Questions

- Why did you pair this poem with this photo/art work and the article? What do the three have in common?

All of them have to do with what, I believe, every Singaporean student will hold close to heart - studies, exams, stress. This poem shows what most parents in Singapore expect of their children--exemplary results, for their child to be 'above average'. The comic shows how all parents wish for their children to excel, as can be seen by the anxious parent in the comic. The news article shows the matter from another point of view, showing how sick and tired the children are of the constant stress of school, homework and projects.

- Examine the two Wordles. What important words, if any, do the poem and article have in common? Does the word cloud make you see the themes, ideas or subjects of each more clearly? How?

There are hardly any common words in the Wordle that I can find. However, many words have similar meanings, such as 'grades' and 'percentage'. The word clouds do enable me to see the ideas of the article and poem more clearly by drawing my attention to the larger words which I assume the article/poem is centered on.

- Which do you like best: the Poem, the Image or the Article? Why?

I like the poem best. I think it best represents what the average Singaporean student goes through and it is something I can relate to very easily. Although my parents have not exactly done as in the poem, many of my peers have related similar experiences. The stress students get, be it from teachers or parents, is really represented accurately in the poem, not sugar coated.

- What does this pairing say about life today? Do you think someone looking at it 25 years from now would “get” the same meaning? What about 100 years from now?

I suppose it means that students now are constantly stressed by their education, be it in the form of homework, exams, parents, competition from peers or otherwise.

If the emphasis on results is still the same as it is now 25, or a hundred years later, I think the people will still 'get' the same meaning.

- What other photos, art work or ST articles could also have been paired with this poem? Why?

This one? http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/368015/1/.html

This article shows the matter from a minister's point of view, and I think it allows us yet another perspective on the issue.

- What other works of Literature, Film, or Fine Art can you think of that also echo, expand or even challenge the words and ideas of this poem?

I'm Not Stupid?

4. Wordle

Evening Song Wordle:
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2298245/Evening_Song

News Article Wordle:
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/2298256/Exams%2C_rankings%2C_stress_-_isn%27t_there_more_to_school%3F_

3. Photograph/artwork

http://roamer.inopinionated.net/bbgame.jpg

2. Local news article

Exams, rankings, stress - isn't there more to school?

Why must life be a competition? I ONCE met a trumpet player from the United States and asked him which competitions his school band had taken part in. Stunned, he replied: 'Not everything in life is a competition.' It was inconceivable to me that students would participate in school bands and other CCAs out of pure interest, and not for points. It is a tragedy that many Singaporeans believe exams, rankings and stress are necessary evils on the long and winding road to success. The mantra that 'Your studies should be first priority' is never far from our parents' lips. 'Don't waste too much time on other activities' and 'This is a very important academic year' are close seconds. No wonder many students have a passion only for studying. Some try to get out of it, by looking overseas for their higher education. This is a brain drain Singapore can ill afford. Christine Chong, 22, is an honours student in literature at the National University of Singapore So ironic, our parents THE one thing I remember most vividly about my childhood was always having to go for tuition. Academic excellence was the No.1 priority in my life, with enforced tuition underpinning that drive. That is the norm for my peers, not the exception. The cause? Living, breathing ironies we know as parents. On one hand, they complain to the Government about the pressures of our education system. On the other hand, they pack their children's after-school timetable with tuition and extra classes, hence perpetuating the very system they are speaking out against. Parents need to make up their minds as to what they truly want for their children, and the values their children should hold dear in life. Justin Koh, 17, is a first-year communications and media management student at Temasek Polytechnic That F word TO MY peers, let me ask all of you - have you forgotten this thing called Fun? Everyone is guilty of wallowing in self-pity over his or her share of accursed assignments, myself included. But everyone has to do the same literature essay or calculus worksheet, and everyone wants to achieve the same academic excellence expected of us. Doesn't being around each other make the torture less excruciating? There's Fun, too, outside the classroom - the fellowship we enjoy playing cards during breaks or indulging in CCAs together. We need to realise that Fun can coexist with the inevitability of exams, rankings and stress - just look to each other for mutual support. As a song in Disney's High School Musical goes: 'We're All In This Together...' Nurul Asyikin Mohd Nasir, 18, is a second-year International Baccalaureate diploma programme student at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) Parents can make a difference PARENTS have more influence on their children than they imagine. While there is only so much they can do to change the education system their children are immersed in, they can still control the extent to which this system affects their children. It is the duty of parents, not the school, to emphasise other qualities such as independence and open-mindedness on top of academic excellence. In junior college, some teachers opposed my unconventional choice of a music education, but my parents' support gave me the determination to follow through with it. They helped me break out of the parameters of academic grades and see the worthiness of studying what I truly love. That is why my drive to learn will remain long after the triumph of perfect grades has faded away. Melissa Khong, 21, is a final-year music student at the Manhattan School of Music School is only a prelude NOW in my second year of national service, I look back on school as a particularly stressful time. But it was myopic of me to complain about 'stress' back then, for there is more lying in wait in the real world. Every exam question has a clear-cut answer, and every school competition will eventually wrap up. But there are no clear-cut answers for many real-world problems. There is the stress of choosing the right university course and career path, where decisions could have life-altering consequences. There is the stress of worrying about spiralling costs at a time when I cannot expect to continue living off my ageing parents. So peers, if you think school was bad, get real. As for parents, please stop molly-coddling us. If we can't learn to deal with stress now, how can we deal with life out there? Eef Gerard Van Emmerik, 19, has a place to read law at the Singapore Management University This article was first published in The Straits Times on August 25, 2008. Link: http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20080825-84189.html

1. Poem

Evening Song

By Leong Liew Geok

Come, my darlings, let me see

Your files and papers please;

Put them neatly on my table:

How did you fare in Assessment Three?

Off with TV; sit on either side;

Let's first look at Chinese and Math.

I wonder if you have progressed-

80 for Math? A shocking slide!

And you, my girl? This will never do!

Chinese, only 82? Listen, both:

Peabrain! Cretin! These are the pits-

I expect better things from you!

All this will count toward

Your final position in the standard;

Pull up your socks; shape up, or else

Demotion will be your reward.

Since overall performance is AVERAGE.

I must assign more exercises,

So you'll improve in CA Four

To secure an A-STAR percentage.

A word with your tutor may increase

A 70% stake in the subject;

Spending more holidays with her, my boy,

May change your grades in Chinese.

What's that whispering I hear?

Brain damage from too much work?

There's mud in your cerebral cortex-

Grey matter has nothing to fear!

Never forget the fact-

There's nothing like an early start;

Avoid Normal and Express for SAP

You brats-take that! And that!