, remains an egg. :)Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-7948336295201351832015-03-14T21:33:10.333-07:002015-03-14T21:33:10.333-07:00I totally agree. The question was not clear. It sh...I totally agree. The question was not clear. It should be 'there are 7 eggs, 3 broke. How many are left?'Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05736644155558848742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-74543858333293409992015-03-14T19:40:27.588-07:002015-03-14T19:40:27.588-07:00Hi Anonymous, I'm glad that your students have...Hi Anonymous, I'm glad that your students have a nurturing teacher like you. I was a teacher and I tend to look out for the errors rather than the correct answers. But that's just me as a tendency as a teacher… It's like saying "men are jerks" but of course, it doesn't mean all men are really one. That said, if you have the time to read the later posts on the updates of this episode, the school has in the end accepted the answer. :) Thanks for your encouragement regardless and hope we can continue to inspire the children who we meet along our way. :)<br />Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-51554816252376033422015-03-14T19:13:02.377-07:002015-03-14T19:13:02.377-07:00"I looked for the things that I should look a..."I looked for the things that I should look at as a parent, not a teacher", I have to disagree with this statement. I am a teacher, and throughout my years of teaching, I have never scolded my pupils after any examinations. My rationale is simple, some kids are feeling bad enough knowing that they have not done well for their papers and I can foresee the lectures (or further humiliation) that they will be facing when they show the papers to their parents. So I do not see the point in adding to their misery. I tend to celebrate small successes, but we have to be mindful not to lower their drive in achieving greater success by acknowledging grades that do not reflect their potential. So it is important to spend time going through their work and be specific in our compliments. As for the mistakes made, it requires patience to understand their thinking process and help them understand and correct them. From your post, I would like to thank you for being such supportive and concerned parents. It is heart-warming to know the effort that you put in to coach your kids. Sometimes it is just human nature to use quantitative results as a measurement of success, but overly focus on academic success will compromise other aspects of learning and kids emotional well-being. <br /><br />Anyway, your daughter's answer is perfectly fine. If the school is not keen to accept alternative solutions, they should have fixed the operation.<br /><br />Have a good holiday.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-84525201595611357472015-03-13T22:45:58.422-07:002015-03-13T22:45:58.422-07:00Dear Anonymous, thanks for writing your feedback a...Dear Anonymous, thanks for writing your feedback and taking time to read the blog. I don't think my parenting style is perfect. However, by sharing this incident and what I learnt from this incident, i hope parents would appreciate the take home lesson from it. :) Again, many may not have agreed with what I did, some may think otherwise, or I might have just been relating something that has been happening for ages, but no one realize it until now. I do give her credit and I do tell her I was sorry and appreciated her other solution (check out the newer posts on it). I stood corrected, I agreed and I accepted. That's why I went on to talk to her school about it. That said, everyday, spending that 2 hrs with my girl sitting down doing work helps us discuss on other things as well besides eggs. :) Thanks for the well-wishes and I do hope this won't be the last post you would be reading from my blog. :) Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-74678307775754985742015-03-13T22:28:44.310-07:002015-03-13T22:28:44.310-07:00I think as a parent, you should recognise the geni...I think as a parent, you should recognise the genius in your children that the education system fails to recognise and encourage them. I grew up having parents who scolded me for not meeting their expectations in examinations. Now, thanks to them, I have high expectations for myself; I learn to set my own targets. However, I have always found trouble confiding in them emotionally because I feel they never saw the ingenious part in me and I always feel under-appreciated by them. I simply don't think they understand me. Your daughter crying alone in the room is the spark of such a psychology. I used to do that a lot. You might think that its all good for them now but their not trusting you emotionally may be your trade off in 10 years' time. In other words, you may have a highly successful kid who barely talks to you about anything that's happening in their lives. I'm not sure if that is really what you want... Nevertheless, I really appreciated your self-reflection and I wish you all the best in educating your 3 children in the years to come!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-72976446568209477632015-03-13T22:14:10.731-07:002015-03-13T22:14:10.731-07:00I think you have to give your daughter credit for ...I think you have to give your daughter credit for understanding the problem. In the real world, when you want to find out how many eggs are left after some have broken, you count the ones that are left immediately, not, as suggested by the answer scheme, how many you originally have and then subtract those that are broken - which is like touching your right ear with your left hand. If the mistake does not teach a person a lesson in real life, it is not a mistake at all. It is not at all your daughter's fault for having the most logical mode of thinking. Of course she cried. I would have.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-48244460163535753692015-03-13T19:15:17.450-07:002015-03-13T19:15:17.450-07:00Thanks for your words of encouragement, my dear. I...Thanks for your words of encouragement, my dear. I really appreciate it. I am just grateful for the chance of being her parent.. :) Hope to have you as a frequent reader!Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-70438390941764495772015-03-13T09:55:02.946-07:002015-03-13T09:55:02.946-07:00I'm blessed by your humility and honesty as a ...I'm blessed by your humility and honesty as a parent who is learning. Thank you for sharing so openly. I know Audrey is in good hands with such a humble parent who examines her own parenting and is able to apologise for her mistakes. :) you're an awesome mummy!the wormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12536522954864089059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-75796756073613162002015-03-12T10:18:20.161-07:002015-03-12T10:18:20.161-07:00I thought about your comment. I showed displeasure...I thought about your comment. I showed displeasure in her carelessness not her grades. Whether she got 15/20 or 5/20.. If the mistakes were because of carelessness it would still garnered the same response. However, I shared in the entry that I overlooked how she felt getting 15/20.. from now on, would I still tell her I am unhappy abt her making 5 careless mistakes, of course. But I will first see what she had achieved in the test and how she felt about her grades before even talking abt the mistakes made. Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-57891557087786958902015-03-12T08:40:11.883-07:002015-03-12T08:40:11.883-07:00showing displeasure over 15/20. you may be the roo...showing displeasure over 15/20. you may be the root cause of your kid's carelessness. breg'https://www.blogger.com/profile/10459098455023376461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-36287876027388089492015-03-12T08:38:02.029-07:002015-03-12T08:38:02.029-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.breg'https://www.blogger.com/profile/10459098455023376461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-25474666886182080802015-03-12T06:52:00.071-07:002015-03-12T06:52:00.071-07:00Yes you are not the only one... There are 7 eggs.....Yes you are not the only one... There are 7 eggs.. Broken or not... Still eggs...Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-35707931869319078242015-03-12T04:38:32.561-07:002015-03-12T04:38:32.561-07:00Oops. I see 7 eggs in the picture still. Just that...Oops. I see 7 eggs in the picture still. Just that 3 are broken. The shell, egg yolk and egg white are all still there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-65843010269971464852015-03-11T22:32:03.206-07:002015-03-11T22:32:03.206-07:00Aww.. thank you! That was very kind of you… Let...Aww.. thank you! That was very kind of you… Let's hope the school reconsiders that… :) But… from the other updated posting.. so far it's not the case… That said… your comment was truly appreciated.. it made me teared… :) So… thank you!Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-26969798943701619722015-03-11T22:22:26.159-07:002015-03-11T22:22:26.159-07:00If she is my student, I will mark her correct, and...If she is my student, I will mark her correct, and will stand by her side if anyone insist it is wrong. Tell her ... she is better than best ... she is awesome. She is already better than the one who marked it wrong.filomathshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06829309279296201864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2959627159908271066.post-25277736086715665402015-03-11T19:20:37.157-07:002015-03-11T19:20:37.157-07:00Haha yes... But the essence of it was... I didn...Haha yes... But the essence of it was... I didn't appreciate it because I didn't try to understand it... That was my bad.. :)Chellespeakshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00961106731929967248noreply@blogger.com