hm.

Dear Teacher, do you think i am too stupid to do well?

http://enewslink.asia1.com.sg/brsweb/read_8.brsw?this=result&QDT=1&QFLST=HD%3AHG%3APD&DB=BT%3AST%4006-07&QSTR=%28%28teacher%29%29.HG.&DTSTR=%28%28PD+%3E=+20060929%29+and+%28PD+%3C=+20070301%29%29&PSZ=10&MAXL=200&SUMY=1&HLT=0&LSTN=0&ID=000046409@ST06

This article talks of the differentiation between academic standards of students in Singapore, especially with reference to the EM3 stream in primary school.

I feel this situation is plainly one of stereotyping and condemnation. These students take a few tests early, and then they are placed together with others who do not do well. There is then an impression that they cannot do well ever again, and that they are doomed to fail in life. (Side note: many of such students move on to the Institutes of Technical Education (ITE) after secondary school, and certain people dub ITE as It’s The End.) This is a generalization that they can not improve, and they cannot work harder to strive for something better than what they achieved at 10 years old.

The EM3 stream has been done away with a few years ago. However, there is still the case of students taking foundation subjects, or subject banding, as mentioned in the article. Some students who might be good in one subject but bad in the rest might have to take all subjects at the foundation level, because of fixed primary school subject combinations. This is unfair, in my opinion, because certain students with gifts in particular areas will not get a chance to develop.

The main question, however, is what we can do to dispel the impression that they are useless and dumb forever. Coming from an EM1 stream myself, and having been part of the more academically gifted classes for the whole of my childhood so far, I do not actually have the impression of them as dumb goons. Instead, they are very much like us, and have similar interests.

The article also talks about the Rosenthal Effect as the teacher directly impacting a student based on his/her expectations towards that student. I feel this may not necessarily be very glaring in the Singapore education system, because teachers do not focus so much on one student alone. However, in RI, we have yet to see whether the Raffles Academy programme, targeted at students with “intellectual gifts” as well, will produce students who do significantly better. After all, there is a higher expectation of them to do well as well.

I would like to conclude by saying that education is but one part of our life process, and it by far does not mean anything to whether one will succeed in later life. Bill Gates is a stellar example; a man who drops out of university is now the richest man on the world. Thus, we should not discriminate against people who are academically weaker than us, because it is possible that we might end up working for them in the future.

Help for 114 problem gamblers since January

http://enewslink.asia1.com.sg/brsweb/read_9.brsw?this=result&QDT=1&QFLST=HD%3AHG%3APD&DB=BT%3AST%4006-07&QSTR=problem+gambling+XOR+%28%28problem+gambling%29%29.HD.+XOR+%28%28problem+gambling%29%29.HG.&DTSTR=%28%28PD+%3E=+20060928%29+and+%28PD+%3C=+20070228%29%29&PSZ=10&MAXL=200&SUMY=1&HLT=0&LSTN=0&ID=000018124@BT06

I feel this problem will be here, with or without casinos.

This article talks about how 114 people have stepped forward to receive treatment for addiction to gambling, and also how the National Council for Problem Gambling (NCPG) has stepped up efforts to combat such cases, with the advent of the Integrated Resorts (IR). The NCPG is among one of the government efforts to prevent addiction to gambling among Singaporeans. Others include barring people who are not financially secure, as well as imposing a levy fee.

Many people enjoy gambling, because there is the thrill of whether one wins or loses, and of actually having something at stake. People often cannot predict whether they will win or lose, thus they can only pray and hope for a good hand, a lucky spin, etc. The thrill is what gets the majority of people hooked, and also the self-conceived notion that “I can’t be so unlucky!” Thus people continue gambling even if they are on a losing spree, losing their money and still having false hope that they can win it back This leads to them illegally borrowing money from loan sharks, if only to feed their addiction and win back whatever they have lost.

The situation in Singapore currently, is that there are forms of legal gambling in which thousands of people take part in every day-4-D and Toto. These are forms of gambling because winning them is based on chance alone, and there is a stake involved. The odds of winning in such legalised betting are very low, as are the stakes. However, once one wins, there is a large amount of winnings.

There is also illegal gambling, which takes place mainly in mini-casinos and gambling dens. The odds of winning here is like standard casinos, but there is a risk level. Thus people prefer to stick to the legalised form of gambling.

People getting addicted to either are for the aforementioned reasons. A recent Jack Neo film, “The Best Bet”, showcased the pitfalls of problem gambling, including addiction to just 4-D alone. In the article, it is also mentioned that 59 percent of respondents took part in some form of gambling, and about two percent were pathological gamblers.
The new casino will not drastically worsen the situation. How many of us can actually afford a $100++ ticket for just one day into a casino? This probably will make it a once-in-a-while splurge, such as buying a ticket to a nearby casino ie. Genting. With or without the casino, people will have ways to gamble, be it illegal or legal. And the drastic measures taken by the government will not open the bottleneck for gambling to the mainstream population; gambling in the casino will most likely be an exclusive affair.