social stigma

Club Rainbow (Singapore) Family Retreat

We had the SUN, the SEA and all (Club Rainbow) Hearts on board the Spectrum of the Seas!
Our annual family retreat is back!

Bouncing back from the pandemic, Club Rainbow (Singapore) (CRS) is much pleased to bring back the annual family cruise trip this year! The specially curated event is open to all CRS beneficiaries and their immediate family members only. To ensure that all families get the opportunity to be part of the Club Rainbow Family Retreat experience, priority was given to families who have not been on any CRS-organised overseas family retreat event or cruise in the past. 

During this 4D3N cruise getaway, the workshops and activities organised by CRS on board were for the beneficiaries and families to unwind, learn and forge new friendships. The ice-breaker activity saw both young and young at heart getting up and about, scouring around to complete their Bingo sheet.  

One of the highlights of the 3-Day programme is the self-care programme for the caregivers on Day 2. The session was well received by caregivers, with many sharing that it was a good opportunity to reflect, self-comfort and relax. They had an enjoyable time, chatting and laughing with other Club Rainbow parents making reference to being like a big family. Miss Ng, an immediate family member of one beneficiary shared, ‘Time to reflect on me. Do a gift for my child. Write a card to encourage myself and self-meditate time. Best of all, 2 hours away from kids to relax (no worries as we know they are well taken care of by CRS)’.

The most popular activity among the caregivers is the DIY keychain with folded stars carrying the wishes and hopes that the parents have for their children. Many found it to be therapeutic and meaningful. For one parent, the activity showed them how much their son has achieved. Apart from penning their thoughts and wishes for their children, expressing heartfelt feelings into a keepsake was memorable for the parents. Mdm Yeap, mother of a beneficiary looks beyond positively, making new goals and hopes for 2023.

In closing the Day 2 session with self-encouragement, a number of caregivers expressed that they have never once thought of writing to themselves as they are constantly focused on caring for their special need child. ‘I seldom think about my own strength. A bit blank initially as I was not used to self-encouragement but it is good exercise’, shared Mdm Elvira. With much emphasis on the importance of a self-care routine, Mr Teo, father of a CRS beneficiary mentioned that the postcard writing activity helped him with self-care check-in of his own mental health and well-being. Resonating with Mr Teo’s sharing, Mdm Chew was happy that she learned to self-appreciate, ‘I love myself more, my well-being.’

Day 3 shouts out for teamwork and family bonding through the Club Rainbow Fashion Show. ‘Fun & innovative. We are glad to be able to design & create something special!’ said Miss Ng, the immediate family member of the CRS beneficiary. Many inclusive activities are planned to encourage parent-child engagement, ‘Quality time together is so precious. Thank you for organising!’ shared gratefully by Ms Lai, a mother of a CRS beneficiary.

All the families agreed with both mothers of CRS beneficiaries, Mdm Yap and Mdm Lee that the retreat was ‘Enjoyable, refreshing. I feel happy.’ and more importantly ‘We do things as a family!’.

Home School: Is it a wrong approach?

Forget about the naysayers! Forget about comfort zones!

This is about YOU doing what is right by your children. By Parents for their Children.


Statistics from a recent survey seen by 500 families shows that home schooling is prevalent in households with 2 children with at least one child if not both being home schooled regardless of the presence of medical conditions. About 81.5% expressing that they would still choose home schooling again if presented with the choice once more.

In a broad view, Home School (HS) is nothing more than just another avenue of allowing children an opportunity to gain knowledge and be educated through unconventional ways.

So how does Home School work? What does it entails?

Reached out to 2 different families who are home schooling their children. Mdm Sandra Chan, a mother of two and Mdm Annette Chua, a mother of one both shared some of the similar pros and cons of taking this approach with their children’s education.  

Copy of Home School.png

Being responsible for their children’s learning journey, HS parents take on the leadership role, much like the ‘Academic Director’ in an education institution. They will review, combine and complement different curriculum to cater to the child’s interest and pace. Specially crafted monthly schedules which incorporate various forms of learning from individual exploration to group learning with other like-minded parents and their little ones.

Every child learns differently at different pace and main stream schools cannot cater to the individual child’s needs.

“Life (Home School) is like the ocean. Waves (Challenges) will try to knock you down and push you back to where you started but once you fight through them, the entire ocean is yours.” (1).png

As the 'Captain of the Ship’, an outgoing and friendly personality combined with leadership and a positive outlook are qualities required much like parents who home school manage the challenges that come their way. Some of the HS families do share common challenges as they openly expressed through the survey, one such indicated “Family and relatives are against the idea, there are friends who disagree and feel that school is better.” Another “Staying motivated and not getting overwhelmed.” The top 3 challenges that resonates most with HS parents is social integration, time management and social stigmatisation being the top.      

While families recognises the benefits of home school for their children and the value of interpersonal relationship bonding amongst family, we do see families adopting the home schooling approach not by choice rather due to medical conditions of oneself or their family member. After all, time is the only thing that money cannot buy, let alone any variation of achieving education.


Quoting and unquoting our Patron and Speaker of Parliament, Mr Tan Chuan Jin from a separate message:

“Public perception should be shaped by facts.”

However, this statement is very apt and applicable in all aspect of our lives. Have we been more objective or subjective today on home schooling?


Sandra openly shared a proverb close to her heart which she constantly reflect while on her HS journey, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”.

Understanding how important it is for HS families to constantly support each other emotionally and spiritually in this uphill and discriminated journey in Singapore, both Sandra and Annette encourages HS parents to persevere on regardless of the social stigmatisation they faced on daily basis.

2.png

Reflecting and couldn’t agree more with Sandra’s view, she asserted ‘If we are called to homeschool our children, go for it! Homeschooling is not just about doing academics at home. It is about parenting and life. The most important thing is not about how to homeschool but why we want to homeschool.’

1.png

While this article does not provide full information of resources on home school but it serves to shed some light in this area where it is overshadowed by the norm in Singapore. 

_____________________________________________________________________________

Parents whose curiosity are piqued about home school and like to know more, HS families have kindly shared some of the available sites for more information:

The Whys And Hows Of Homeschooling In Singapore

Homeschool Singapore

Homeschooling Series

Exploring Homeschooling SG (Facebook Group)

 

Educational Resources / Materials:

Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool

HomeCampus

Sparklebox (UK)

Hands On Homeschooling