While it is indeed challenging to juggle work from home and the family’s needs, parents also got to witness first-hand how their children have learnt to manage themselves and take charge of their own learning!
Here, parents from Teck Whye Primary School share their experiences of HBL.
Mr Kelvin and Mrs Worly Chua, parents of Kylie (P6-4) and Wayne (P1-7):
Kylie always completes her work independently and even helps her brother when he needs it. She tries to wake up early in the morning and takes her temperature. Even though she is weak in Chinese, she still tries her best to complete her work on time. On top of that, she spends some time at night to revise Chinese on her own. We are very proud of her!
Mdm Susi, parent of Suhail (P6-5) and Adam (P2-2):
Both boys wake up by themselves at 6.50am every morning and follow the suggested schedule that the school gave out. Suhail does his own work diligently, and even helps his brother sort out the assignments for the next day! He knows that I am tied up working from home and takes the initiative to look after his brother. I made sure to let him know I appreciate his thoughtfulness!
Mdm Grace Marie, parent of Gabriel (P2-2):
I try to find out from Gabriel how he is doing every now and then. There was once I found out that he had trouble answering a few questions. I encouraged him to re-watch the videos, and assured him that it was alright if he took a longer time to understand it. I want him to know it is perfectly OK to learn at one’s own pace. Understanding the lesson is more important than rushing through it!
Mr Jason and Mrs Mary Jane, parents of Jasmine (P3-6) and Justin (P2-1):
During HBL, Jasmine is often teaching her younger brother to solve math word problems! They would also challenge each other and get excited to see who complete their assignments first.
The great part of HBL is having more family time, but having the whole family share the same space for work and study is challenging as well. If my husband and I have a meeting, we have to let kids know ahead of time so they can hold their questions till later.
If I see that one of them is really stuck on a question, I let him or her take break even though it’s not on the timetable – I think having a bit of time away from the problem helps! Their Teachers are also great in responding when we have queries. Kudos to them!
Mdm Janeth, parent of Paul (P2-7):
We are glad that after few days of doing HBL, Paul (pictured with daddy) has gotten into the rhythm of things. He gets ready by 7:45am to start with his assigned activities. Generally, he can finish his work ahead of time and I’ll give him something to do once he has completed his work. He is also practising the virtue of consideration as he learns to keep quiet when it is mummy or daddy’s time for a business call or meeting!
Mdm Adelene, parent of Acelynn (P4-4) and Andrick (P3-4):
As parents during HBL, we have to juggle many things, like getting the children ready for lessons, being the IT support engineer, constantly thinking of what to cook or eat, thinking of events to keep our children occupied and talking to them so that they can express their feelings. I think something that I learnt is that mistakes happen, and we should take time to listen and try to understand what our children need. Making time for play together is important as well!
Mrs Song, parent of Song Rui (P3-4):
During this period of HBL, I am really surprised and happy to see Song Rui waking up on time getting ready to start the day by herself. The structure and daily routine set by the school has enabled Song Rui to be more self-disciplined. This is especially helpful to me as I have just given birth and with her taking responsibility for her own learning, I can better focus on her newborn brother. We’d like to say thank you to all teachers for the hard work and effort put in for the pupils! Song Rui always looks forward to the fun and interesting online lessons by her teachers. Your care and concern are deeply felt at home too!
Mrs Jennie Ng, mother of Kayven (P2-6):
This is Kayven enjoying his music HBL yesterday. I’m very glad to see him learning with interest from the materials provided. He actually practised with the videos again at night and even taught his younger sister how to dance to the PE activity also. I was pretty impressed!
Since his younger sister requires more supervision, Kayven has become more independent in learning and doing his own assignments. The online materials prepared by the teachers also help him to learn on his own. I am glad that besides progressing in his studies, Kayven has grown to become a role model for his sister. “
Mrs Yeo, mother of Valerie (P2-2):
Valerie has shown greater independence in all aspects of her life. She likes to try something different each day and is willing to help with the household chores. But kids being kids, they fight over toys and quarrel over trivial matters. Sibling fights happen every day. I will usually let them to sort it out by themselves first and step in later if I have to. Valerie has learnt to manage her temper and emotions better.
