Folks, when you have a great story to tell what did you do before the Internet and Blogging. Well almost nothing you could do but to tell it to your friends and if possible write to the Newspapers but now with Blogging it is a different story altogether. We can just blog it’s away with ease, like I am doing now. The story is still fresh in my mind and a brand new one too. It is a story of recent happening and since it has a somewhat universal value I thought that it worth sharing with the world. Hoping that in a small way it would add value to the world of blogging. The story is about our grandson who took the Lower Primary School Examination what we folk call it here as UPSR and the result is just out.
He is 12 years old and had to sit for this test of sorts, the UPSR. Even if he failed this test he would still be promoted to the next higher standard in our school system. So what is the big deal if it is so? To me I look at it on the positive side. To me a Test is a test and must be taken seriously and I have always been promoting the idea; that do the best in your education for that is your future. Not only that I told all my kids and grand kids that they must do well in the English and if possible answer the test questions in the English language. In our school system some subjects could be answered in English or BM for the National School and in Mandarin for the Chinese School and Tamil in the Tamil School. The school syllabus in all the streams are the same.
Well coming back to the subject of this posting, His Mom jokingly says that if he gets five A's in his UPSR She or rather his Mom and Dad would give him a Laptop. And to make it more interesting his Mom asks what would happen if he did not get five A's. With his usual smile, his answer is that there would be no Laptop. That is, No five A's No Laptop that he could call it his own. There are other laptops in his home and in ours, so actually he is not that far away from any laptop or a computer. Because he love the computer so much and been doing creative things with it, the computer actually has help him in his study as well an understanding what cybersphere is all about. So surely a gift of a computer would be a wise thing to do.
Let me digress a little, this grandson of ours despite been only 12 years old is already a sort of computer wizard in the family. I would get to him if I ever need explaining of how certain program works or I got stuck on some system that my generation never bother to understand. As you most probably know that I am from the cave generation and not that savvy with the IT but because I love new technology I take to the gadgets like duck to the water and this includes the computer and Blogging. So when the examination result was announced last week He did get five A's and as promised by his Mom and Dad he would soon get a brand new Laptop.
Congratulating Anwar for the success I ask him over the phone about the result and he says that he got five A's and many of his close friends did well and that a few of those who got four A's and one B's cried. And he continued that he answered the question in Science and Math in English and of course he took English as well. I kept reminding him that English is very important for his future and he agreed saying that the future is in the English language which is also the language of the Internet, his favorite world from time to time. Folks for this generation to succeed they had to be savvy in computer, which I believe would be an extension of themselves for without it they would be lost in so many ways.
I am glad that our eldest grandson did well in this first test of his. I also remind him that he must not forget that in our school system the SPM [Upper Secondary School Examination before College] is the most important examination and that he must strife well for that too which would be coming in a few years time. To me the SPM is the most important examination in our school system. If you did not do well in this examination then your future would surely be in doubt.
From my observation I gathered that he want to study the science of computer. And I think for been savvy in computer at this tender age he would surely made it. Even that parents must not takes it easy but to kept watch of the progress of the children education throughout the years. The success of the children not only depend on them but the parents as well.
So folks it would be one more Laptop in the Family. Have a nice day
He is 12 years old and had to sit for this test of sorts, the UPSR. Even if he failed this test he would still be promoted to the next higher standard in our school system. So what is the big deal if it is so? To me I look at it on the positive side. To me a Test is a test and must be taken seriously and I have always been promoting the idea; that do the best in your education for that is your future. Not only that I told all my kids and grand kids that they must do well in the English and if possible answer the test questions in the English language. In our school system some subjects could be answered in English or BM for the National School and in Mandarin for the Chinese School and Tamil in the Tamil School. The school syllabus in all the streams are the same.
Well coming back to the subject of this posting, His Mom jokingly says that if he gets five A's in his UPSR She or rather his Mom and Dad would give him a Laptop. And to make it more interesting his Mom asks what would happen if he did not get five A's. With his usual smile, his answer is that there would be no Laptop. That is, No five A's No Laptop that he could call it his own. There are other laptops in his home and in ours, so actually he is not that far away from any laptop or a computer. Because he love the computer so much and been doing creative things with it, the computer actually has help him in his study as well an understanding what cybersphere is all about. So surely a gift of a computer would be a wise thing to do.
Let me digress a little, this grandson of ours despite been only 12 years old is already a sort of computer wizard in the family. I would get to him if I ever need explaining of how certain program works or I got stuck on some system that my generation never bother to understand. As you most probably know that I am from the cave generation and not that savvy with the IT but because I love new technology I take to the gadgets like duck to the water and this includes the computer and Blogging. So when the examination result was announced last week He did get five A's and as promised by his Mom and Dad he would soon get a brand new Laptop.
Congratulating Anwar for the success I ask him over the phone about the result and he says that he got five A's and many of his close friends did well and that a few of those who got four A's and one B's cried. And he continued that he answered the question in Science and Math in English and of course he took English as well. I kept reminding him that English is very important for his future and he agreed saying that the future is in the English language which is also the language of the Internet, his favorite world from time to time. Folks for this generation to succeed they had to be savvy in computer, which I believe would be an extension of themselves for without it they would be lost in so many ways.
I am glad that our eldest grandson did well in this first test of his. I also remind him that he must not forget that in our school system the SPM [Upper Secondary School Examination before College] is the most important examination and that he must strife well for that too which would be coming in a few years time. To me the SPM is the most important examination in our school system. If you did not do well in this examination then your future would surely be in doubt.
From my observation I gathered that he want to study the science of computer. And I think for been savvy in computer at this tender age he would surely made it. Even that parents must not takes it easy but to kept watch of the progress of the children education throughout the years. The success of the children not only depend on them but the parents as well.
So folks it would be one more Laptop in the Family. Have a nice day
21 comments:
Salam, Pak
congrats to Anwar! well, no surprise, huh?
somehow i remember the thing you said to me not too long ago. You give no or small rewards to your daughter(s) on their achievements, but look at what your daughter give to their children.Laptops, Pods, and all that. Indeed the world has change, and they could live better off than those days...
Even i couldn't get a laptop...YET, at the age of 20...8years apart! But i have no regret so far!
Take care and have a bubbly Sunday!
Dear Pak Idrus
Congrats to your grandson, Anwar. I agree with you that the parents play an important role in the success of the children. That is why I always tell my other half despite our busy daily schedule we must try our best to be with them, daily, if not when they need us. My son Ali was not that successful like your Anwar. However after a lot of pep talk with him, he understands that he has to do well in the next exam ie PMR and top most in SPM.
Have a good weekend.
mutalib, thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts on this subject.
Yes my generation was different but we, that is my spouse and me did work hard to see that our kids get the proper education. We were hoping that our kids would do better then us and fortunately they did very well indeed and actually beyond our wildest expectations. And now it is their turn to see that their kids get the best as well. I am glad that they are doing alright on many front and we as grandma and grandpa are sharing that success.
In Malay we often say it is 'menopang kasih'. We are glad for their success and are enjoying our golden years watching them grow.
You must strife hard and smart and I believe you could be as successful as well. In life nothing come easy but hard works.
Have a nice day.
tireless mom, thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts on this very important subject, education.
Yes the success of the children depends very much on the parent. For I believe that education is not only learning in the school but at home as well. If children are brought up is a discipline home and nurtured with love they would in return treasured that love. In everything that we do, if we sprinkle it with love, that bit of love that actually add to the ingredient of success and that includes the examination that kids had to sit from time to time.
The Malay has a word of wisdom which says ' biar anak menagis dari pada mak bapak menangis kelak' How true this word of wisdom is. How busy you are you must give some of your time to the kids, surely you can give one or two hours a day to your most precious and loved one, the kids.
Me and My spouse now Atuk and nenek have gone through all this and I am happy to say that all the hard work was worth the efforts.
Thanks for the wishes/greeting on Anwar success.
Have a nice day.
Pls convey our heartiest congrats to Anwar! Abhijay will be sitting for it next year.
Pak Idrus - my congratulations to the young man! He seems to have a good head on his shoulders, and I hope he will do well in secondary school and beyond.
a&a'smom, thanks for the visit and the good words on my grandson. It has always been our hopes that the present generation would do better in their study.
Hope that your Abhijay would do well when he sit for the examination.
Have a nice day.
kama, thanks for the visit and the good words on this young man.
Like you I hope that he would continue to do well in his studies. The future of the country depend very much on the present young man.
Have a nice day.
Pak Idrus,
Conratulations to Anwar :)
My first laptop is...well, I got it last year haha. If it is me getting that, I'll fly sky high haha. Anyhow, just like Mutallib, seriously, I got no regret. That matters.
The subject freaked me out during UPSR was English haha. It was...what, 8 years ago? haha. Well, turned out it is cool after all.
Have a nice day.
akmal, thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts on this subject.
Well different generation have a different way of helping the young to progress in their education. I believe when your time comes, giving away laptop to you kids would be a sure priority. I strongly believe that we should use technology to our advantage and the ICT is one of the many.
It would have been a wise decision to spend money on giving each student a laptop rather then using that millions on sending one space tourist to the ISS.
Have a nice day.
Hello Pak Idrus,
Consider all that Anwar learned from that promise of a new laptop: he learned about working towards a worthwhile objective, he put extra effort into his studies and mastering his exams, and now he has an indispensable tool for further success in his world. Marvellous.
His parents are to be congratulated for setting up that challenge, that learning opportunity that resulted in more than academic learning and performance in exams.
Pak Idrus,
Please congratulate Anwar on his success for me.
With educated parents and grandparents Anwar was well inspired to achieve the highest level of success in any examinations.
Pak Idrus,
Congratulations! I can sense your beam of joy upon sharing this good news.
With kids, if they set a target, they usually keep their mind and eye on the prize.
louis, thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts on this subject. Never once did Anwar ask for a price if he get good result in the UPSR. I personally do not encourage such promise but then in todays world we parent could read the mind of our kids and for that his parent told him about the reward of the Laptop. Of course he is delighted and it became sort of an incentive for him to work hard, for it is hard works that would bring success.
For awhile I was worried for him been too confident but then kids nowadays are beyond our understanding. To me an early exposure of the IT is very important indeed. They just cannot live without one. It is a tool of their generation.
Have a nice day.
zawi, thanks for the visit and good words on the success of Anwar and the families. Well, we all have to chip in to help so that this generation would do better then us.
It is my hopes that he would made it in this challenging world of our.
Have a nice day.
ms b, thanks for the visit and good words of Anwar. That's the beauty of been grandparents, we get to share the joy and happiness of any success of the family. The golden age is fantastic.
Education is the most important and parent must give due attention to this. Without the input of the parent kids would surely not made it. Of course an incentive help.
As for your kid, with her exposure I believe he culture of learning would be her plus point and that would translate into success.
Have a nice day.
Pak Idrus,
Your writing about Anwar's doing well in the examinations brought up some thoughts ...
The point you make about his possibly wanting to study computer science... I am of the generation that studied computer programming at university, but had no contact with them before that. (I am 55 years old this year.) I learned computers because it was the "up-and-coming thing" for us student engineers, even in my field of civil engineering. It was a tool. (And it still continues to be, today!)
My 25-year old son, on the other hand, has played with computers since he was born. (He was born in KL in 1983, while my wife was serving as a foreign lecturer at UM.) I remember him as an infant on my lap, playing with the keys of the Sinclair Color Computer I bought at that small computer building behind Sg Wang Plaza (can't remember the name now). He is now an animator at a start-up animation company in Los Angeles, using Photoshop and some specialized animation production software on the Mac to do whatever the animators do these days!
And now, kids of that generation of Anwar's, who are growing up when families routinely have one computer PER FAMILY MEMBER, are taking usage of computers to new heights! They are doing things with computers that are UNIMAGINABLE to me!
As far as I am concerned, Pak Idrus, you and I (and the rest of us posters on your blog) are hi-tech because we actually use PCs to communicate! But we are light-years behind kids like my 25-year old son and even more so behind upcoming generations like Anwar's. I am really looking forward to seeing what kind of world our younger folks can make for us with their casual and "pandai sekali" use of computers! We live in interesting times indeed...
Oh, yes, one more thing that I forgot to ask: The "SPM" you mention as the "most important exam" --- is that the examination that used to be called "MCE" in English?
Howard, thanks for the visit, and the good words on this posting. I am indeed happy that your are sharing your thoughts on the subject of IT especially so with our kids and grandkids generation.
In a way you are of a different generation from me. Me I start schooling with only a slate for a writing tool and I grew up as the technology changes. In the forties and the fifties when I was in school, the only way of communication was by writing letters. There was no electricity where we live and the only telephone is at the government offices. When our first child was born in 1963 I had to send a telegraph to my in law informing them of the new arrival. The distance was only from Kuantan [now a two hours drive] to Bentong where they live. There are no other ways.
As you can see I am from a generation who saw the development of the communication technology from day one in this country. You are a bit fortunate to have had the opportunity to study computer science which during my time was nonexistence. Anyway I am indeed happy that the present generation are getting these technologies from a very young age. Like you I am wondering as to what kind of technology they would see when they are at our age. Would it be possible to transmit atom like we do with bits now, to my mind it could be possible. We are just at the beginning of the IT technology and what comes next is surely would be better then now.
I told a group of PhD students at Harvard recently that with a PhD what they need now is a laptop and a cell phone and they are on their way to a great jobs anywhere in the world.
As for your question on SPM, yes it is the MCE in English. We are fighting very hard to get the English medium school back like my time before Merdeka. At present the teaching of Science and Math are in English.
BTW how long was you in KL. I am indeed glad that your kid made it into the ICT world, a wonderful world and full of challenges.
Have a nice day.
Congrats on your grandson's great results in UPSR! I just got news from my brother saying that his son (my nephew) ony got 1A and 4B. Somehow I feel sad that he did not do well but he has nobody else to blame but himself. He spent way too much time on the video games.
salt N Turmeric, thanks for the visit and sharing your thoughts on this subject.
I disagree with you that he has nobody to blame. The parents has more to be blame for his success. As for video games who let him into it with no limit. Video games is their world and they should be allow to get into it but with limit. So it is up to the parent to set up the time limit he should spend on games or the computer.
Our daughter and son in law use the timer [you used for cooking] to set time for the kids using computer or video game. Now the kids themselves set up the timer and that is discipline.
Anyway UPSR result is not the end of the world, the SPM or MCE is and parents should be extra careful and guide the kids to get a good result.
Have a nice day anyway.
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