Education has always been a topic close to my heart; when I was presented with a chance to write a paper during a Market Design class, taught by a professor who is now my major advisor (Professor Paul Milgrom), it was only natural that I would write about reforming Singapore’s P1 school choice mechanism. ItContinue reading “Singapore’s Primary 1 Registration – Changing the School Choice Mechanism”
Category Archives: Education
The Best of Both Worlds: Living Alternate Lives in Stanford and Oxford
“It’s hard to feel comfortable around you, or, you know, the same, knowing that you’ve studied in not just one, but two of the world’s most elite universities,” a friend of mine divulged during our annual catch-up, an occurrence limited by the once-yearly frequency of our returns to our hometown of Singapore. “Stanford and Oxford. Wow. Just wow.”Continue reading “The Best of Both Worlds: Living Alternate Lives in Stanford and Oxford”
Published in the ST: The Future of Singapore’s Education System
I was glancing through the papers this morning and got a little bit of a shock when I saw that my letter to the Forum editor had been published – “Students with different abilities make for a class act” ! (*Disclaimer: I did not come up with the title, I promise. Trust the Straits Times to try (andContinue reading “Published in the ST: The Future of Singapore’s Education System”
The Struggle for Recognition
It’s 7:30 am, and my alarm rings. The first thing I do is blindly feel my bedside table for my phone (knocking half a dozen books off the table in the process), slide to unlock, and then graze through my Facebook notifications to see how many people “liked” the photo I posted the previous night.Continue reading “The Struggle for Recognition”
Stanford Essay!
After much deliberation and a deluge of requests, I’ve decided to post my favorite of the three essays I wrote for my Stanford application! (Yay.) Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development. (100 to 250 words) I’ve always seen myself as aContinue reading “Stanford Essay!”
The Lesser Seen
It’s been a long time since I last posted on my blog; I’ve been quite busy with university applications, scholarships, exam preparation, meet-ups with friends (before they head off to college this September!) and the works. But this holiday I’ve found the time to return to the weekly Wednesday Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS) at my local constituencyContinue reading “The Lesser Seen”
MOE Cuts Funding to Independent Schools
The funding cuts for the top independent schools in Singapore have recently raised quite a furore over the fairness of such a move. Six top independent schools in Singapore have had their funding cut and, along with other mission schools, have been told to moderate fund-raising activities for campus upgrading. In addition, they will have toContinue reading “MOE Cuts Funding to Independent Schools”
Siem Reap: Savong’s School
I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy. – Kahlil Gibran The rickety drive up the bumpy, pot-holed path to Savong’s School was always one of suppressed excitement; the pit of my stomach wouldContinue reading “Siem Reap: Savong’s School”
It’s All in the Mind.
It’s that time of the year when work starts piling up- multiple IAs and assignments lie in a stack of unkempt, disheveled papers at the corner of your desk- constantly reminding you, beseeching you to pay some thought to your neglected duties. But all you can think about is how to avoid studying for yourContinue reading “It’s All in the Mind.”
Why Teachers Matter.
This post is dedicated to all the teachers out there. To the teachers that have touched my life, and the lives of many others, from tottering toddlers to angsty adolescents – this is for you. I simply cannot express how much my teachers have influenced my life – every single one of them. You getContinue reading “Why Teachers Matter.”
Why I Love Maths
Why; I Love Math Yes, you heard correctly- Why I Love Math. A question people ask frequently It never ceases to puzzle me How could you not love math? It is wonderfully adept with many possibilities in fact Infinity to be exact. It is much like a lover. A lover, you say? Yes, a loverContinue reading “Why I Love Maths”
Busy.
I like the pace of my world. It’s busy, but for me, the less I do the lazier I get. Another incredibly hectic week. After a frenzied week of missing school intermittently for Tobacco Summits, Director General of Education visits, etc.- I was greeted by a week of tests (that abashedly I only studied for the dayContinue reading “Busy.”
Perplexingly Puzzling Paradoxes: The Tortoise
I have an riveting problem for you to scratch your head over today, but I have no doubt many of you have come across it before: Achilles and a tortoise were about to race over 100 meters. Achilles was ten times faster than the tortoise, but the tortoise requested only a 10 meter head startContinue reading “Perplexingly Puzzling Paradoxes: The Tortoise”
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Don’t trust your own judgement. Think. At first glance this hefty book may seem like a compilation of daunting concepts and unmoistened bare facts- the book is indeed dry and may come across as an esoteric psychological analysis of a specific area in the cognitive sciences. However, it is reasonably conveyed in layman’s terms- andContinue reading “Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman”
Singapore’s Educational Reform.
Better late than never. Rebalancing the PSLE. Finally, seeing some change. Why didn’t Mr. Tharman suggest this while he was Minister for Education? I wonder. But it doesn’t matter, the crux of the matter is that things are changing, albeit 10 years late. However, I’m not sure if rebalancing the PSLE will change much. PerhapsContinue reading “Singapore’s Educational Reform.”
The End Of School As We Know It
Just because schooling is traditionally a teacher in front of the class doesn’t mean it’s the best way. I was intrigued by this article in this copy of the New Scientist (8 Sept) I picked up at our school library. I think we’ve all been unduly bashing the education system and pushing for educational reformContinue reading “The End Of School As We Know It”
Education.
I finally figured out to post my Prezi on wordpress. It requires a little bit of tweaking of the embed code that Prezi offers on its ‘Share’ function, but it’s rather simple and ingenious! Anyways, hope you like the Prezi. It’s very crudely put together, but since it is IGCSE period I couldn’t spare muchContinue reading “Education.”
Ruru 