First day of primary school: What is on a P1 parent’s mind?

Remember how you felt on the first day of school? Excited and nervous at the same time? Curious about what the next few years will be like? As a parent, you probably felt these emotions all over again when it was your child’s turn.
Schoolbag-article-cover_Yee-Tee-Primary_Starting-the-P1-journey

 

On the first day of school, we asked parents of P1 students at Yew Tee Primary School what they looked forward to in this new phase of their child’s life and learning.

Stronger focus on character-building

Schoolbag - Ms Fara
Ms Nur Faradilla, mother of Mysha, with her husband Mr Mohamad Nor

“After attending the parent briefing, I found that schools now focus much more on character-building and not so much on grades. It’s different from our time, but I think it’s a good change!

I like how Mysha’s school talks about building resilience in their students. Mysha needs more confidence, and we hope to work with the school to help her grow in this area.

The school also offers different opportunities and activities like sports, art, and music. We are excited to see what she takes an interest in.”

Close partnership with my daughter’s school

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Mdm Ng Jye Yun, with her daughter Yun Le

“I hope that she makes friends and finds her place among her peers. Yun Le might encounter times when she realises her comments and ways of doing things are different from her friends. But I want her to always be kind, try to understand others, and accept the way others do things.

For myself as a parent, I think it’s important for the school and I to be on the same page in terms of my child’s development. 

I also believe that schools and parents stand on the same side. If there are incidents or issues, we both want to communicate well, find out the root cause, and solve the problem.”

Time for learning from other parents

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Mr Saurabh Gaidhani, father of Aarini, with his wife Ms Mayura Patil

“As Aarini enters P1, it’s a time of learning not just for her but for our family. During the parent briefing, other parents shared their experiences, and hearing their stories benefits me and my child as well.

I also think that this culture helps curtail the ‘my kid versus your kid’ mindset. We all want our children to succeed in their own ways.

In future, I might join the Parent Support Group. I can see that they are doing a lot of good work. I’ll observe and learn, and if I’m able to, I hope to contribute too.”

Chance for my son to chart his path

Schoolbag - Mdm Phee

Mdm Jennifer Phee, mother of Quintus, with her husband Mr Alex Tam

“Primary school is the start of his journey where he finds his own direction and figures out where he wants to be in future.

We’re excited that he’s moving on to the next chapter of life. With two older children, primary school is not unfamiliar to us. But we don’t have any expectations for Quintus. Different individuals grow differently.

We will just keep an open mind about how he progresses. For now, he’s interested in robotics, but a few years down the road, he might be interested in other things. Our role is to assist him to accomplish his own targets and goals.”

Photos by Lee Qing Ping