Being Chinese | In Singapore, my children are freer to be happy than I was in China
Having been through China’s pressure-cooker education system, I appreciate how Singapore balances Eastern discipline and Western creativity
When I heard about the enrichment classes offered at my son’s preschool in Singapore, I didn’t hesitate to sign him up. There were three options, all exciting: music, Character Smart (a play-based holistic development programme), or English speech and drama. Woody, 3½ years old, was already enrolled in Taekwondo and drawing. So the question arose: should I choose, or just sign him up for everything?
Around then, I received a message from the mother of Yueyue, a classmate of Woody’s and a fellow drawing enthusiast. “The drawing class won’t overlap with the English speech class, right?” she asked.
“No,” I texted back, “the speech class finishes at 5.15pm, and there’s plenty of time since the drawing class starts at 6.30.”
Her next message struck a chord: “I’ve enrolled Yueyue in all three enrichment programmes. They seem interesting and I want to nurture her curiosity to see what she truly enjoys.”
My decision to enrol Woody in multiple enrichment classes was never about pushing him towards perfection. Designed to be playful, these sessions are about fostering growth and curiosity free from high stakes and rigid expectations.