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https://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_jones_time_management_the_unexpected_enemy_to_success
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What changes would you like to see in your school ?
If you were to see the number of suggestion slips stuffed into my school's Suggestion Box, you would be shocked. Granted, some of the suggestions are rubbish but I do agree with many of them. There are many ways in which my school could be improved, many weaknesses that need seeing to.
Firstly, and most importantly, teachers in all schools should realize that they are responsible for their students' future. This is especially true for children from less affluent homes who cannot afford to supplement the school's teaching with extra tuition. Teachers should not shirk their responsibilities towards their students.
I am emphasizing this point because some teachers do not seem to feel the slightest obligation to do their job well nor the slightest feeling of guilt when their students fail in the examinations. In fact, in my school, teachers are sometimes found sipping coffee or even having a snack in the school canteen when they are supposed to be in class teaching.
Of course, there are teachers who are truly committed to their job and do deliver the goods. They stay up late into the night to finish correcting their students' work and to prepare effective lessons for their students. Some teachers will even devote Saturday mornings to conducting extra-curricular activities, such as the Scouts movement. Now, if only all teachers were like this!
Furthermore, wouldn't the school be a much better place to spend our adolescence if we did not have to cope with teachers who vent their foul moods on us? We should not have to walk on eggshells because our teacher has had a bad day.
Another aspect of the school that needs changing is the set of school rules. Some are so irrational or petty! Take, for example, the rule on short hair for boys. What is the rationale behind this? Do the people in authority believe that everyone with long hair will turn out to be a thug or a villain? Well, look at Hitler: he had very short hair and he almost caused the extinction of the entire Jewish race!
On the other hand, punishments for serious acts of indiscipline should be made more effective, even if they have to be harsher. These days, students may get away with only a warning or a "booking" for offences such as breaking the school's tables, chairs and even doors. I strongly feel that these vandals should be made to pay for what they have destroyed.
Furthermore, I feel that criminal action should be taken against students who beat people up, or threaten to do so, to extort money from them. If you behave like a criminal, you should be treated like one.
Another area that needs reform is the school curriculum. One major problem is the subject called "Moral Education". You just cannot learn good morals the way you learn any other academic subject, memorizing facts for examinations. Good morals have to be internalized. So, "Moral Education" should either be taken off the school curriculum after primary school or changed to emphasize practical application rather than "head knowledge".
Our school hours take up a large portion of our day. Let us spend these hours usefully, in a secure, caring, fun-filled atmosphere. Our school years take up a large proportion of our lives. This is the time that we are molded, intellectually and morally. Help us to grow into worthy citizens of our nation.
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Should our school examination system be abolished ? Give reasons for your stand.
From primary school to the end of their tertiary education, students face the daunting task of preparing for examinations every single year. So much time and emotion is poured into preparing for examinations.
Advocates of the system contend that annual examinations are a good way of training children for the stress of life after school - where deadlines and sales quotas need to be met, and work completed methodically and with minimum fuss.
Government examinations are also said to be the necessary yardstick for measuring the capability of each person for further education or employment.
Yet, are examinations an accurate yardstick? A person's true abilities may not be shown by written examinations. Take Winston Churchill, for example. He was a school dropout and yet he became one of England's greatest statesmen, a national savior in World War II. Clearly, some talents and forms of ingenuity go undetected in examinations.
Another problem related to our system of examinations is that teachers become too "exam-orientated". They race through the syllabus so that they can cover everything in it in time for the examinations regardless of whether their students have understood the material. The weaker students often end up the victims in this race -- they are left far behind the rest of the class. They become more and more discouraged as they understand less and less of the lessons, to the point that they hardly care if they pass or fail. Sadly, this attitude will be carried with them into adult life.
What about the "swots"? Well, speaking as one, I confess that I often wonder whether it is worth it. We rush from one tuition class to another and we spend most of our time studying for tests and examinations, or doing our homework. All through the school semester, we only have one thought in mind: to excel in the examinations. Is this really living?
A related point is that some students are so occupied with their studies that they do not develop their potential in other fields. It is true that there are many clubs and societies in the school. However, many students just do not have the time to make full use of these extracurricular activities. They have to study, study, study. So, our emphasis on examinations is indirectly producing people who are only trained to study and reproduce facts rather than well-rounded individuals.
In conclusion, while I realize that it will be impossible to do away with all examinations, I feel that they should be given less importance within the school system. For example, instead of basing entry qualifications on one examination, students should also be evaluated through the cumulative marks of tests and assignments. Furthermore educationists, employers, parents and the students themselves should always be reminded that the results of examinations are not equal to the sum of the net worth of the individual.
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"Friends should never hide anything from each other." Do you agree ?
No man is an island. Everyone depends on his friends to a certain extent. Ever since man formed a system of verbal communication, all people have been in constant chatter with one another. Relationships are important to man, so much that people may shape their entire lifestyles simply to find favor with their clique or circle of friends. Therefore, much caution must be applied when dealing with our friends, especially in our speech. So then, must we always tell our friends the whole truth and nothing but the truth or is it sometimes simply none of their business?
One thing is clear: finding out that your friend has lied to you always hurts. In cases where lies have been told to hurt you or other parties on purpose, the friendship will never be the same. If the lie caused you great damage, the friendship will not be salvageable. Who would want a treacherous person for a friend? Yet, even when the matter is not of great importance, little lies can lead to the spoiling of relationships. I have a friend who often tells little untruths. Sometimes, he exaggerates circumstances a little, just to impress others, sometimes he tells half-truths to get out of trouble, sometimes, he makes up stories just to entertain his friends. Personally, I just do not feel comfortable with him. You see, I just never know whether he is telling the truth or one more of his little lies.
Apart from the question of maintaining credibility, sharing one's problems and joys with a friend can also be helpful as we deal with the problems of daily living. As the saying goes, shared joy is double the joy and shared sorrow is half the sorrow. Sharing the good times can brighten up a friend's day if he feels down. Sharing one's problems and despairs with a friend will bring forth the encouragement and advice we need to hear. Sometimes simply having an ear to hear our heart's cries and knowing that someone understands us will make us feel better. People have been saved from suicide just by having a friend to listen to their troubles.
It is clear, then, that some things need to be said to our friends without any twisting of the truth. However, there are times when telling a friend too much can also lead to problems. An all-too-common example of such a time is when one hears rumors. Gossip can start simply because someone thought a rumor was true and shared all her thoughts on the rumor with a friend. The friend, who actually had no real knowledge of the matter, passed all her thoughts and ideas to another friend and so on and so forth. The final result can be a mangled product which could really hurt the parties involved. The thing to do about rumors is not to spread them, even if you have strong opinions, about them.
Another noteworthy fact is that sometimes, telling the truth may be worse than saying nothing. If an ugly girl with an inferiority complex were to ask you if she was unattractive, it would be a very bad idea to tell her just how unattractive she was. One must use his discretion in such situations, stressing on her good qualities, of course. Telling the whole truth in this case would destroy her remaining shreds of confidence.
In conclusion, I feel that friends, even the closest of friends, need not tell each other everything they know or feel. Some matters, of course, should be discussed with friends, while some others should be hidden. We have to balance our love for truth with the practicalities of the situation. Not being perfect, we are bound to make mistakes, of course. So, one must then be prepared to make up with our friends, apologizing for our verbal blunders and forgiving them for theirs. Well, that's what friendship is really about -- accepting people for what they are, imperfections and all.
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