Enrichment Classes

These are the enrichment classes Adri goes for on a weekly basis:
Mon: -
Tue : -
Wed: Art
Thu : -
Fri   : Swimming, CL @ Berries
Sat   : Music, Phonics

 

In additional to the above, Adri is on Kumon EL and Math homework programme. She does a set of their learning sheets on a daily basis.

 

Too many, too much?
Mummy is worried that Adri would find it  overwhelming. Adri, however, finds much joy in attending her classes. Phew! Fun aside, Adri finds  it important to constantly acquire new knowledge and she finds great satisfaction each time she conquers a little mountain.

 

A little snippet of what she's doing for her kumon Math:

 

 

How did all these classes start?

Believe it or not, Adri was assessed by her school teachers during last year's midyear PTM (Parent-teacher-meeting) to be slightly below average! All three teachers (EL, Math and MT) commented that Adri lacked focus and concentration in class and in the academic aspect, there was much gap to be closed. I probbed further and found out that to Adri, her friends took a very important place. In class, she was observed to be constantly busying herself with caring for her friends, helping her friends and of course, chatting with her friends! As a result, she probably absorbed little of what was being taught.

 

I have to admit that that comment shocked me. As an educator who took great pride in helping my charges achieve beyond what they thought they could, I was shaken that my own daughter was termed as "below average". Anxious, I reacted to the comment and started enrolling Adri for Phonics class, Kumon Math and Berries in July 2012. Both the phonics and Math assessments prior to the commencement of the classes further confirmed that there was much to be worked on with Adri. Adri did not know most of the letter sounds and there were letters that she could not recognise! For Math, she had difficulty recognising numbers beyond 20, especially when she was tested at random. Some concerned colleagues (as well as bosses) whom I shared with were quick to ask me to dismiss Adri's teachers' comments and used my professional judgement to discern if Adri was okay. I would definitely love to believe that my Adri was okay but it was not all about will power and belief. The problem I had was, I had no inkling in assessing children this young! I did not know what the benchmark was! For me, my primary concern was to make sure Adri would be ready for Primary 1.

 

I am proud of Adri. It has been a good 9 months since she started on her enrichment classes. She persevered through and never once whined about working hard or wanting to give up. Today, She's able to attempt word problems like the above on her own and she's able to read fluently. As an educator, it is my personal belief that pupils, when given enough opportunities in experiencing success, will be instrinsically motivated to learn. As a mother, the joy I am experiencing does not stem from her academic achievements but from the increased level of confidence that she's exhibiting day by day. I'm glad she's experiencing success for herself and is not afraid to try conquer mountains that exist along her learning pathway. I want Adri to be H-A-P-P-Y and I strongly believe that self-confidence is one main key.

 

What about the non-academic enrichment classes? Those were simply for pure fun and exposure. Undenibly though, I'm hoping that Adri would sustain her interest in playing the piano and move towards achieving at least a Grade 5 or 6. To be able to play the piano is Mummy's childhood dream! Ha!

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