It's been long... and well i think i've got pretty much to write abt... lets start with... today! frydi-diedy-day... lessons apart, it was pretty fine... met xing yi in sch for e first time heh... b4 that however... i was in the auditorium for mass civics... it was an open forum discussion with the principal. Only one issue was talked about tho... and its an oft argued but concurrently irrefragable topic... "Timetable's too long for 4A students... cut it short". Well, at first i thought it was just a very stupid question to ask... but after the principal's response... i felt very strongly against him...
First off... the question was asked cos in comparison to other jcs (in particular the better jcs), the timetable was horrendous for us students... the principal's rebuttal? One that showed no confidence in us IMO. "Other JCs have shorter timetables because their students are better... they have 100+ 6 pters, while we have less than 10. So, we need more time in school so that we can monitor you better. If we shortened your timetable, would you spend more time studying at home, or out in orchard rd with your friends? If you can't take the stress of taking 4As, then don't. The only reason why you should is to aim for a scholarship. Otherwise, you should just take 3As and enjoy your study."
1) The principal assumes that more time spent in school = better grades, which, imo, is very, VERY narrow.
2) He thinks the only viable reason for taking 4As is for scholarships - he doesn't consider personal reasons, or the fact that some of us want broader choices for uni courses.
3) So what if we entered with weaker aggregates? Does it matter so much? I think that attitude is more important than aptitude. If one has a desire to study, nothing short of aceing his examinations will stop him from being a constant inquisitor of teachers. If we don't want to study, similarly the only way to get us to do so would be to bind us, force our eyes open and put a textbook in front of us. Making us sit in school for hours on end won't help; it'll only compound the hate. The way out? Make us realise that we should be accountable to society and family. School's tried to explain it to us, but i think the school needs to work doubly hard if they are ever going to get anything into us. How they're going to do that? I'm not the school's management. Don't ask me.
Sidetrack: Mrs Ang gave my class a rather good talk today... on the same topic of accountability... she talked about how we really shouldn't be studying just for the sake of studying, but rather for our parents and society at large. about how she's proud that her kids are very responsible. About how she tries her best even when things seem to take all directions but hers, just so that she can deliver her lesson. For that, i applaud her.
4)In a class, there's bound to be people who are slower than the rest, and others that are faster. Those that are faster would definitely be ok on their own, but the same can't be said for the weaker ones. In a lesson, the teacher cannot attend to personal queries, as he has a lesson to teach. The victim? Not difficult to guess. If timetables were shortened, the teacher would be able to spend more time coaching the weaker students personally. After all, if the majority of the students do not need any assistance, the teacher really doesn't need to do anything for them, other than supervising their work. The stronger students can get enrichment on their own if their thirst drives them to do so. Of course, this is assuming that the class indeed can keep up and understand the ongoing lessons in the first place. If they can't, by all means go ahead with the lesson. But the lesson should be made optional for us as a class. Either all or none turns up. Kinda like an extra lesson model, just that they aren't exactly "extra"
In fact, before this question was asked by a then-foolish soul, i didn't think that the timetable was too long. It seemed ok. Now that i've delved deeper, i realised there's only one reason why i've become so accustomed to it. I've been exposed to the flawed system too much, to the point that it seems perfectly fine to me. Something like acclimatization or desensitization. Well, i'm glad that this talk was held; if not i'd still be in the matrix the school has successfully enslaved us in.
The Day You Went Away - M2M
{VERSE 1}
Well I wonder could it be
When I was dreaming 'bout you baby
You were dreaming of me
Call me crazy, call me blind
To still be suffering is stupid after all of this time
{PRE - CHORUS 1}
Did I lose my love to someone better
And does she love you like I do
I do, you know I really really do
Well hey
So much I need to say
Been lonely since the day
The day you went away
So sad but true
For me there's only you
Been crying since the day
The day you went away
{VERSE 2}
I remember date and time
September twenty second
Sunday twenty five after nine
In the doorway with your case
No longer shouting at each other
There were tears on our faces
{PRE - CHORUS 2}
And we were letting go of something special
Something we'll never have again
I know, I guess I really really know
The day you went away
The day you went away
{PRE - CHORUS 1}
{BRIDGE}
Why do we never know what we've got 'til it's gone
How could I carry on
The day you went away
Cause I've been missing you so much I have to say
Been crying since the day
The day you went away
The day you went away
The day you went away
First off... the question was asked cos in comparison to other jcs (in particular the better jcs), the timetable was horrendous for us students... the principal's rebuttal? One that showed no confidence in us IMO. "Other JCs have shorter timetables because their students are better... they have 100+ 6 pters, while we have less than 10. So, we need more time in school so that we can monitor you better. If we shortened your timetable, would you spend more time studying at home, or out in orchard rd with your friends? If you can't take the stress of taking 4As, then don't. The only reason why you should is to aim for a scholarship. Otherwise, you should just take 3As and enjoy your study."
1) The principal assumes that more time spent in school = better grades, which, imo, is very, VERY narrow.
2) He thinks the only viable reason for taking 4As is for scholarships - he doesn't consider personal reasons, or the fact that some of us want broader choices for uni courses.
3) So what if we entered with weaker aggregates? Does it matter so much? I think that attitude is more important than aptitude. If one has a desire to study, nothing short of aceing his examinations will stop him from being a constant inquisitor of teachers. If we don't want to study, similarly the only way to get us to do so would be to bind us, force our eyes open and put a textbook in front of us. Making us sit in school for hours on end won't help; it'll only compound the hate. The way out? Make us realise that we should be accountable to society and family. School's tried to explain it to us, but i think the school needs to work doubly hard if they are ever going to get anything into us. How they're going to do that? I'm not the school's management. Don't ask me.
Sidetrack: Mrs Ang gave my class a rather good talk today... on the same topic of accountability... she talked about how we really shouldn't be studying just for the sake of studying, but rather for our parents and society at large. about how she's proud that her kids are very responsible. About how she tries her best even when things seem to take all directions but hers, just so that she can deliver her lesson. For that, i applaud her.
4)In a class, there's bound to be people who are slower than the rest, and others that are faster. Those that are faster would definitely be ok on their own, but the same can't be said for the weaker ones. In a lesson, the teacher cannot attend to personal queries, as he has a lesson to teach. The victim? Not difficult to guess. If timetables were shortened, the teacher would be able to spend more time coaching the weaker students personally. After all, if the majority of the students do not need any assistance, the teacher really doesn't need to do anything for them, other than supervising their work. The stronger students can get enrichment on their own if their thirst drives them to do so. Of course, this is assuming that the class indeed can keep up and understand the ongoing lessons in the first place. If they can't, by all means go ahead with the lesson. But the lesson should be made optional for us as a class. Either all or none turns up. Kinda like an extra lesson model, just that they aren't exactly "extra"
In fact, before this question was asked by a then-foolish soul, i didn't think that the timetable was too long. It seemed ok. Now that i've delved deeper, i realised there's only one reason why i've become so accustomed to it. I've been exposed to the flawed system too much, to the point that it seems perfectly fine to me. Something like acclimatization or desensitization. Well, i'm glad that this talk was held; if not i'd still be in the matrix the school has successfully enslaved us in.
The Day You Went Away - M2M
{VERSE 1}
Well I wonder could it be
When I was dreaming 'bout you baby
You were dreaming of me
Call me crazy, call me blind
To still be suffering is stupid after all of this time
{PRE - CHORUS 1}
Did I lose my love to someone better
And does she love you like I do
I do, you know I really really do
Well hey
So much I need to say
Been lonely since the day
The day you went away
So sad but true
For me there's only you
Been crying since the day
The day you went away
{VERSE 2}
I remember date and time
September twenty second
Sunday twenty five after nine
In the doorway with your case
No longer shouting at each other
There were tears on our faces
{PRE - CHORUS 2}
And we were letting go of something special
Something we'll never have again
I know, I guess I really really know
The day you went away
The day you went away
{PRE - CHORUS 1}
{BRIDGE}
Why do we never know what we've got 'til it's gone
How could I carry on
The day you went away
Cause I've been missing you so much I have to say
Been crying since the day
The day you went away
The day you went away
The day you went away