SG's education system

Articles and forums on this topic is something Singaporeans will always come across. It's my turn to say something about it now. I've never criticized the system before. In fact, I don't recall even talking about it. 

Many have mentioned that Singapore's education system is too rigid and students are not studying blah blah blah. Some even mentioned that students are not given the rights to chose what they are interested in since young and they find this rather restrictive. 

My point of view? Singapore has taken the wrong approach towards education.

I feel that the whole "taking 4 subjects in primary school and 7 or 8 (or even more) subjects in secondary school" thing is fine. It teaches students the basics of most fields and it allows students to find their interests. I knew for sure I hated maths and I love sciences, on the other hand, my friend found her love for art.

But the way these subjects were taught? Oh hell no. 

(What I will say next is a rather common complaint, but I promise a different example. So continue reading, don't close the tab yet.)

Singaporeans were taught to memorise stuff since young. And by memorising I really mean memorise for everything. I understand that there are certain stuff that needs to be memorised, like dates for historical events, for you can't understand the dates, you can only memorise them. But in Singapore? You memorise everything.

You (or students in my school) were taught to memorise science, character education, geography, ALMOST EVERYTHING. And some students struggle to pass because they are just not good at memorising. Others have gotten so used to memorising (since kindergarten or nursery in extreme cases) that they can remember word for word and they "excel". 

What could have been done then? Teachers should take a different approach. Make the students understand stuff, not memorise. That's just wrong. 

I was able to do well for sciences because I understood. I wasn't top for social studies because it was memory work to me. When my peers came to me for help in sciences, I explained it to them (I even drew it and made it into some form of cartoon/comic, ask my friends), not make them repeat the definitions/steps. 

You know how schools keep on emphasising the importance of presentation skills and public speaking skills? Teachers will always tell students "Please get rid of the cue cards.". Let's look into the root of the problem. 

Singapore's approach towards education. 

Students were trained to memorise ever since they enter an education institution. It got so bad that they have to memorise word by word and it will feel wrong to miss out a single point. A single word even. To them, it feels wrong to make mistakes. 

That is the problem. Students were never told that it was okay to make mistakes.

Typical case scenario: Student holds cue cards during presentation. Speaks halfway, feels that they are going to make a mistake, starts panicking, pauses, look at cue cards nervously. To make things worse, their cue cards looks like that: 

http://myluckypencil.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/003.jpg?w=500&h=374

(LOL at the citation, thanks bcomm? Even though I'm doing it wrongly I guess HAHAH oh well)

Back to my point. THEY WRITE THE WHOLE SENTENCE ON THE CUE CARD. No point form, just the whole paragraph. 

This is what Singapore needs to do. Teachers especially. Assure them that it is okay to make mistakes. If you want students to ace presentations and do well for public speaking and get rid of all the cue cards, then change your teaching style. Stop forcing students to memorise stuff, make them understand instead. Assure them that so long as they have confidence, they can pull it off. 

I am not saying I am good at presentations, but this is the best example I can think of. 

It only struck me when I was talking to my friend about presentation the other time. I was telling her that there is no need for cue cards. She mentioned that I did not use cue cards and I missed out some parts of my presentation. To that, I answered: "But I managed to pull it off, didn't I?" At that moment, it hit me really hard. We are so used to memorising that if we miss out parts of information, we start to panic, because it is deemed as "imperfect". Students are scared of making mistakes because of the learning style they were introduced to. I am guilty too. I am scared of making mistakes because I can't memorise for nuts. And that is how Singapore's education system is. Word for word or you fail. (Except for essays, how do you even memorise that, lol)

And... that's all I have. Singapore's approach towards education is rather... rigid. But what can we do about it? Reality check Carissa. Nothing can be done. Not now. 

*As usual, I am blogging about this at 3 in the morning. I can't be bothered to proofread my post. And who thinks straight during the wee hours of the day? So long as you get my point. XD

**This is a rather controversial topic. Your views may differ, you may feel offended by my example. But really, no harm intended. 

 

I believe that there is a reason behind a person's passion for current affairs. 

Yes, as a teenager, it is important to be updated and informed of the current news. But there are some people with that extra passion when it comes to current affairs. I know of people who are into current affairs because they find it to be a good source of humour (Well, some issues can be really ridiculous at times), while others are into it due to interest. 

For me, it all started from poverty and my father's influence. 

My family is not well to do. I am barely 17 and I am supporting myself as well as my family. Since young, my family had to seek financial aid from the government. It wasn't though, being the only child. At that time, the government (in my point of view) see it as my father only have my mother and I to feed, and hence, do not require much assistance. Other factors such as debts were never considered. This steered me towards my interest in local affairs and how the government is implementing policies to prevent the income gap in Singapore from becoming wider. 

My father is a typical father in Singapore. A man who would hold conversations about the government and the policies in Singapore with his friends and taxi drivers. A man who would return home and complain about the government when the news makes a report on a rise in COE.

We would sit in front of the tv during the elections or national day rallies. It was really entertaining, listening to his remarks while watching the event. 

I was never really interested in global affairs until recently. I was exposed to it through different means of exposure and I was entertained. 

I am definitely not the most knowledgeable person out there when it comes to current affairs. I'm pretty sure my journey in CAC will get me exposed to so much more. 

Goodbye 2013, hello to the issues in 2014. :D

When you have so much to say, so much on your mind, but you have no idea how to phrase it properly. 

Everything will be alright. I guess. 

I was told to private my blog to keep things private so that it will not affect my reputation.

I did. 

And then I came to realise that I do not have to. I've been doing this for years. Why do I have to stop? I've always believed in being able to express myself. 

And I believe in transparency. 

So I'm back. Must have lost a fair amount of readers due to the hiatus and the period of time when I denied public the access to this space.

In all due respect to those who are concerned about my reputation (yes, several of you, including my mentors), I will rant less on private matters (hopefully). But it's just not me to have a private blog. I don't believe in that. 

I'm currently revising for my last paper. I don't know why I'm doing this. Okay, let's be honest. My results aren't that bad, but they aren't good either. Stupid dumb old competitive me. I have nothing better to do and my itchy hands have to put down this course as my first choice. 

It is not that I've regretted entering this course. I just feel rather aimless. I am forcing myself to study certain stuff that I'm not interested in (Who knew a business course would require you to do math. I was never so wrong). Then again, I've gain so much (non academic wise, duh.). My mates are really interesting people :>

As I was saying, I feel rather aimless. Where will this course bring me to, what do I want to do? What do I really want? Why am I here?

Am I going to be clueless for the next 2 years?

This is bad. 

Another rant

(I apologise for the vulgarities ahead, I just can't hold it in LOL)

I understand that there are certain stuff you shouldn't say online.
But I don't tell anyone anything, and I believe that blogging is the best way to get things off my mind. So if you have a problem with my previous post, yeah, your problem, that is.
Fuck that whole "you shouldn't say stuff online, or else you might get into trouble" shit. I've been in deep shit before for things that I did NOT say. And regarding that...

Dear anon, remember how you framed me a year ago? I came across the email and the photos again.
Yes, I've posted tons of stuff on my blog regarding you (Okay, maybe not tons, but a few here and there), on how your actions didn't affect me at all. Frankly, it did.

To those who are new to my blog, hi. What happened you ask? Let me enlighten you.
When I was the president of the student council in my school and I was left with a few months / weeks to serve the school, someone fucking framed me.
Someone "took screenshots" of "my" facebook statuses (apparently "I" posted them in sec 1 ._. ) and sent them to my discipline master. And apparently those pictures weren't pleasant. I said stuff about fucking the penal code, about how Yuhua sucks and how I picked a fight with a Huayi guy.
I painstakingly went through all my fb posts (mind you, I scrolled back to when I first created fb) and even looked for an app that showed all my statuses.

Anyways anon, I remember how desperate I was, trying to track you down. I was desperately proving my innocence, clearing my name.
I bet you've gotten extreme joy out of it huh? Watching me as if I am an ant struggling to get out of water, trying not to drown.

It still haunts me.

Anyways, this is abit anti climatic, I just happened to have a need to rant about this. HAHAHAH.

On a brighter note, I AM GETTING MY POKEMON X LATER ON OMG I CANT WAIT :D

Aimless.

Rant

Most humans are designed in such a way that they only believe in what they see, on the surface level. They don't dig deeper, don't bother to make clarifications and just blindly make assumptions and accusations. 

I have no rights to preach, but I feel like it is time to stand up for myself.

I know, I may be obsessed with work and tend to neglect my friends and school related work. But want to try being in my shoes?

I am not like any of you out there. I don't ask my parents for money. I don't get pocket money, I don't ask my parents for money necessary for food, transport, leisure. I am working to support myself. And most of the time, my family as well. I pay for certain stuff in the household, mind you.

My dad is old. Very old. You think your dad is old? Is your father in his seventies? No right? For mine is. 

Wow, how filial of me, to earn money and give back to my parents, right? No, I have to. My family is squeezing in a rented room right now, just fyi. Yes, a room. And, how can my parents, who are at such a age support me when they can barely support themselves. 

I need to work because I want to study. No work = no salary = no school for me. Pretty simple huh.

And how am I able to afford to eat and spend money on stuff that I like? I plan ahead, for what I want and save. And I can do that because I work.

Think again before shooting me about my work. I don't want to drop out from school, I want to pursue my diploma and move on to a good university.

And I have family problems to add on to that, so think twice before you start judging me. I can't take it anymore. Being misunderstood all the time.

Secondly. just because I don't speak up doesn't mean I am not doing anything. There is no need to tell everyone what I've done. I know what needs to be done, and once I completed it, I find that there is no need to announce it to the whole world. 

You don't see me screaming at everyone, announcing: "I've done my part of the report" after a group project, have you?

Last point. Just because the president of Singapore only appear once every year does not mean he is not doing anything. He is behind the scenes. And who do you see talking all the time? PM Lee. Is PM Lee doing everything himself? No, Mr Tony Tan is doing his job as well. 

This is how I view a true leader. He/She do not have to announce his/her actions to the whole world. He/She do not have to lead in front of a crowd. A true leader can be the last man in the crowd, playing his role, supporting the rest quietly. 

I don't need sympathy. I just need your understanding. Understand my situation first before shooting me down with your remarks. 

Because in the worst case scenario, I will just drop out of school, and you will never see me again.

I didn't want to blog about this at all. I didn't even want to talk about it. But it has been repeating itself, and I am sick of people thinking I am just lazing around, or working just for the sake of buying what I want. I am sick of being misunderstood. 

Once I post this, I can't take it back, for there will be people reading this.

I am not ashamed. I don't need your sympathy, I just want to clear things up, after what I've heard for the past few months.