Monday's QOTD was about being engaged in your education by Dato' Freida Pilus, posted by @motivationMY. I was very intriguied by the question and I was wondering, what did I learn from my education?
To be very honest, since I turned 11 (because that's when my grades started slipping), I was already aware that to my parents, I wasn't doing "good enough" because I would either get a low B or C grades for my exams with the exception of English. Then I turned to Maths. That's why I'm proud to say, I got A's for English, Maths and Add Maths. Everything else, I would either get a low B or C or when it comes to Geography/Sejarah, expect lower. But what I've realized since I was young was, I didn't like studying. Regardless of what my parents called me, I would refuse to study. I didn't want to be studious and I did want a normal life where I could go shopping, hang out with friends, and do basically everything I wanted. I also had friends who were the COMPLETE opposite of me. All they ever did was study. This carried on all the way till I graduated from SPM.
This changed a teeny bit when I enrolled into Cempaka College for my A-Levels. I knew then that education was important because of what Cempaka believed in. But for some reason, I didn't want to "do my best". Then I met the best teacher I've ever had in my entire studying life. Mrs. Wong Siew Chin, my Chemistry teacher. She was an AMAZING teacher and got me an A for my Chemistry. I only paid attention to Chemistry and obviously neglected all my other subjects. I was very happy that I managed to graduate but I've always wondered, what if I put in more effort?
Then I went into uni. I was enrolled into university and I was to do a degree in Accountings. With no offense to my university, those were the WORST 3 years of my studying life and I learned the meaning of education. I loved assignments because I would be able to research out of my powerpoint printed notes, and I got to write which I loved. My "groupmates" would take this opportunity to dump all their work to me, as I usually did all the editing and the compilation. What sucks even more, is that they would use it under the pretense that "their English is bad, so why do double-work?". I didn't complain, but I did slack in my studies because I would spend more time on assignments than studying. The only part I enjoyed in my uni-life was that I was a strong part of the Dance Club. That was it. Aside from that, I was DYING to get out of there. And I realized one thing. Lecturers gave out "tips" to their students. Saying which chapter would be covered and which won't. I even had one class where the teacher mentioned the different topics for EACH question. That is just WRONG! I mean if you asked my classmates, they were very very happy to find out that lecturers gave tips, but I knew in my head that it was wrong. I told my parents and their reactions were "How can that be?". I didn't do exceptionally well, but I did enough to obtain 2nd class honors.
I knew that it was wrong. But I also knew that I didn't have the right to say anything. But looking at where I am today, I do believe I made the right choice to not be spoonfed by my lecturers. I have many acquaintances who are on an average of similar GPAs to me who can't seem to hold a job for more than 6 months. I have acquaintances who are so scared to go out and look for a job, that they continue to study. Some choose to do ACCA full-time whilst others choose to do a new degree. I'm honestly not saying that one option is better than the other, but to be honest, I believe in growing in my career. Even if that means, taking time to choose one. I chose mine.
In today's generation, parents tend to overrate grades. Getting high grades doesn't mean that your child will be THAAAAATTTT smart! Anyone remembered the girl who got 17A's and then got kicked out of Harvard or Oxford or something like that? Embarrasing much?
Education is supposed to be engaging. Yes, test papers and examinations mean something. But not to burden the child too much either. I know of a couple of parents who puts their daughter through so much pressure, that she seems "distant" from the rest of us. While other kids are running around and playing, she's sitting in the corner doing homework or studying. It's wrong to see a child lose her childhood that way. She doesn't seem like a child anymore. It even starts to feel like she can't really fathom a proper conversation because she doesn't know how to. She only communicates to her parents and the topics of conversations are only about academics.
Education is NOT meant to be 100% academics. It's supposed to be holistic and all-rounded. Cempaka has a system of "mind, body and soul". I wish I had this sort of education. I remembered that when I got out of high school, I didn't know how to play a single sport. That really sucked. While I was in uni, I remembered that the questions on my exam papers were in bad grammar. I thought about it and I now wonder if I didn't do well because my lecturers didn't understand what I had written. It was really bad.
Children nowadays deserve better education and definitely a better system. I hope it changes soon. We should all be engaged in our education and educate the younger generation! <3
Love, Sheryl1986 <3
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