Marc Ong 2i218

A little late, but I've been meaning to write on this so here goes.
A few weeks ago, we had our first taste of Student-led conferencing, an iSpark-only initiative where students are given a chance to talk to their parents. The objectives of this program are to allow students to have a chance to communicate with their parents, enabling them to express their aspirations as well as reflect on their past failures and successes.

Honestly, I was pretty worried about this. I prepared feverishly for the SLC, expecting to be judged based on some rubric, some set of requirements at SLC. However, it was an entirely different story on the day itself. There wasn't even a teacher present at the SLC session itself and it turned out to just be a casual chat with my mom. No one to pressure me to say something politically correct or appear perfect, no one to take down notes disapprovingly while I stammered. All in all, it was kind of nice to be able to sit down with my mom (father was unable to make it) and talk about something we normally never would, that is, my future plans that I wish to achieve. I suppose this is the beauty of SLC- it gives you an opportunity to let your parents know you better, without any pressure from normal academic standards.

As for those whose parents could not make it and had to speak to teachers instead, I feel sorry for them. SLC should be an opportunity for you to share your personal aspirations with your parents, and although teachers might be kind enough to lend a listening ear, it might still be too awkward to share some things with them. I hope parents realise the importance of SLC, giving parents an opportunity to connect with their sons.