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I was at Causeway Point this afternoon and Russell Lee, the mysterious author of the “True Singapore Ghost Stories” series, was having a book signing session.  I was tempted to buy his latest book, which is volume 17 of this above series, but changed my mind as I had ran out of space in my tiny flat to store my books.  So, if any of you have copy of it, I hope you can lent it to me after you have read it.

It seems that our textbooks are in demand in the United States.

From the Straits Time (19 December 2007):

California endorses S’pore maths textbook

The most populous state in the United States has endorsed the use of made-in-Singapore maths textbooks in some 5,700 elementary schools there.

Ho Ai Li
Wed, Dec 19, 2007
The Straits Times

STUDENTS in California could soon be learning maths the Singapore way.

The most populous state in the United States has endorsed the use of made-in-Singapore maths textbooks in some 5,700 elementary schools there.

This means schools can tap into state funds to buy these textbooks, the first Asian content to be approved for use in schools in the US.

‘This has potential beyond California, as a lot of states base their standards on California,’ said Mr Jeffery Thomas, founder of SingaporeMath.com, which distributes Singapore textbooks.

Two series, one for kindergarten and the other for Grades 1 to 5, equivalent to Primary 1 to 5 here, have been approved for use by California’s board of education.

The primary series is adapted from the Primary Mathematics Project (3rd edition), first published by Singapore’s Ministry of Education and publisher Marshall Cavendish in 1982.

An Earlybird Kindergarten Mathematics Standards Edition has been specially written for use in the US. Singapore maths textbooks enjoy an edge over their Asian rivals as the language of instruction is English.

While there had been interest in maths textbooks from Japan, it was ‘daunting’ translating them into English, said Mr Thomas.

For the Singapore math texts, the main tweaks needed were to change Singapore’s dollar and cents into American currency, or to use ‘apples’ in examples instead of tropical fruits like rambutans or durians.

It is too early to project how many schools will use the books, one of about 10 titles on the list of approved maths textbooks for Californian schools.

But the primary maths textbooks could potentially reach more than 3 million students.

Currently, the books are used by 70,000 pupils in 700 to 800 schools in the United States, mainly in states like Massachussetts, New Jersey or Wisconsin.

Forty universities are also training trainee teachers how to teach Singapore math.

Mr Thomas, who lived in Singapore from 1992 to 1997, set up a business selling Singapore math textbooks with his Singaporean wife Dawn Yuen almost 10 years ago.

Based in Portland in the US state of Oregon, they sold these books primarily to parents who homeschool their children before ‘Singapore math’ started to make waves in the US about seven years ago.

Educators there started taking notice of Singapore students’ strong showing in maths.

They beat students from about 40 countries to finish first in the subject in the 1995, 1999 and 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

Experts say Singapore maths cover fewer topics but in greater depth, compared with the way maths is usually taught in the US.

A study of the maths textbooks by the American Institutes for Research said the texts ‘provide rich problem sets that give students many and varied opportunities to apply the concepts they have learned’.

After surveying several American school districts which used the books, researchers found that these books ‘can produce significant boosts in achievement’.

Who are your heroes? What do they do? Where do they come from? How do you find them?

Some say heroes are extraordinary people doing extraordinary things. Then there are others who say that heroes are ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

But what about the ordinary people who are doing ordinary things?  Like the sweeper who wakes up at 5 o’clock in the morning each day to sweep the streets so that you can wake up to a clean estate.  Or the old lady who wipes the tables at the foodcourt so that you will have clean table to enjoy your meal?

Everyday, countless of these very ordinary people move around us, cleaning, scrubbing, heaving, scrubbing and serving.  Each playing a small part to make our life more pleasant.

Will you consider them as your heroes?  Or do you look down on them because they have to do something which we would shun from?  Imagine that you wake up tomorrow and these nameless workers had disappeared overnight.  How will your life be affected?

Maybe they are heroes, maybe they are not.  But it certainly wouldn’t hurt if we treat them with a little more gratitude and respect.

Food for thought?

I would like to share a meaningful song.

该不该搁下重重的壳 寻找到底哪里有蓝天

随着轻轻的风轻轻的飘 历经的伤都不感觉疼

我要一步一步往上爬 等待阳光静静看着它的脸

小小的天有大大的梦想 重重的壳挂着轻轻的仰望

我要一步一步往上爬 在最高点乘着叶片往前飞

让风吹干流过的泪和汗 总有一天我有属于我的天

I took this picture while having breakfast at a coffeeshop near my flat. This “foreign talent” was painting the red pipes/bars without wearing any safety harness.  How much do you reckon he was paid for risking his life?  I would think it will be far less than the price of the latest Xbox or the amount you would spent on your next family dinner. 

Let us say a little prayer for this chap in the picture and hope that he will earn enough to go home safely to his family soon.

Blogged with Flock

Found some photographs which I have left out in my earlier posts.

album