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[11:59]

http://www.classifiedpost.com/jscommunity.php?communitycode=EDU&lcid=HK.EN&jobpage=12

This really takes the biscuit � it's totally absurd. As if after school interview technique lessons at hack tutorial centres for what are essentially infants was not enough, it now seems that some twisted Hong Kongers desire that their primary school-aged kids have private Latin lessons, of all things. Now, perhaps someone could enlighten me, why on Earth would � or could � any boy aged 7 anywhere in the world require a Latin tutor, let alone a kid of this age in Hong Kong? This is just another example of parents pushing their offspring to breaking point with useless and pointless knowledge for the sake of it, to 'get ahead', to give their kid 'a head start' (read, 'to deny them any childhood').

To paraphrase Cat Stevens, when and where do the children play?

[hkteach]

Agree totally with the comments about kids being pushed to breaking point and denying them a childhood. In Hong Kong childhood ends at the beginning of primary school, but kids are put into training for that time during their pre-school years when they carry backpacks loaded with books.
Primary 1 students get hours of homework a night as well as attendance at English centre, music class etc. etc.
When school holidays arrive, what do the kids get? Yep - piles of homework (enough worksheets and textbook exercises to keep them busy 'learning' during the break).

Last year, I witnessed a primary one student standing at the teacher's desk every day from 3.30 till 5 doing his homework. WHY? because he was 'too lazy' to do it at home. The fact that he didn't understand it became clear to me when I tried to help him with the English exercise, but this fact seemed to escape both his teacher and his mother (who incidentally had kept him up till midnight to force him to do it.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ) This child was 6 years old. Child abuse in my view.

Play? well that comes a very poor last I'm afraid. It's a waste of time - time that could be better spent 'learning' (drill and rote learning of facts)

Yes indeed, Hong Kong is a very cruel place for children.

[Smoog]

Maybe his parents have invented a Time Machine and are planning to go to Ancient Greece for Easter.

[abusalam4]

[Serious_Fun]

[Joan]

How much or how little homework primary school children do, bears no relation to how well they perform at university. So let them have a childhood!!! (I researched this when there was a debate at my sons' primary school: some parents, mainly the Polish ones for some reason, wanted their kids to have homework. The anti-homework faction won)

I'm all for teaching Latin, but not for 7 year olds. I started it at age 12, and it has been a wonderful help to me in understanding new, technical words, and in understanding grammar. Also, the ancient Roman civilisation is really interesting. Oh yes, another advantage - after Latin grammar, German seemed easy.

[Steppenwolf]

[quote="abusalam4"]

[Kaloi]

Obviously its a whack holdover from the British schoolboy tradition.

In any event, they are pushovers for not having enforced Greek.


Perferare educatus linguam Latinam est!