My Feedback Letter to PCF & MCYS

My hubby and I registered our 5-year-old girl for K1 classes at PCF (Blk 441 Sin Ming Ave) back in May 2011, as we would move there in June 2011.

 

She started her classes on July 2011, and we were confident that she would settle in nicely in her new class, as she was a friendly and cheerful girl. Previously, she was one of the best students in the previous PCF kindergarten in Sembawang and was well-liked by teachers and her classmates.

 

Exactly after 1 month into the new class, my mum was outside the classroom and she spotted this:

 

It was Chinese lesson time. Every child had their Chinese exercise book and was writing on them. My girl was the only one who did not have the Chinese exercise book and she was given some blank pieces of paper. She was trying to draw lines on the blank pieces of paper, so she could start writing the Chinese words. But she was unable to draw straight lines well; hence she took a long time to draw them. My mum heard her classmates telling her "You are so slow!" The classmates even took her paper away from her and started scribbling on it. The Chinese teacher was at the other side of the classroom all this while, with some other students. My girl then went to the toilet and stayed there for a long time.

 

The Chinese teacher finally appeared and went to look for my girl in the toilet. When she came out of the toilet with the Chinese teacher, it turned out that she went in and cried quietly inside.

 

After this incident, my husband and I went to see the principal the next day and we asked her why my girl did not have the Chinese exercise book even though it has been one whole month. The principal then pointed to a box on the floor in her room and said 'Ah, the Chinese exercise books have just arrived'. Then she opened up the box and showed us the Chinese exercise books, while giving some feeble excuses that she was packed with meetings and workshops these few weeks.

 

Points to Note:

1) We have registered our girl even before the June holidays started. The principal/ administrator should have ample time to order books for my girl before she started in July. It is absolutely unacceptable that she had no Chinese exercise book for one whole month. The principal did not even buy a temporary exercise book for her, nor did the principal inform us to buy a temporary exercise book for her. There was obviously lack of communication and a lack of responsibility towards the welfare of the children. The teachers showed an obvious lack of common sense and understanding of how left out a child will feel if he/ she is the odd one out in class. And the teachers probably did not realise that the odd student will also be jeered at by the rest of the students. Further, my girl is the newest student and is a stranger to the rest of the children who have been in the class since January. The jeering effect will be magnified many times. Did the teachers realise that at all? It appears that they did not analyse the whole situation. Was teaching just a job to them?

 

2) My girl was left alone with her 2 female classmates at one end of the classroom for a good ten minutes and hence the opportunity for them to scribble on her paper and tease her for being slow. The teacher should be moving around the classroom (especially when the classroom is big) and making sure that all students are doing their work and not teasing other students. If my girl is really slow compared to the rest of the students, the teacher needs to group her with the slower students so she can sit with them and guide them. Then the slower students will feel more comfortable and less pressurized. This is a common practice in many schools.

 

3) My girl was given BLANK pieces of paper to write her words. It appears that the teacher was too busy or perhaps too "bo-chap" to draw lines for my girl. My girl was slow because she had to draw those lines, while the rest of the students already had the lines in the exercise book. As a result she was being called 'slow'. From the way my girl responded to their jeering (she went into the toilet and cried for a long time in there), it was apparent that she was deeply affected by this incident and this may have created a long term negative impression in her heart and mind. This may also cause her to think that she really is a slow student and will affect her learning and confidence in the long term. Are the teaching staffs of this school going to take full responsibility for this?

 

During our session with the principal and the Chinese teacher, they did not offer any apology nor looked remorseful for what has happened.

 

I spoke to her English teacher as well, regarding her being teased/ bullied by her classmates. The English teacher advised me to let my girl learn how to handle her friends on her own. However, she being a new student, the teachers have a very important part to play in making her feel part of the family! Being a new student, she already feels shy and unfamiliar. Leaving her alone and letting her classmates tease her will only make her feel even more left out! The teachers should be paying extra attention to her! But the English teacher seemed confident in her 'theory' and sounded as though I am acting too overly concerned for my girl.

~

After this incident, my mum, who is my girl's babysitter as well, started to observe the class a bit more attentively. We observed the following:

 

1) My girl is still being seated at the far end of the classroom and still being teased by her classmates for being slow; and the teacher is nowhere to be seen. Nothing has been done to improve the situation. The more jeering my girl receives, the less confident she will feel about her ability and her desire for learning will decrease. Is the teacher willing to accept all responsibility for this eventual result and compensate me for the extra lessons/ time I have to spend in rekindling her learning desire?

 

2) While the Chinese teacher is teaching and the students are on the floor listening to her, the English teacher is seen eating her rice at the table right next to the students. Does the teacher treat her classroom as her home?

 

3) My girl's nicely braided hair is being pulled into a mess by her friend behind her. We did not report this to the teacher, nor did the teacher inform us that they knew about it;

 

4) My girl has changed from a cheerful friendly girl to someone who is fearful and quiet in class. Again, are the teachers willing to take responsibility for this change?

 

5) I asked the English teacher (on the communication book) about when is a good timing to celebrate my girl's birthday in class. She indicated that their snack time is from 910am to 1025am. 1 hour 15 minutes for snack time?? Actual class time is from 8am to 12pm. The teachers start their class proper only at 815am, and they are usually wearing their shoes by 1145am. After deduction, that leaves only 2 hours 15 minutes of proper lesson time. Is there a reasonable explanation on why the class timetable is planned this way?

 

6) Different PCF branches have different timings and different fee amounts. That is fine. But it appears that the standard of teaching differs greatly from branch to branch. My nieces who attend another PCF (K1 as well) have plenty of homework as well as English/ Chinese spelling. At this PCF, there is no homework and they are not doing much work in class. Is there an explanation? PCF may be the cheapest solution for kindergartens in Singapore, but I hope that being education providers, the PCF management is educated enough to realise that pre-school education is to be of good quality, because the first 7 years of the child's life will decide how he/ she will fare in his/ her later years!

~

The next incident happened after the Sept holidays, and it is also related to the 1st incident, regarding the Chinese exercise book. On Monday after the Sept holidays, I noticed that a parent returned the Chinese exercise book to the English teacher. On that Monday afternoon, I called the Chinese teacher and told her if the Chinese exercise book was with her, as it was not returned to me before the holidays.

 

Excerpt of conversation (we spoke in Mandarin):-

Teacher: Yes the Chinese exercise book wasn't returned to you because your girl was absent on the last day before the holidays.

 

Me: Oh ok, sure. I saw that you have put in a brand new Chinese exercise book in my girl's bag today after class with words for her to practise on. Why did you use a new Chinese exercise book and not the old one that she was using in August and September?

Teacher: Oh, the class did not use the Chinese exercise book at all in August and September. That's why it appears brand new.

 

Me: Huh? U did not use the Chinese exercise book at all for the whole of August and September?

 

Teacher: We did not use, that Chinese exercise book is like an extra thing, and we have been using the Chinese assessment books in August and September.

 

Points to Note:

1) The Chinese assessment books were returned to us during the Sept holidays. I flipped through both books. Only 3-4 pages have been done, for both Chinese assessment books. Why was so little done when the students were using the assesment books for the whole of August and September?

 

2) After looking at the little that was done in the assessment books, I find it hard to believe that the students did not practise their writing on the Chinese exercise book at all for the whole of August and September. What could they have been doing in class then? Playing with toys?

 

3) In the event that the teacher was lying to me and they did actually practise their writing on the Chinese exercise book, the next question will be: was my girl actually given a Chinese exercise book in class in early August after we found out that she was using blank paper to practise her writing (in the earlier incident)? Or was she still given blank paper to practise on in August and September?

 

My husband and I are utterly disappointed and upset with this PCF branch. The teachers are uncaring, proud and seem more interested in chatting up with the parents than properly educating the children. The principal is too busy with her meetings and workshops. They do not put in extra effort in welcoming my girl into the class and expect a 5-year-old to be able to handle the new class and the new faces all by herself.

 

My husband, whose surname is Lim, has sent an SMS to the principal this morning and informed her that our girl, will not be attending class. My husband included my girl's full name in the SMS for her easy reference as well.

 

The principal replied "Dear Mr Tan, noted. Please take some time to come by and fill up the withdrawal form and collect her materials."

 

Perhaps PCF should take some time to evaluate the kind of staff they are employing. Looking at all the carelessness that is shown in this PCF branch, it seems more harm than good for a child to attend class there.