From Pressure to Progress

From pressure to progress, assistant managing editor Chan Su-Ling — and mother of four — reflects on how she learned to support the needs of her children through the PSLE.

By Chan Su-Ling, EPH Editorial Team

In Singapore, academic achievements and good grades are highly emphasised, and the PSLE is a daunting milestone for parents and children. As a mother of four, I’ve felt thispressure firsthand.

Kicking Off the PSLE Preparation

After my eldest finished Primary 5, I realised the PSLE was less than a year away. The anxiety drove me to create a packed timetable for her, filling her days with school and tuition. Initially, things seemed fine. However, after the first semester, her form teacher highlighted to me that her grades had dropped drastically, even in mathematics, which is her strongest subject. Concerned, I spoke with her, and she broke down, sharing her stress and fears. She felt pressured to meet her teachers’ and my expectations. She also struggled with the competition in her top-performing class, fearing that she would fall behind her peers and suffer their judgment. As the captain of the school badminton team, she also felt overwhelmed balancing schoolwork with her leadership responsibilities.

Finding My Way to Harmony

Hearing about her distress was a wake-up call for me. It brought to mind memories of my own upbringing as the eldest child in the family and how I, too, faced high parental expectations. Unknowingly, I had passed on these pressures to my eldest daughter as well, expecting her to excel and be a role model for her siblings. Furthermore, I realised that my singular focus on her academic performance not only stressed her out, but also sometimes led to the neglect of my other children.

To ease the pressure and restore balance, I set about creating a more realistic study plan this time, scheduling pockets of time for rest and leisure. I encouraged her to take up relaxing outdoor activities like cycling and swimming. My approach towards her studies also shifted from indiscriminate cramming to focusing on her weaker areas, opting for comprehensive assessment books that contain both useful revision notes and ample practice questions in the process.

Reaping the Outcome
Over the next few months, my daughter became more motivated. The stress I had unknowingly carried also lifted, allowing me to be more present for my other children. My eldest daughter was confident and composed when she sat for the PSLE. Her hard work paid off as she secured a place in her chosen school. It was a moment of pride, reassuring me that balance and support had made all the difference.

This experience transformed the way I supported my three other children through their PSLE preparation. Gone was the rigid ‘must do everything’ approach. Instead, I embraced a harmonious mix of focused work and enjoyable play to create a positive learning environment that nurtured both their academic growth and well-being.

They also reaped the benefits of working smart by tapping on comprehensive resources that offer quality practice questions, detailed revision notes, and clear explanations for answers, such as the PSLE Exam Power Pack series ($39.90 each) by Educational Publishing House. Now, they continue to adopt the same approach in their studies, and we are all the better for it.