a portait

here is the picture that looks back at me each time i get back to the lift lobby of the guest house i stayed in for four days in Bangkok. A friend who works there tells me that missing fathers and unfaithful husbands have come to be expected in many households.
So at first i had romanticised this picture and thought how much it made me miss my kids;
but the sad fact made this picture of a greater pain. True, where is the male figure in this picture?
What hope is this woman clinging to?

how to stop axing the education system

Everyone hates the education system it seems. Parents complain, students complan, teachers complain.
First off, complaining is a really bad way to live.
But as a mother of a Pri 2 I get to come face to face with the system! My main line of thinking - after I did some griping (which bonded me quickly to many other parents; 'misery loves company' see) - was how to help my precious one live with the system in a way that made her stronger (and i dont mean academically).
i think the whole come out strong academically smacks of crass consumerism really. It's the old 'let's get the best out of it' approach -- and sadly, what is best is quickly defined as a resume. Sure, i can understand that we want our kids to do well, excel and have a bright future ahead...
but consider this: does it really help a child feel motivated and excited to learn if it's always put down to the bottom line of 'success'? does it really help the child aprpeciate the larger world and important significant people in their lives (ever heard: but teacher say...) when they feel conflicted and wonder if they fully trust their teachers who parents may speak disparagingly about? does it help our kids have e healthy respect and confidence to relate to figures of authority when we ourselves rubbish the system these people serve?
Yes, there are serious challenges in the system. My own precious one has had 3 form teachers in one year! Parents have reason to be in uproar. But i thought, i want to position myself as a partner to the people in the system. i want to engender trust, confidence and goodwill. i want our teachers to feel appreciated and motivated.
Naturally my precious one came home with the systemic gripe disease. I was tempted to play along...but then I decided to turn it to up my child's adversity quotient. I spoke to her about being adaptable, focused, and determined. Her success may be affected but it is not determined by circumstances.

if you are a teacher reading this, thanks! as parents we have chosen to trust you and i hope we honour that trust as we honour you. dont let us down.