Brought my boy along to do some errands and banking, after everything done still got time left before JS’s school dismiss, didn’t want to travel home and come out again so I brought my boy for some window shopping at Giant. Outside Giant, there are alot of these little booths, among them 2 booths on children books/childhood learning tools. One is linguaphone teach your kids english (something like that) another don’t know what name. I walked by the one don’t know what program and the salesman approached me.
Salesman: Hi maam, how old is your kid?
Me: 1 1/2
Salesman: Would you like to spare a few minutes, let me show you this
Me: No thanks, I already got a lot of books at home, I have my Grolier set as well
Salesman: No no, this is not the same, in fact Grolier is for kids that is already able to read. You don’t have to buy my product, just come and let me show you this. You know how to teach young children to read
Me: No thanks. Not interested
Salesman: (show me a small paragraph on a children story book) How old do you think a child can read and understand this paragraph.
Me: (Took a glance) maybe 5-6
Salesman: Have you heard about Glen Doman. (Show me the book written by GD, highlighted paragraph – it shows something like a child can read at age 1 or something like that. Not paying particular attention, cause I’m really not interested. Salesman also mentioned something about flashcard and also show me a newspaper clip of a 3 year old boy which is able to read and told me he’s not genius or something like that, just because he’s “trained” hence able to read at young age, don’t underestimate our child, all sort of “bullshit”)
Me: Politely said no again and thanks and not interested in GD’s method then quickly walked into one of the shop. But I can hear this salesman screaming from behind that ” Maam, you better read up more ” (He meant on GD’s method) his tone was like you better read up more, else you will be sorry. I HATE THAT TONE!!! I FELT LIKE BEING MANIPULATED!!
What’s wrong with this society now. It keeps me pondering, shall we really start our kids with reading,maths or what so ever that young?? What benefits will they get? I’m trying to weight out the pros – cons, if they don’t start early, will they be left out later, or if I started early, will they feel stress, and lost the meaning of a happy carefree childhood. How can I be so sure that they will feel stress if I started early? Maybe they will end up enjoying it? I just don’t understand. It’s so competative now. Is this trend only happens in Asia or is it worldwide?
The other night I lament to hubby about JS not able to concentrate and doesn’t seems to be able to grap the concept of spelling, words and counting. Hubby said, last time he never attended kindergarden also, he learned all that when he was in primary school. To think about it, quite true also. Though I have attended kindy myself, but I don’t remember learning to read at the age of 3 – 4, and I have managed to learn how to read and write and have also cultivate a love to read ( eventhough I didn’t start young, but still I can read and love to read). So which means starting late or early, eventually they will learn. But again, 20 over years ago and 10 years later will not be the same. 20 over years ago, 9 among 10 of the children are on the same par, they started to learn at the same pace when in primary one, everyone is the same. Now, 5 years or 10 later, 9 amont 10 of the kids attended kindy and at some extend already have a bagful of knowledge, they might already be able to count , to read and to write, they have got tuition classes to brush up whatever even before then enter primary 1. If we still following the 20 years ago trend, will my child be the odd one out when she’s in primary 1? How would a teacher teaches a class of students which are already in a different phase of learning and where would my child stand?
Posted by dragonmummy 
Posted by dragonmummy 
