Meet Carol – a member of our re:imagine learning community, an advocate for progressive education, and a mother of 4 boys, 3 of whom we’ve had the joy of getting to know through Code in the Community, Saturday Kids Greenhouse, and CITCx.

Hi Carol! Tell us more about yourself.

“I’m a mother of 4 boys, and work full-time at an ed-tech startup called ClassDo, which is a one-stop interactive online classroom platform. Before this I worked at Nanyang Polytechnic – that’s where I saw for myself the value of applied learning, and that changed my perception about the direction in which education should be heading.”

Tell us more – what are your views on education and where do these convictions stem from?

“Back in the day, society had a more skewed view of polytechnic education as the ‘poorer cousin’ of Junior Colleges; and much of my work in Nanyang Polytechnic centered around changing these perceptions on the ground.

Personally, I took the so-called ‘safe’ route from secondary school to JC and then to university. My husband, on the other hand, went to polytechnic, skipped college, and grew up in the ‘school of hard knocks’.

As a family, we’re quite different from my peers; we try not to impose on our kids, or ask them what they want to be when they grow up. The world’s changing too fast, and we feel those long-term questions are irrelevant and unnecessary. My kids don’t grow up with tuition culture – it’s much more about exploration and play.

As parents, we believe that if our kids only start learning how to fail when they’re adults, it’s too late. If they don’t want to put in the effort, let them fail and bear the consequences. Let them feel the pinch of failing now, rather than later.

So we try not to influence their choices in any way.”

How do you see this approach to parenting and learning play out in your kids?

“While at Nanyang Polytechnic I organised the school’s Open House every year, my kids love the campus and its culture, and got exposed to hands-on learning very early.

My oldest child Ian wants to attend a polytechnic in the future because that’s where he thinks he can learn the real-life skills he can use to solve problems; thankfully, problems to him are not just problem sums.

I’m quite proud that my sons don’t talk about the different educational pathways with coloured lenses – there’s really no stigma there. They just think in terms of their individual strengths and which educational pathways are best suited for them. That was a bit of an a-ha moment for me as a mother.”

How has your kids’ experience at Saturday Kids been?

“The online version of Code in the Community was something my sons really looked forward to during the circuit breaker – they particularly enjoyed the Level 2 Application classes because they were hands-on, and they could apply code to play with the Strawbees and Quirkbots. Code in the Community provided them a chance to learn in a different kind of environment; it’s almost like the entire culture and philosophy is very different from what they experience in school.

And in this different environment, they can demonstrate this sense of motivation and behavioural change. I see them now taking a great deal of pride and sense of ownership in their work.

After their coding lessons ended, they’d wake up earlier the next day to work on their code. I’ve noticed a progression where they’d ask for help less and less, and tried to figure out the answers for themselves. I saw a willingness to be challenged and to try and find out the answers. I don’t see the same kind of enthusiasm with their other schoolwork.

And I think it really boils down to designing a safe environment for learning. At Code in the Community, they’re placed in an environment with broad parameters where they can explore and make mistakes without heavy consequences. The programme is designed so there’s a lot of freedom for the kids to explore and improvise; because it’s self-paced kids have their own safe space to learn at a level of difficulty they’re comfortable with, instead of pigeonholing the kid. They don’t really get this kind of safe space to learn in school – mainstream education is just currently not built that way.

Right now my kids attend Saturday Kids Greenhouse classes weekly, and they hate the term breaks! My youngest kid, Elon, who’s in preschool, knows that his brothers disappear every week for the afternoon and will ask me where they’ve gone. He says now that he’s too young, he just does Khan Academy Kids . But when he grows up, he knows he wants to go to Saturday Kids.”

The post Moms of Saturday Kids: Carol on Applied Learning for the Real World appeared first on Saturday Kids | Coding, Digital Literacy for Kids & Parents.

As a school, our goal is to inspire kids to create a better future with tech – and we can’t overlook the role of the women who do so much of the work to raise the curious kids we love spending time and launching rockets with. And because every day should be Mother’s Day, we’re choosing today to kick off a series of snapshots of the mothers we’re privileged to have as part of the Saturday Kids community.

Starting with Gina, mother of Shane who’s currently part of our pilot batch of students for Coding the Impossible (a year-long programme for kids ages 7-10 to build foundations in Scratch as they dream and code up impactful, fun-packed digital experiences through games)!

Hi Gina! Tell us more about yourself.

“I have been a full-time-stay-home-working-mum since the circuit breaker. I’ve come to appreciate the work-from-home arrangement as I have the flexibility to fit in my workout (I alternate between running, gym and hiking which are all things that I enjoy) in the morning after Shane goes to school, and before I start my day as a Program Manager in an Electronics Distribution company.

Then I get to prepare meals and make sure we all eat a healthy and balanced diet! I’m kind of living the dream at the moment.”

What do most people not know about being a mother?

“That our brains work way harder than our bodies! We’re always thinking several steps ahead, and making all kinds of plans and decisions in our heads before anything ever happens (at least I do)!”

What do you love about being a parent?

“One of my favourite moments was when my child, Shane, thanked me for doing something that meant a lot to him. This doesn’t happen often – but when it does, you know you’ve done something right as a parent.

My aspiration as a parent is to raise a decent and kind human being who is comfortable in his or her own skin, and has the courage to face whatever life throws at them. It is something that I aim to achieve myself!”

What are you passionate about?

“Kindness and gratitude – if everyone in this world could be kind to each other and thankful for whatever little they have, I believe the world would be a much better place.

Something I’ve also been thinking about recently is foster parenting… I hope to be able to actually do something about it one day.”

Why Saturday Kids?

“Shane loves going to his class at Saturday Kids – he ranks it #1 among all the different things that he does. When I see him trying to make changes to his projects on Scratch at home, the confidence that he has in manoeuvring his code is mind-blowing.

But beyond learning to code, what I want him to take away is the confidence that he can achieve whatever he puts his mind to with focus, determination and effort.”

The post Moms of Saturday Kids: Gina on Raising a Kind Kid Comfortable in their Own Skin appeared first on Saturday Kids | Coding, Digital Literacy for Kids & Parents.

Working mothers aren’t given the credit they deserve for all that they bring to the workplace by dint of their parenting experience  – this satirical job description from the New York Times just scratches the surface of the value that mothers bring to a team.

At Saturday Kids, we’re thankful for our all-star team of Mums who further our mission to make kids curious self-directed learners; this Mother’s Day we’d love for you to meet them, and for you to show some love to the mothers and mother figures in your life and at the workplace.

. . .

Beyond her role as a Rocket Launcher (AKA curriculum developer) at Saturday Kids, Huda also helps to run the Codette Project which creates access for minority women to opportunities in tech.

(Check out her blogpost about why we should care about getting more girls in tech!)

Trust and treat a child as a person, not just a child.

What’s your superpower?

Having Cephalopod limbs (AKA octopus tentacles) because I have to do 3000 things in a day.

What do most people not know about being a mother?

One can never be ready to be a Mom.

 What have you learned from your kid?

To trust and treat a child as a person, not just a child, which in turn requires you to respect them. And… I never knew how much patience I’d need to raise a child.

. . .

Besides supporting Saturday Kids’ financial operations, Maryanne is also a full-time lawyer and mother of five.

You just can’t give up. And you won’t.

What’s your superpower?

Bullet-journaling!

What do you think most people don’t know about being a mother?

It’s a lifelong commitment. It’s a job you can’t quit no matter how difficult it gets or how difficult the kids get. You just can’t give up. And you won’t.

What’s something you’ve learned from your kids?

Bad jokes. And some good ones…
Latest joke: What do sea monsters like to eat? Answer: Fish and ships.

. . .

Nadiah assists classroom operations at Saturday Kids, ensuring that all classes run smoothly and without a hitch. She’s also a proud Mum to 3 kids ages 16, 13, and 3.

Although I have gone through a hard life all my years I’m still going on strong today as a single Mum.

What’s your superpower?

My superpower is that I am a strong and independent mom – although I have gone through a hard life all my years, I’m still going on strong today as a single Mum. I’m a strict mother, but I still try to blend in with my 16 year old daughter and at times am a Mum, sister, and friend to her when she needs advice and faces problems.

What do you think most people don’t know about being a mother?

Some people think being a Mum is easy. It’s definitely not because it’s just the start of bringing up your kids, whether you have a partner or you’re single. There’s both happiness as well as burdens to go through.

What’s something you’ve learned from your kid(s)?

I’ve learned that I can’t be too harsh on them if I want them to listen, and that meting out punishments doesn’t resolve issues and isn’t the way to handle things. I’ve learned to coach and guide them when they need help in uncertain matters.

Most importantly, my kids want to feel care and concern for their well-being so they feel welcome to ask me anything regarding matters of life.

. . .

A mum to 2 twin girls, Nicole heads Marketing at Saturday Kids and pursues her passion and talent for visual storytelling in her free time (what’s left of it).

I didn’t realise I have the capacity to love SO FREAKIN’ MUCH.

What’s your superpower?

I am the only one in the family who can easily tell my (fairly identical) twins apart even without looking at their faces! No kidding

What do you think most people don’t know about being a mother?

For me, I didn’t realise that I have the capacity to give and love SO FREAKIN’ MUCH even on a lousy day, perhaps especially on a lousy day – until these two came along.

What’s something you’ve learned from your kids?

Never take no for an answer the first time around.

Plus – EVERYTHING IS INTERESTING.

. . .

An investment banker in her previous life, Sam heads International Programmes in Japan while being a dedicated Mum to 3 kids ages 5, 3 and 1!

My superpower is living with my heart outside my body.

What’s your superpower?

There is a quote that says having a child is to “forever have your heart go walking outside your body”. So yeah, my superpower is living with my heart outside my body.

What do you think most people don’t know about being a mother?

That most of the time you’re just trying your best to fake being a responsible adult. That chocolate I told you not to eat off the floor? I’m totally eating it as soon as your back is turned… Mommy has a very important conference call and cannot be disturbed? I’m hiding in the bedroom binging on Crunchyroll. Shhh…

What’s something you’ve learned from your kids?

That every day has something worth celebrating.

. . .

Yulin leads our social impact team, running creative coding projects to close the digital literacy gap – including Google-sponsored initiative Code in the Community and Coding Cats in Cambodia – and is a mother to Leon & Isabel, ages 10 & 8!

“Where’s my…?” “Study table, second drawer, blue box.” “How did…?” “Cos I’m your Mum.”

What’s your superpower?

The power of preemption. Preempting quibbles from escalating into full-blown fights. Preempting bouts of ‘h-anger’. Preempting questions – “Where’s my….?” “Study table, second drawer, blue box” “how did…?” “Cos I’m your mum”.

What do you think most people don’t know about being a mother?

The strangest things you worry about, starting from the day they are born.

What’s something you’ve learned from your kids?

Appreciate nature. We take it for granted when we grow up. Until your child points out an oddly-growing tree, the way raindrops meander down a window, the papery skin discarded by an outgrowing insect.

. . .

To the Mums from our Saturday Kids tribe and beyond, happy Mother’s Day! Here’s a reminder to give the mothers we know and love the credit they’re due, today and every day. 

The post Because Mums make the world go round – Happy Mother’s Day! appeared first on Saturday Kids | Coding, Digital Literacy for Kids & Parents.