2018, a fresh start, new batch of students to teach and inspire 🙂

Found a great post and wish to share

One day a man was asked to paint a boat by an owner of boat. He brought with him paint and brushes and began to paint the boat a bright red, as the owner asked him*.

While painting, he realized there was a hole in the hull and decided to repair it.

When finished painting, he received his money and left.*

The next day, the owner of the boat came to the painter and presented him with a nice check, much higher than the payment for painting.

The painter was surprised:
– You’ve already paid me for painting the boat!
– he said.
– But this is not for the paint job.

It’s for having repaired the hole in the boat.
– *Ah! But it was such a small service … certainly it’s not worth paying me such a high amount for something so insignificant!*

My dear friend, you do not understand. Let me tell you what happened.

When I asked you to paint the boat, I forgot to mention about the hole.*

When the boat dried, my kids took the boat and went on a fishing trip.

They did not know that there was a hole.
I was not at home at that time.

When I returned and noticed they had taken the boat, I was desperate because I remembered that the boat had a hole.

Imagine my relief and joy when I saw them returning from fishing.

Then, I examined the boat and found that you had repaired the hole! You see, now, what you did?* You saved the life of my children! I do not have enough money to pay your “small” good deed.

#Moral of the story

So, no matter who, when or how. Just continue to help, sustain, wipe tears, listen attentively and carefully repair all the “leaks” you find, because you never know when one is in need of us.

Thoughts

This is mindblowing stuff. I will definitely be showing this to my students and can’t wait to see even more amazing stuff from Boston Dynamics.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/technology/meet-goh-eng-lim-the-singaporean-behind-the-most-powerful-9125412

Relevant Snippets

“When a SpaceX rocket docks at the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday (Aug 16), it will deliver, among other items, a supercomputer billed as the most powerful ever sent into orbit.

The supercomputer could one day help crew operate extended missions into deep space – and what many may not know is that the man behind the machine is a Singaporean, Dr Goh Eng Lim.

Yet, Dr Goh said he remains indebted to the solid grounding he received as a student in Singapore. The first-class honours degree holder in mechanical engineering from Birmingham University and PhD holder in parallel architectures and computer graphics credited his Secondary 3 and junior college mathematics education, in particular, for his work with NASA.”

Thoughts
All teachers hope that their students will do better than them. I wonder what my students will accomplish in future 🙂

http://www.boredpanda.com/crown-shyness-trees-avoid-touching/

The next time you’re out walking through the forest, take a moment to look above you and you might be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

The naturally occurring phenomenon is called “crown shyness” because the uppermost branches of certain tree species don’t like to touch one another.

Despite these various theories however, nobody knows for sure why this phenomenon occurs, but it serves to remind us of just how awesome mother nature can be.

6 Study Spots In Singapore To Work Without Getting Chased Out From Just $1.50/h

With less than 100 days left to go before start of the O levels,
here is a list of study spots for you to do your mugging if home or school does not work for you. Enjoy!

http://time.com/money/4779223/valedictorian-success-research-barking-up-wrong/

Relevant Snippets

Nearly 90 percent are now in professional careers with 40 percent in the highest tier jobs. They are reliable, consistent, and well-adjusted, and by all measures the majority have good lives.

“Valedictorians aren’t likely to be the future’s visionaries . . . they typically settle into the system instead of shaking it up.”

First, schools reward students who consistently do what they are told. Academic grades correlate only loosely with intelligence (standardized tests are better at measuring IQ). Grades are, however, an excellent predictor of self-discipline, conscientiousness, and the ability to comply with rules.

Many of the valedictorians admitted to not being the smartest kid in class, just the hardest worker. Others said that it was more an issue of giving teachers what they wanted than actually knowing the material better. Most of the subjects in the study were classified as “careerists”: they saw their job as getting good grades, not really as learning.

The second reason is that schools reward being a generalist. There is little recognition of student passion or expertise. The real world, however, does the reverse. Arnold, talking about the valedictorians, said, “They’re extremely well rounded and successful, personally and professionally, but they’ve never been devoted to a single area in which they put all their passion. That is not usually a recipe for eminence.”

Ironically, Arnold found that intellectual students who enjoy learning struggle in high school. They have passions they want to focus on, are more interested in achieving mastery, and find the structure of school stifling. Meanwhile, the valedictorians are intensely pragmatic. They follow the rules and prize A’s over skills and deep understanding.

School has clear rules. Life often doesn’t. When there’s no clear path to follow, academic high achievers break down.

Thoughts

I think what we can take out of the article is not that studies are unimportant. But importantly, we need to know what strategy to adopt in different situations. For example in school, all subjects are equally important in terms of academic performance so we have to devote and spread out time evenly for each subject. Whereas in work, it is often the case where the one gets the best rewards by being a specialist in a field and you can provide value which others are unable to. Ultimately, studies is not just about getting the academic grades, but also about self discipline and hard work which is applicable in all walks of life as well.

What will you gain?

Clear, concise and effective teaching => getting your concepts right!
Notes provided- do not have to copy so much => focus on learning!
Emphasis on foundation topics => building up your fundamentals!
Proper analysis of your test papers => clearing up misconceptions and errors!
Practice questions for all topics => test your understanding!

Topics Covered

Day 1
Elements and Molecules
Atoms and Ions
Chemical Bonding
Periodic Table
Writing Chemical Equations
(sec 3 will join only for 1st day)

Day 2
Acid and Base
Salts
Quantitative Analysis
Metals

Day 3
Redox Reaction
Energy Change
Speed of Reaction

Time
13-15 June
2nd week of June
(10 am to 3pm, 1 hr break)

Venue
Blk 329 Sembawang Close
7 mins walk from Sembawang MRT

Fees
for sec 4, 380, 320 if you bring a friend (all 3 days inclusive)
for sec 3 130, 100 if you bring a friend

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/boy-8-drives-to-mcdonald-s-for-a-cheeseburger-8720736

Relevant snippets
“The Ohio boy said he learned to drive by watching YouTube videos”

“The child, at the wheel with his four-year-old sister riding shotgun, drove for about a mile and a half, stopping at red lights and letting traffic pass before he executed a left turn into the McDonald’s in the town of East Palestine in eastern Ohio, the paper said.”

Thoughts:

It is amazing what kids are capable of, especially in things they are interested in. Youtube or other communication platform can be an another great source of learning. However, care must be taken as well  when learning from these platforms. Because Youtube is structured in a way to try to keep you hooked watching videos after videos for hours for them to earn more ad dollars.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/are-junior-colleges-relevant-how-a-jc-dropout-got-into-med-8824242

Relevant snippets

About 1 per cent of students switch to a polytechnic after starting JC, compared to the 0.5 per cent who go the other way, according of Education Ministry figures.

On average, a JC graduate can expect a starting pay of about S$1,300. A poly graduate will earn nearly S$900 more.

More than 90 per cent of poly graduates are able to find jobs within six months of leaving school.

The two-year JC route is obviously a faster option to a university education.

The ministry revealed that the 2015 intake at the six local universities had the highest ever proportion of polytechnic graduates at nearly 34 per cent, up from 24.7 per cent in 2011.

Mr Ong left for Jurong JC, where he adjusted better. “I definitely prefer the teaching style in JC because we get more attention from the teachers, and it’s easier to get help from them as well.

Thoughts

I think that both JC and Polytechnics are both viable options to pursue. Definitely, JC is still the fastest (2 years) and easiest way to enter University compared to Polytechnic.

However, I think the most important thing to ask is if the student is comfortable with the academic curriculum in secondary school. If he/she likes it, the student should continue to do well and enjoy a JC environment which is very similar. If the student finds that he or she already has a specific interest that he/she intends to pursue and is offered in poly, he/she should take that route.

What is not important is whether or not you have to wear school uniform, whether JC or polytechnics are more “slack”, or where your friends are going.