(to Liyi, lianzhong, wenqiang, wang cheng tao..)

I want (wish) my son to learn how to write Chinese. I have a feeling that Singapore primary school kids (including those who speak Chinese at home) feel more comfortable writing English than Chinese. What’s your experience and observations? I heard many of them memorize Chinese composition to pass the school exam.

I realize writing is much harder than speaking Chinese. Many people (in China or Singapore) can speak fluent Chinese but if they must write a mail to explain something, it would look sub-standard. I can only guess that they didn’t go through a rigorous level of writing practice in Chinese primary/secondary schools. Still many Singaporeans can write Chinese – look at the Chinese newspapers. I wonder how likely Singapore students are to develop basic writing skills. What are your observations?

To be realistic, I may need to adjust my expectation of my son. If my son doesn’t develop interest in Chinese writing then he may not be motivated to pick up this skill. It’s similar to my (lack of) interest in cooking, driving, yoga etc – even though the skill is useful, it’s not compulsory learning so I avoid it.

If he indeed goes to the US before P6, then I think Chinese would slowly become another hobby like piano and swimming. Hopefully a more sustainable hobby, since at home parents speak Chinese to him everyday. My real wish/dream/prayer is that he develops interest in *reading* Chinese.