tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post4778422431368359836..comments2024-03-19T18:44:15.041+08:00Comments on Little Stories: Tan Wen Yi - The CCA SuicideGilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comBlogger124125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-27791853873176982162016-06-15T18:05:15.197+08:002016-06-15T18:05:15.197+08:00In Singapore is like this. Teachers and Parents. I...In Singapore is like this. Teachers and Parents. I think the parents should have be on their son's side, agree and encourage him. I know how its feels like without the support. I joined a cca which I don't like because my parents likes it. Totally regret it. CCA is for the students and not about the parents or teachers or anyone else. I skipped my CCA after going for 3months. Unluckly, my cca teacher is my form teacher, who always tell my to go and even called my house telling my parents the cca is choice by your child so she should go and so on... Slowly I started skipping school and when I was in Sec 2 I skipped alot which results in me retaining. I even skipped my exams. School aren't fun anymore. Cause after school I just go back home while others go for their CCA HAPPILY. I felt different. I don't feel happy. Everyone blame me for all I have did but who started it? Even my relatives all scolded me and all. Parents out there pls let ur child choose their own interest CCA if u want them to enjoy life unless u want them to be miserable like me then do whatever you want.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-63441343988290305612015-06-18T00:02:55.893+08:002015-06-18T00:02:55.893+08:00Um, I am facing a similar situation as the boy, I ...Um, I am facing a similar situation as the boy, I joined my CCA during my first year in secondary school. And I gradually became less passionate to continue working hard as I did not expect it to be as exhausting as I thought(guessed it was my own fault for not considering deep enough and sugar coating the fantasies of joining the CCA I chose) but now I have persevered for a long time, and I am not sure if I can stay on much longer, and the stress coming from teacher-in-charge and teammates is getting harder to cope with by day. And my performance isn't good(unlike the boy, he had a great achievement, medals) and I would like to quit my CCA, since the emotional and physical exhaustion is very hard to bear, but the school and teachers have really strict rules, If I don't provide the correct "evidence" to persuade them,guess they will not allow me to leave, and they may label me as a coward for escaping from my problems. as you can see, my mind is like broken into half, conflicting and pushing my limit, and this is really difficult to cope with. Maybe the boy faced some problem like, a serious conflict with his teammates, or severe anxiousness/depress(from being forced) before every training, and imagine, it's like squeezing a wet towel dry with all your strength, and even when the towel is already dry, the force is still squeezing it, very tormenting and painful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-35697148042743734342015-04-16T22:42:53.807+08:002015-04-16T22:42:53.807+08:00Hello Mr Wang, I am a student from a prestigious J...Hello Mr Wang, I am a student from a prestigious JC like ACSI and I totally agree with you. Some people posting here will just say that you can't put down a school just because of 1 person. Let me say this - they are completely wrong. They can never understand what I am going through now. I am generally a very cheerful person on the outside but truthfully, when I go back home I close my room door and start crying. Everything is because of my CCA. I am not stressed by my CCA but it's just that I have no interest in it. I am in Chinese Orchestra and I completely hate it because I have no Interest! Sometimes I just feel like I am depressed. I just can't talk to anyone. Because people will start looking at me differently. That's why when I saw your blog, I was so relieved to see that I am not the only one. I am really sorry for the poor boy. I can understand very well what he went through. Back in my primary school, it was completely my choice to take a CCA or not. But in this JC I am coerced by so many people to take the cca they want me to take not what I really want. I am really sorry if I ranted too much but I hate, no I abhor the CCA system here!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-73604937630062436162013-08-17T21:51:42.829+08:002013-08-17T21:51:42.829+08:00In my school,girl guides have to sell at least a n...In my school,girl guides have to sell at least a number of boxes of cookies forced by their teacher and band members have to also have to sell at least a number of tickets for their concert.Why should we force students to sell at least how many boxes or tickets? And what more, SJAB have to collect a limited amount of money for charity and thats ridiculous,as that is for charity, you cant force students to donate money rite? SJAB cadets are always frantically asking people to donate every year.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09195746995083533498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-20286502875747192412010-05-05T23:05:00.748+08:002010-05-05T23:05:00.748+08:00Hmm. My school does not punish students for skippi...Hmm. My school does not punish students for skipping CCAs afaik because I have a few friends who are "floaters" (people without CCAs). Everyone is made to join a CCA at the start but there aren't any strict rules about skipping CCAs. Once you start missing too many trainings, your name would automatically be off the record.<br /><br />And as a few others above said about not being able to join a CCA they want because they're "not good enough", you can't put all the blame on the school. Popular CCAs like tennis have limited facilities (like the number of courts) and so the number of students they can take is limited. If I were the one to decide, of course I would choose the students who perform better at the sport. There can't be a situation where everyone is happy and there have to be compromises here and there.Justin Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02875926822126918323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-76910301014344609062010-02-25T17:42:06.405+08:002010-02-25T17:42:06.405+08:00Why schools must be so strict? Be more lenient mah...Why schools must be so strict? Be more lenient mah. Then your students will like school more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-44611521176611249752010-02-25T17:40:14.834+08:002010-02-25T17:40:14.834+08:00Why must schools punish children for not attending...Why must schools punish children for not attending CCAs? For me, they are very 'kiasu' lor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-81085465960111494352010-02-25T17:38:32.710+08:002010-02-25T17:38:32.710+08:00Tom Yam Soup
I don't think schools should puni...Tom Yam Soup<br />I don't think schools should punish them for not attending CCAs.Still,core subjects more important mah. For me,they are very 'kiasu'people lor. So much for being a 'top' school.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-84533004203710554572009-11-27T03:43:49.897+08:002009-11-27T03:43:49.897+08:00"Is it not correct to punish a student for sk..."Is it not correct to punish a student for skipping his CCA? If not, why do most if not all schools in Singapore have rules against truancy? Surely this applies to co-curricular activities as well."<br /><br />WHY SO RIGID. punished for not attending CCA??? i think sg schools shld really cut back on these kinds of drastic punishments for such minor issues. he did not skip lessons. he simply skipped a cca that he did not enjoy anymore. they shd have just let him be. but no. all of them together drove him crazy and literally pushed him off the ledge.ninelives889https://www.blogger.com/profile/12347625307191068727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-70567339632861928172009-09-08T00:26:02.570+08:002009-09-08T00:26:02.570+08:00I totally agree that schools force certain student...I totally agree that schools force certain students to join a particular ccas in order to achieve better performance which totally irks me. I've seen incidents like these happen in my schools as well. Some of my teammates didnt want to join my cca but was talked into joiing by my school principal as my cca is a niche cca and they want experienced players. <br />In addition, my school forced every year one students to stay back for a cca carnival to join a cca of your preference. My friend, paid 26 bucks to go on odac probation camp, was rejected, went on air rifle trial- got rejected agn, and most ccas of his interests don't want him as they want experienced players! He ended up in a random cca which he dreaded trngs, luckily, his trngs turn out fun, if not i cannot imagine how he can last thru these years. I really question the purpose of holding the cca carnival when you cant join the cca of your choice. Its really disturbing to hear from a contract teacher above who mentioned that teachers and principals just cared abt the results and performance if schools instead of the welfare of students. Then, what are schools for? Like some MNCs, whereby students are employees, serving their superiors(teachers and principals) to earn more profits. No wonder so many singaporeans are migrating. I think the root of problem starts with our education system. Otherwise, singapore will be a perfect country that everyone desires to live in.Pamela Soh Minhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11520215747783654085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-37485216205478427942009-05-09T09:57:00.000+08:002009-05-09T09:57:00.000+08:00Well, maybe the boy's repeated explanation seems t...Well, maybe the boy's repeated explanation seems to be getting him into nowhere since they refused him of his dreams. That is why he is opting out of the unreasonable demands by doing this. Put it this way: Even if he wins the 2 gold medals, the school is proud (for themselves to brag about? sounds selfish, isn't it?). On the other hand, even if he wins the 2 gold medals, is he really happy? Is it really meaningful for him? What credit is it to him? Did he get any desired reward in the end by quitting to pursue his dream they had denied him of? Even he is being very respectful to teachers, is he really being rewarded for that? Now he has ended his life due to his unfulfilled dreams. The question is: WHO WILL BE NEXT??? Will the school be able to do something about it, isn't there a Pastoral Care for students? Or will the school continue to force students to receive more high honours, little did they realised they are paying a high price for it and see more corpses? Also his parents had gone overseas to forget everything. Did they do this to forget about their son? Don't his parents and his school love him any more?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-91541473512603401322008-12-22T00:29:00.000+08:002008-12-22T00:29:00.000+08:00CCAs should be fun , and teach you a thing or two....CCAs should be fun , and teach you a thing or two.<BR/><BR/>Let Students choose what they want and not just participate for a better gradeChenghaohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18005727214737207971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-19735831636794087502008-12-14T12:07:00.000+08:002008-12-14T12:07:00.000+08:00if i am that guy,and can't change CCA,i would try ...if i am that guy,and can't change CCA,i would try and change my mindset and try to look forward to it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-1370029120145885812008-12-14T12:05:00.000+08:002008-12-14T12:05:00.000+08:00Guess the guy is too pessimistic.Guess the guy is too pessimistic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-45971514789790544412008-12-14T12:02:00.000+08:002008-12-14T12:02:00.000+08:00ha,ha......guess the boy didn't like his CCA teach...ha,ha......guess the boy didn't like his CCA teacher.At my school,they see what we are good at(they waste no time:).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-5010895239918504462008-12-10T11:39:00.000+08:002008-12-10T11:39:00.000+08:00I'm late to this post.Anyway I think the real prob...I'm late to this post.<BR/><BR/>Anyway I think the real problem lies with how young people deal with setbacks in life.<BR/><BR/>I recently attended the funeral of a 22-year old friend who committed suicide over work problems. And he's only been working for less than a year.<BR/><BR/>We all face setbacks and problems in life. Suicide is clearly not the answer. Our children have not learned to be resilient.<BR/><BR/>I foresee this problem is only going to get worse.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-41339466358821936502008-12-08T17:20:00.000+08:002008-12-08T17:20:00.000+08:00"Suicide is usually complex. I suspect it is here ..."Suicide is usually complex. I suspect it is here too, and a number of factors are in play."<BR/><BR/>Yes, I could say that perhaps he was jilted by his girlfriend. Or that perhaps he felt traumatised by his very bad acne. Or perhaps a relative recently passed away and he felt very depressed.<BR/><BR/>All of that, however, is just wild speculation, entirely without basis. If you like speculating, I'm sure you can also come up with 100 other reasons why he perhaps committed suicide.<BR/><BR/>However, since we don't know if any of that is true, I prefer to stick to the facts as were uncovered by a official police investigation and a coroner's inquiry.Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-84980113222076932992008-12-08T17:17:00.000+08:002008-12-08T17:17:00.000+08:00I do fault the school for not letting the boy drop...I do fault the school for not letting the boy drop his CCA. However I do not blame the school for the boy's death.<BR/><BR/>Try to understand the difference. I feel that schools SHOULD allow students to drop CCAs that the students are no longer interested. This view is generally applicable to all schools, and does not depend on whether their students are currently killing themselves or not.<BR/><BR/>But I do NOT feel that ACS should be blamed for the boy's suicide, which:<BR/><BR/>(1) was by his own act, <BR/><BR/>(2) was a very extreme reaction; and<BR/><BR/>(3) occurred without any prior warning signs that his teachers knew about or should have spotted.<BR/><BR/>Hope that clarifies. For you. (I'm sure most other readers had understood me well enough already).Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-13233741870577893232008-12-08T17:15:00.000+08:002008-12-08T17:15:00.000+08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-18216336044103099352008-12-08T10:54:00.000+08:002008-12-08T10:54:00.000+08:00See your own posts below Mr Wang. Of course you di...See your own posts below Mr Wang. Of course you did not blame the school. You just faulted the school. If only the school would allow him to drop the CCA he hated, then the world would be bliss. If only Mrs Wang did not force Mr Wang to keep his job, then Mr Wang would not have jumped in a moment of senseless recklessness. <BR/><BR/>Plse don't take the moral high ground and then claimed to be innocent after that. <BR/><BR/>"I did not fault the school for not letting the boy switch to the CCA of his choice. I faulted the school for not letting the boy drop the CCA he hated."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-42149704475074870002008-12-08T09:55:00.000+08:002008-12-08T09:55:00.000+08:00This sounds like a scene out of Dead Poet's Societ...This sounds like a scene out of Dead Poet's Society.JYhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09671179429154934785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-89968347489733983562008-12-07T16:51:00.000+08:002008-12-07T16:51:00.000+08:00It would not. Obviously you did not read my post v...It would not. Obviously you did not read my post very well. Here, let me reproduce the first paragraph for you:<BR/><BR/><I> "I don't think that the school can be blamed for the suicide itself. Based on what the Straits Times reported, none of the teachers would have seen it coming at all." </I><BR/><BR/>And yet you accuse me of taking some moral high ground. Sigh, this is what happens when I allow people to comment freely on my blog. The crap comments start rolling in.Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-63264445493679216562008-12-07T16:49:00.000+08:002008-12-07T16:49:00.000+08:00It would not. Obviously you did not read my post v...It would not. Obviously you did not read my post very well. Here, let me reproduce the first paragraph for you:<BR/><BR/><I> "I don't think that the school can be blamed for the suicide itself. Based on what the Straits Times reported, none of the teachers would have seen it coming at all." </I><BR/><BR/>And yet you accuse me of taking some moral high ground. Sigh, this is what happens when I allow people to comment freely on my blog. The crap comments start rolling in.Gilbert Koh aka Mr Wanghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01027678080233274309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-88356749351358613082008-12-07T16:24:00.000+08:002008-12-07T16:24:00.000+08:00It is a sad and unnecessary death. As a teacher, I...It is a sad and unnecessary death. As a teacher, I have experienced seeing pupils die. They are always sad. Pupils can always drop the CCA that they do not want. Sure, the school can make noise. But the reason why they make noise is not always because of selfish reasons or the schools are into awards etc etc. Sometimes, it is about resilence training and commitment on the children's part. It is how important we treat our lives, and not let setbacks affect us. It was a moment of recklessness, and a sad death. My condolences to the family. I am not sure what happened. But Mr Wang is in his usual high ground self. Suicide is usually complex. I suspect it is here too, and a number of factors are in play. <BR/><BR/>If Mr Wang wanted to give up his job, and Mrs Wang did not allow him, and Mr Wang decides to jump in a moment of recklessness. Is it Mrs Wang's fault? Perhaps, perhaps not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4405345292513335071.post-80234665504278356732008-12-06T21:06:00.000+08:002008-12-06T21:06:00.000+08:00I'm actually glad that most people who commented r...I'm actually glad that most people who commented realise that teachers in Singapore schools are really just cogs in the huge MOE machine, they can't change anything and well,like cogs, they're dispensable. Drop dead and they're easily replaced. Be a rebel? Try to change the system? Get a D grade all through your career for being stubborn and not being able to adhere to the "mission and vision".<BR/><BR/>Running the schools like a company with all the KPIs, AFIs and hard-to-acheive awards, all these are really done at the expense of students' development. <BR/><BR/>MOE? I think one of the greatest mistakes MOE made was to give autonomy to schools - that is how the whole "dropping a subject because you're bad at it and hence it won't sully the school's image" started.<BR/><BR/>Cog in a machine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com