examinations suck..

it's not easy being a kid in Singapore.. the pressure and expections from everybody, the comparison, and the stress they have to go through every time they sit for examinations.. it can be overwhelming sometimes..

i thought my kid would do well for his PSLE.. but it didn't turn out the way we expected.. he must be feeling very down right now, for not being able to achieve his goals, for not being able to enter the school of his choice..

i feel bad for not being good enough to push him beyond his limits, but at the same time i didn't want him to become a slave of education.. he's a bright kid.. he reads a lot and dares to voice out his opinions for what is accurate, and sometimes i can be amazed by what he knows..

he was confident that he could do well, and felt that the questions were relatively easy, as compared to those in his prelims.. he said that the English paper was ok, but he didn't do well.. in contrary, he scored better for the Maths paper which he complained was difficult..

but i really don't understand.. based on the grades he got, even if he scored just enough to achieve those grades, he would have gotten a higher overall score.. i really don't understand..

i don't know how many times i've said this, but yes, i never like the idea of having examinations.. it doesn't prove how smart a person is, but how rigid the entire system is, and how good at memorising a person is.. examinations are never a good guage of a person's ability and knowledge..

now it seems hard to make any appeals to get into the schools of his initial choices.. i've seen how kids change when they enter a school they don't like, and i don't want him to end up the same way..

arghh.. so frustrated now..