bAnG! bAnG! bAnG!

Just yesterday, we had our annual event, Parent-Teacher-Meeting (PTM).
Once the clock struck 8.15am, parentsss started flowing in. We, the teachers talked and talked and talked and TALKED until 1pm++, don't even have time to take a toilet break.

I encountered many different parents - those who came friendly, those who came in peace, those who came humbly, those who are appreciative and those who came with a “knife”, an invisible one. Haha!

I was talking to this particular parent when I saw from the corner of my eyes that Parent T is “verbally stabbing” my colleague, a Chinese Teacher. Then and then, I told myself I must be mentally prepared and true enough, the moment she sat down infront of me, I was greeted by a loong face. She laid a stack of worksheets on the table. She started her intense shooting session - Bang! Bang! Bang! Throughout her tone/attitude wasn't very good.

One incident she mentioned that I remembered very clearly - “My child previous spelling got 4/6 then previous previous he got 5/6 then this recent one he got only 3/6, why did you put “Good try”?
I almost fall off my chair when I heard this remark, I feel like telling her “Oh! Next time I will put Lousy!” =p
After working with children for few years, I understand how scary a spelling can so to me, I didn't want to damper his morale or even instill fear in him. To me, spelling is nothing so big that I must scold if a child didn't get full mark. The reason why I put "Good try!" is because I can see that this boy put in effort and he tried his best to spell the words.

After the intense PTM, it really got me thinking. May I post this questions to you too?
If you have a CHILD, what will be your purpose of sending him to a preschool?
What do you hope to see in him after the ~3years of preschool education?

. that he has ALL the Math/English theory but no foundation of the basic?
. that he go through drilling and know all numbers, know how to add/subtract/multiply/divide big big numbers, know how to solve problem sums, know number bonds inside out etc?
. that he can recognize ALL words, able to read ALL books, able to form sentences, able to write journal etc but if you really zoom down, he don't know what he is doing?
. that he loses interest in studying? He don't have self-learn spirit. He study not because he want to but because you ask him to?
. that his academical vessel is full but other aspects zero?

P.I.E.S = Physical, Intellectual, Emotion, Social. Is the intellectual aspect the most important? Is knowing how to add/subtract @ the age of 5 is so important?

=) I guess is really up to individual, up to individual parent.
At the end of the day, I have parents who demanded the worksheet to go up, the curriculum to up (to teach MORE and teach what primary school is teaching), want their child to do this and that, to know more than what is expected at their age. But I also have parents who want worksheet to go down and that they want their child to enjoy the learning process, don't believe in drilling a child but rather letting a child enjoy and create his own learning.

If I were to be a mother one day, what kind of mother will I be?
If you were to be a mother/father one day, what kind of parent will you be?