Thoughts

We as students are expected to be well mannered, polite, punctual and all that nice crap that our teachers are always telling us. But what about the teachers? Don't they need to be well mannered? Polite? Punctual? Don't these rules apply to them as well? As educators of the next generation, don't they have to set the bar for us and be good examples for the leaders of tomorrow?

They tell you that you have to greet any teachers that you meet and yet they do not return the greeting. I never knew that grunting was a greeting as well. They tell you that you have to be on time to school and yet they come into class about half an hour late. Does that qualify as punctual. They tell you that you have to be considerate of others and yet they expect you to be there to tend to their every needs when it suits them. We have stuff we need to do too! They expect you to finish all your assignments and projects saying that it's your responsibility, and yet they never finish marking the books you handed in 3 months ago!

How do you expect students to respect you when you don't even set a good example for us to follow?

Recent studies have shown that students, the teens, are looking for someone that they can look up to. A confidant in which they can put their trust into. If they can't find a role model in their home, they look to their teachers. But what if they can't find it in their teachers either.

I didn't have to look far for a role model. My family is full of great role models. I look up to my brothers and parents, feeding on their stories and experiences. I learn from them, as I would like to learn from my teachers. Though, all I've learned is that life is hard and that people like them don't make it any easier for the rest of us.

Maybe I should thank them?

I've learned to deal with all their idiocy. Their quirks. Their bad habits. They've made me somewhat patient.

At least now I'm better at ignoring idiots.

On the OLYMPICS!

The Olympics were supposed to be the most anticipated event of the year. And it is, I think everyone I knew were watching the opening ceremony last night. I have to admit, the Chinese had it! It was spectacular and I am impressed by the way they were able to co-operate and work together to make the whole thing a success. They reminded me of an army of fire ants marching off into the forest to scavenge. It was awesome! Though, for some reason or another, I started to fall asleep right in the middle of the performances.

Since I was still having tests at the time, I put it down to pure fatigue from thinking and processing the whole day. Then again, it could have been because some of the performances were boring? Hm.... That's a possibility, but judging by how my whole class was mumbling about the awesome performance the Chinese put on last night, I think it's because of fatigue.

Anyway, before I continue rambling any longer, I would just like to wish all the hopeful athletes in China right now the best of luck! Don't break a leg, you might be needing it!

Be Stress Free

Honestly, I don't understand why teens are so stressed nowadays. In the past it seems that teens were the most laid back people in the community. They might not be as innocent as children or as wise as the adults, but they're growing and learning.

I know that one's intelligence quotient is very important, especially in the world today where you need certain qualifications to get a high paying job and everything. But the process to achieve this intelligence is a hard fought one full of twists and turns. I, in particular, am having a really hard time staying with my schools curriculum. It's not that I don't want to study. As a matter of fact, I'm hungry for information. I'm also not saying that the schools nowadays aren't giving and supplying the information that I want and crave. It's all there. There's just something wrong with how it is all presented to the students.

What I mean is, we have the information, but no way to express it to the students. I'm talking about the teachers. It's very hard to find good, motivating, uplifting teachers these days. In fact, I've never met a teacher that has ever inspired me to finish my homework on time. The methods of teaching used in my classes are very boring and extremely dull. All they do is just make me annoyed with the subject and just couldn't be bothered with it anymore. Some of the people, who might be reading this, especially teachers and parents, would say that this is the wrong attitude. Believe me, I've tried voicing my opinions out to my parents. They can sometimes understand and at other times they have no idea.

Parents and educators of today might say that the education system today is very lenient compared to the strictness of the schools a long time ago. You can actually say that were lucky as teens now. I think its great that some parts of the world have abolished corporal punishment, but in Malaysia, this type of punishment is far from being abolished. In Malaysia, only the boys can receive CP while girls aren't allowed to be hit. Personally, I don't find this fair. Even if you are a girl or a boy, you should not be hit. Even if this is to instill good behavior and deter bad ones, what is most important is the foundation that these children receive. Since everything starts from home, parents play a bigger role in ensuring that a child can tell right from wrong and is able to make the right decisions based on this foundation.

I seem to have strayed from my topic. O_O

I'm unhappy with how the guidelines of education in Malaysia. According to my dad, it is compulsory for children to attend school. WE Malaysians aren't allowed to be home schooled. I want to be home schooled. I want to learn at my own space,without the stressful factors of school getting in my way. I, personally am having a hard time keeping up. Since the schools only have less than a year to finish their wide syllabus, the teachers often end up speeding through the whole thing without regard to whether the students understand them or not. After all, they're still getting paid no matter what grades their students get in class. Be it an A or an E.

This often results in the students taking tuition. Without tuition, I bet we would have a pandemic of idiots walking around our country. So, it's actually tuition building and sculpting the leaders of tomorrow. As hard as it is to swallow, it is FACT. I find that tuition is a form of home study. Since you either go to special centers or to a teachers house for tuition. This type of 'Home Study' is stress free and allows the teacher and student to bond. Some teachers are not able to open up to their students in school, but they turn into social extroverts once they're home and in their short pants and T-shirts rather than the batik, ties and heels they use to school everyday. Also, studies show that your mental state actually influences how well you are able to accept, process or retrieve information. So, compared to school where you are bombarded with countless assignments, loads of homework, possibilities of punishment and lots of other stressful factors, you could actually be learning more just by sitting at a dining table for two hours.

Also, tuition is a way to get extra money. But the effectiveness of the tuition session also still depends on what type of teacher is teaching. After all, what use use is tuition if you have an equally boring and useless teacher like in school?

I asked my dad if it was alright for me to stop school and be home schooled. Because about one quarter of the general information in my brain right now come from my parents. He said that it was possible, but it's just that the Malaysian government doesn't allow it.

^^ I'd probably be migrating out once I start working...