Recently I've been thinking:
1) Is it such a surprise to us Singaporeans that our youth only know how to study and fall seriously short in so many aspects of social skills? How can you expect kids to be familiar with anything other than their textbooks when you have 2 tests every monday? Yes. This is what my sec 2 sister and her contemporaries face every week.... week in week out. What kind of a screwed up system is this? Hypocritical rhetoric again? As with the prevalent kiasu/kiasi mindset that dominates, educators are displaying the same parochial thinking while demanding more of our students all the time. Oh ok... we want our kids to be creative and not only be exam-smart..... erm but then again.... it'll be best if they can still put in those 100hours of study time a week while they are at it.
What nonsense is this??? Even if educators want to have 2 exams a week, why have it on mondays? I can understand the need to keep students on their toes but burning every weekend this way educates our youths and is in the best interests of their development? C'ommon... where is the common sense? Knowing that most parents are hesitant to leave their children home alone while they go out and "enjoy the weekend" (this phrase will soon be obsolete and be erased from our consciousness), this means that whole families are stuck at home most weekends. Even if they were to go out for a meal, they can't stop worrying about they amount of work they have to do when they get back home.
Just look at our citizens! - products of our renown education system - can't even speak properly or give their personal views in coherent sentences! (just watch Channel News Asia or those verbatim reports in ST; I cringe so much these days that I immediately switch channels/flip pages) . Why? That's cos their only meaningful interaction is with their textbooks. Human interaction? Interpersonal skills? Oratorical skills? Public speaking? Active thinking? What? What? What? And we dare say that people are our only resource that enables us to compete on a global level? Gee..... our education system will definitely bring us where we want to be!
Burnt Weekends for parents and children =
a) No time/Too tired for human interaction - SDU meet up this week?
b) No time/Too tired for exercise - TAF club anyone?
c) No time/Too tired to discuss politics - and why are we apathetic?
d) and did you say we have the world's highest rate of myopia?
e) No time/Too tired for sex - Greying population you say?
f) No time/Too tired to go shopping - we can always encourage more spending...
g) No time/Too tired to get out of the house - no life you say?
h) Rising depression and suicides amongst the youth?
i) Singaporeans can work in the backroom office. Ang Mohs make good CEOs.
j) No time/Too tired to have/remember your childhood?
k) Already joined the rat race at age 6?
l) Cringe whenever the news comes on at 930? - Even some MPs aren't spared....
m) Cringe when Singpapore Idol comes on?
n) No time/Too tired for culture and arts - any we complain about cultural erosion and atrophy.
o) 4 Million people, 6 entrepreneurs and 1 opinion?
p) Singaporeans have stunted emotional development? - according to girly mags
And kids, this is the biggest secret of all: "that educators are really interested in your overall development! Oh blimey. How touching". The truth - you are on a conveyour belt, you will be melted down, beaten and moulded into the desired shape - before the nice little packaging and ribbon is put on at the end. Educators should just admit that their priority is in achieving a statistical result - eg. 100% O level passes; 20 students with 9 distinctions etc. The last thing Singaporeans need is another hypocritical concept like "creativity". If its results you are looking for then having tests every Monday is justified. If we want to act in our youth's bests interests, then how about having those 2 tests on wednesday and friday?
1) Is it such a surprise to us Singaporeans that our youth only know how to study and fall seriously short in so many aspects of social skills? How can you expect kids to be familiar with anything other than their textbooks when you have 2 tests every monday? Yes. This is what my sec 2 sister and her contemporaries face every week.... week in week out. What kind of a screwed up system is this? Hypocritical rhetoric again? As with the prevalent kiasu/kiasi mindset that dominates, educators are displaying the same parochial thinking while demanding more of our students all the time. Oh ok... we want our kids to be creative and not only be exam-smart..... erm but then again.... it'll be best if they can still put in those 100hours of study time a week while they are at it.
What nonsense is this??? Even if educators want to have 2 exams a week, why have it on mondays? I can understand the need to keep students on their toes but burning every weekend this way educates our youths and is in the best interests of their development? C'ommon... where is the common sense? Knowing that most parents are hesitant to leave their children home alone while they go out and "enjoy the weekend" (this phrase will soon be obsolete and be erased from our consciousness), this means that whole families are stuck at home most weekends. Even if they were to go out for a meal, they can't stop worrying about they amount of work they have to do when they get back home.
Just look at our citizens! - products of our renown education system - can't even speak properly or give their personal views in coherent sentences! (just watch Channel News Asia or those verbatim reports in ST; I cringe so much these days that I immediately switch channels/flip pages) . Why? That's cos their only meaningful interaction is with their textbooks. Human interaction? Interpersonal skills? Oratorical skills? Public speaking? Active thinking? What? What? What? And we dare say that people are our only resource that enables us to compete on a global level? Gee..... our education system will definitely bring us where we want to be!
Burnt Weekends for parents and children =
a) No time/Too tired for human interaction - SDU meet up this week?
b) No time/Too tired for exercise - TAF club anyone?
c) No time/Too tired to discuss politics - and why are we apathetic?
d) and did you say we have the world's highest rate of myopia?
e) No time/Too tired for sex - Greying population you say?
f) No time/Too tired to go shopping - we can always encourage more spending...
g) No time/Too tired to get out of the house - no life you say?
h) Rising depression and suicides amongst the youth?
i) Singaporeans can work in the backroom office. Ang Mohs make good CEOs.
j) No time/Too tired to have/remember your childhood?
k) Already joined the rat race at age 6?
l) Cringe whenever the news comes on at 930? - Even some MPs aren't spared....
m) Cringe when Singpapore Idol comes on?
n) No time/Too tired for culture and arts - any we complain about cultural erosion and atrophy.
o) 4 Million people, 6 entrepreneurs and 1 opinion?
p) Singaporeans have stunted emotional development? - according to girly mags
And kids, this is the biggest secret of all: "that educators are really interested in your overall development! Oh blimey. How touching". The truth - you are on a conveyour belt, you will be melted down, beaten and moulded into the desired shape - before the nice little packaging and ribbon is put on at the end. Educators should just admit that their priority is in achieving a statistical result - eg. 100% O level passes; 20 students with 9 distinctions etc. The last thing Singaporeans need is another hypocritical concept like "creativity". If its results you are looking for then having tests every Monday is justified. If we want to act in our youth's bests interests, then how about having those 2 tests on wednesday and friday?
posted by D at
3:35 am
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