Dear Mio, I notice from your biography that you write books for children. I am a stay-at-home mum with two small children, and would love to write for children too. How would you suggest that I start?
Mio Debnam replies: Well, before you set pen to paper I’d suggest a little preparatory homework, but luckily, the ‘work’ should be lots of fun for you and hopefully your child too! more…
What exactly is the International Baccalaureate or IB?
Amy Stewart answers: The International Baccalaureate (IB) is a non-profit foundation that offers three programmes that cover children aged 3 to 19 years. The programmes focus on international mindedness, and students who participate in an IB programme learn a second language and skills to live and work with others internationally. more…
My son, who is 6 years old, saw someone having a seizure. He asked me if the lady was crazy, but she was having an epileptic fit. How do I explain this to him?
Stephanie Wong, Senior Social Worker from Enlighten-Action for Epilepsy answers: Witnessing a seizure especially a tonic-clonic seizure (what is called an epileptic fit in layman terms) can be a difficult and shocking experience for any child. Firstly, you are right to want to review the whole incident and give your child the right message about epilepsy. Ignorance can breed fear, which can lead to misunderstanding. more…
At what age should I start letting my child be responsible for paying bills such as topping up his mobile phone or pre-paid card? And do you think this is a good idea?
Sheila Dickinson answers: Learning to be responsible for expenditure is an important step in a child’s financial literary education. In general, children aged about 16 should have a good understanding of the concepts of spending and budgeting. more…
My mother-in-law died recently. She was a beloved grandmother to our children. At the time, I did not know how the handle her death and how to help them through it.
Dr. Helen Poon answers: The death of a loved one is one of life’s most devastating events. The impact of a death can ripple throughout the whole family, even children. Children have a different experience of time from that of adults, thus may go through the stages of mourning quite rapidly. Grief can be presented differently across different ages, thus it may be best to represent this through different developmental stages. more…
Do banks have savings schemes for children? My son keeps saying “can I have my own bank account?”
Sheila Dickinson replies: Yes indeed banks do offer children’s savings accounts. Some of them even package the account with attractive incentives, such as issuing passbooks with famous cartoon characters and sometimes even privileged interest rates. more…
My son’s teacher says that my son has trouble concentrating in class and as a result, he can be quite disruptive. As a teacher, what is your experience with disruptive children in class, and what advice can you give me?
Amy Stewart replies: The term ‘disruptive’ is quite wide ranging and can mean many things in a classroom situation. Firstly, it is good that you have a line of communication open with your son’s teacher about this issue so you can work together to resolve it and do the best thing by your son. more…
I keep telling my children that money doesn’t grow on trees, but they just don’t get it! They just want the latest gadget that their friends have. What should I do?
Sheila Dickinson replies: As children go through different stages of development, so their concepts of money and values change. Once children reach the age of about 7, they should start to understand where money comes from, but they may not understand the relationship between cost and how much they have to spend. more…
I’m 34 and I have a 1 ½-year-old daughter. I am expecting my second child soon. It was a planned pregnancy, but now I am starting to worry that it’s too soon and I’m not ready for a second child. (And I feel like I haven’t slept in years!). In general, what would you say is a good gap to have between two children?
Dr. Helen Poon answers: A mother’s age is one of the main factors that influence the choice of having children or another child. Women who approach, during or past their mid-thirties would tend to worry about decreasing fertility. This pressure often motivates them to pursue further family planning. more…
We’ve just moved to Hong Kong, and I notice that some schools don’t have exams. As a teacher here, what are your thoughts? Do you think we need exams?
Amy Stewart replies: There are many ways of assessing a child’s knowledge acquisition and skills, and an exam is only one example. Students should be experiencing sound classroom assessment practises which include a range of assessment methods and styles which cover Diagnostic (what the students already know), Formative (ongoing assessment to check progress throughout the learning process) and Summative (checking to see if the child has met the learning objectives at the end of a period of time).
Good assessment should take place in the classroom in many forms to get the best picture about students’ progress. Reliance on exams, (a form of summative assessment), is not going to give students, teachers and parents an accurate and informative idea of progress. Exams are not the only form of summative assessment, and some schools will choose other methods to obtain data about the students upon completion of the learning objective/s.
