Cassy T on Singapore vs US culture

Cassy T, who teaches Singapore Math to 3rd graders in a charter school, sent this email awhile back and gave me permission to post:

It was tough to say [in the posts I wrote about visiting Singapore] that the real differences between the US and Singapore in education are cultural. They have high expectations of their students, their principals, and their country. Everywhere we went people wanted to know, what did we think? How is Singapore doing? What could they do better? Did we have any suggestions for improvement? We heard that from principals, teachers, students, waiters, hotel employees, tour guides, you name it. They really want to be the 'best" and are willing to put their money where there mouth is. Such a difference from the U.S. where we view education as an expense and teachers as, well, not professionals.

I'm finally getting around to posting this in response to the link Commenter vantilburgindo left to this article on the PSLE Maths test.

I'll go ahead and repeat myself: schools need to teach the students they have, not the students someone else has.

For me this means direct instruction or, even better, precision teaching, both of which focus on the most efficient means of getting the most content & comprehension inside your basic American kid's thick skill.

I speak as the proud parent of a thick-skulled American kid who is, as we speak, refusing to study for Friday's math test because it's Halloween.

We'll just see about that.

............................

Ah.

Ed is on the phone.

Speaking to thick-skulled American son.

"I'm not doing any work."

"I'm not doing any work."

"It's Halloween."

"No! It's Halloween!"

"No, I'm not doing work!"

etc.

"OK, two problems."

"Two problems, that's it."

"No, I'm not doing 20 minutes of work!"

"No!"

"Probably around 6:30 or 7."

"No!"

"Three problems, that's it!"

"Three and a half!"

"Three!"

"Three!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

NO I'M NOT DOING FIVE PROBLEMS


interlude: neighbor arrives with cat books; trick-or-treat friend calls to figure out what time to meet; C. flings red practice problem binder onto white metal cabinet, unseating ancient plastic picture frame; neighbor suggests she will yell at C. and I will yell at her son, who is older, taller, and may require more in the way of parental shrieking


C. agrees to do 5 problems when in fact he needs to do at least 8, one for each lesson in Chapter 8; Catherine & Ed argue on phone while neighbor stands by with cat books; Ed says make him do extra tomorrow; Catherine says You should have talked to me first, etc.


This is so not Singapore.


......................


So what are the odds I can knock off another 5 pages of my chapter before 6 o'clock?