Is Spending Two Hours a Week in an English Tuition Class Worth It?
I pay thousands of money every year to have my daughter educated privately. It’s why the idea of forking out for an English class in Singapore doesn’t sit well with my husband and me.
As parents, we admit to being clueless about the state of the education system today except knowing that it’s no way different than our own experiences in primary school.
But, things have changed and sending your children to English tuition class in Singapore is already a norm.
We are firm in believing all of the additional expenses are just not worth it. We enrolled our kids in my alma mater which is a stone’s throw away from our home.
We were confident that the teachers prepare them sufficiently not only for the national exams but for the reality as well.
My seven-year-old daughter was doing fine until at the end of her Primary 4, I was called to the school to inform me that she failed her English subject.
I turned on her teacher and blamed her that she’s supposed to teach my child the things she needs to know.
But, to my surprise, she asked me why I didn’t hire any tutors and instead relied solely on her to do the job.
It was the end of the conversation and blamed myself for not doing my part. Yes, that norm made me think we failed at parenting.
It then hit me that whatever we may be spending for English tuition, no one would benefit except my daughter.
After seeing her performance in the exams, I realised that she might really need tuition.
I asked her if she wanted to enrol in English tuition class and promised we had enough money to get additional help and so, she agreed. It was a great adjustment at first, spending two hours more for studying.
It was a great adjustment at first, spending two hours more for studying.
After a few months, however, I started to notice significant changes in her studying patterns.
She would get home from school feeling relaxed than she used to.
On Fridays, she would come home from a two hours of tuition and plant herself at her study table, doing her homework and she would finish a few hours earlier than normal.
It leaves her plenty of time to do other stuff like playing with her baby sister and even help with the household chores and if there’s enough time, she would read more - and to be honest, I’ve never asked her to study more, instead, I often ask her to stop doing so and enjoy as any other kids of her age would do.
It was around the third term in school and although lessons became more intense, I didn’t see her as stressed as she used to when she felt burdened by her assignments.
After the term and the tuitions have ended, I asked her again if she wanted to enroll for the advanced English classes and just like the first time I asked her, she said yes.
Now, if you ask me if all the expenses and the time invested in English tuition is worth it, I’d say yes over and over again.