Your opinions on education

[Seraphis]

Greetings everyone ^^ Ive been a bit exasperated lately due to the way education has been progressing. :(

If I remembered correctly, the main aim for education is to receive knowledge which you seek in order to develope our skills in preparation for the outside world.

That may have been true many years back but somehow, I feel this uneasiness that education is not like before now. Students these days have too much on their hands I observed. In my country(Malaysia), almost all of us have no life except to study and study more after school. Teachers resort to spoonfeeding because too much emphasis is based on exams now. As a result, more free time has to be given up for more gruelling tasks like extra tutoring or extra classes. Due to time constrains from these 'important' necessities, the rest of the day is gone by finishing up the piles of homework due in the next day or so.

Im not saying that Im lazy as i have been through (and currently at) the same grinding stone as well. What Im trying to present is the lack of character which will arise from this trend in the long term. I know that success and achievement is important to garner jobs in the future but in reality, things are not what you imagine them to be. You slogged all your adolescent and young adult years trying to gain a qualification only to find out that the job you are applying for is being competed by others who are your clones. (as in same qualifications etc etc) The only thing which sets you apart from the rest at a time like this would be your social skills and your involvement in other activities like sports... and you dont have them because you didnt have the time to work out or socialize..

I just feel that it is sad that the situation has to come to this extent. I do wonder if these people feel remorse for not having a childhood or any fun as they only had the goal to get the grade. The social costs this creates for society is unemployment(for graduates) and higher suicide rates by students who fall under pressure. Im lucky that I have become aware of this downward spiral by not getting myself sucked into it. I also thank god that my parents are so understanding and allow me to make my own path in life.. What about other peoples' parents who force them to study.. Im already regretting the fact that my pre-teen life was similar before my parents told me to wake up and not overdo it.

You do not have to agree with everything that I have said.. I just felt that it has been bugging me for way too long and I want the opinion of other people (dont bother asking people in my school lol...) I want to see if it is just me or perhaps other people too..

Well, Im sorry if this might have turned into a rant but i trully appreciate your time for reading this ^^;; I would love to read your opinions and perhaps see how the outlook of education differ in other places..

Have a pleasant day ahead of you and thanks once again :)

[Dusk]

Moved to General Forum

[Mirae]

I agree with you Seraphis. One of the many reasons I quit the university course I was doing was because it was like high school revisited. My mom always told me stories about how university life used to be for her: the lecturers were never on your back about anything, didn't give you homework, etc, they just didn't care. You had to do your own thing, study in your own time, work in your own time that suits you.
Well at my university they treated you like babies much like in high school...-_- Homework, attendance marking, and there was even a lecturer that came around walking to our sitting places to see what we wrote on our paper ¬_¬ And then treat us like kids if we didn't wrote down something she wanted to see. :P It was bull.
But yeah, the education system nowadays is way too competitive...here in Ireland the pressure on you for the Leaving Certificate (final exams in high school that determine you getting into universities, work etc) is insane. To study medicine for instance, you have to have had 590 points out of 600 total...a girl in my course wanted to do medicine but she couldn't get in because she had 580. How ridiculous is that? That means she has to have 6 A's and 1 B to get in. Also all higher level cause the ordinary level courses don't give you as many points. (you have to do 7 subjects here)

[Seraphis]

Oh well... Thank you so much for your input Mirae xD (even though you told me that through FFXI lol) You are always the best~~

[Grace Saunders]

You learn more after school. I know I did. I'm brighter now than I was then.

[Rusty2006]

I'll always be lazy, its impossible to stop, due to the media.

[Irrelevant]

i agree with you, but unforntunately, school is a nessessity if you want to be prosperous in life.

[squall]

everybody needs to go to school, you cant make it in this world today without education, im in school right now im learning and enjoying it lol.

[Rusty2006]

Eh, school was always boring, except for the time I brought in some ecchi in my science class.

[Lenin]

Greetings everyone ^^ Ive been a bit exasperated lately due to the way education has been progressing. :(

If I remembered correctly, the main aim for education is to receive knowledge which you seek in order to develope our skills in preparation for the outside world.

That may have been true many years back but somehow, I feel this uneasiness that education is not like before now. Students these days have too much on their hands I observed. In my country(Malaysia), almost all of us have no life except to study and study more after school. Teachers resort to spoonfeeding because too much emphasis is based on exams now. As a result, more free time has to be given up for more gruelling tasks like extra tutoring or extra classes. Due to time constrains from these 'important' necessities, the rest of the day is gone by finishing up the piles of homework due in the next day or so.

Im not saying that Im lazy as i have been through (and currently at) the same grinding stone as well. What Im trying to present is the lack of character which will arise from this trend in the long term. I know that success and achievement is important to garner jobs in the future but in reality, things are not what you imagine them to be. You slogged all your adolescent and young adult years trying to gain a qualification only to find out that the job you are applying for is being competed by others who are your clones. (as in same qualifications etc etc) The only thing which sets you apart from the rest at a time like this would be your social skills and your involvement in other activities like sports... and you dont have them because you didnt have the time to work out or socialize..

I just feel that it is sad that the situation has to come to this extent. I do wonder if these people feel remorse for not having a childhood or any fun as they only had the goal to get the grade. The social costs this creates for society is unemployment(for graduates) and higher suicide rates by students who fall under pressure. Im lucky that I have become aware of this downward spiral by not getting myself sucked into it. I also thank god that my parents are so understanding and allow me to make my own path in life.. What about other peoples' parents who force them to study.. Im already regretting the fact that my pre-teen life was similar before my parents told me to wake up and not overdo it.

You do not have to agree with everything that I have said.. I just felt that it has been bugging me for way too long and I want the opinion of other people (dont bother asking people in my school lol...) I want to see if it is just me or perhaps other people too..

Well, Im sorry if this might have turned into a rant but i trully appreciate your time for reading this ^^;; I would love to read your opinions and perhaps see how the outlook of education differ in other places..

Have a pleasant day ahead of you and thanks once again :)


most teens nowadays need to get a part time job to know more about life.

[lukeman]

I think School is hard work. Well, of course it is. Too much emphasis is placed on examinations nowadays. And too much unnecessary information is forced upon you. For example: has anyone on these forums actually found a practical use for quadratic equations? How is trigonomotry going to help us in the real world?

"You wanna find the supermarket? Alright. Go ahead and you will find three roads bisecting each other to form an isosoles triangle. The length of the hyptenuse road is 6 miles, and the adjacent road 4 miles. Solve for X."

What the hell?!?! Perhaps if you want to get a career in engineering, trig is useful. But why force feed it down the throats of those who want to be musicians? Or Computer programmers or resturant owners? Why is it necessary to force children to appreciate Shakespeare? Is that going to help them keep the budget when they get their own place?

In my opinion, school would be much more efficient, and much more enjoyable, if young students were just taught the neccessities. Up until around the age of 14/15/16, (around the time we finish compulsory education in the UK) where kids could make their own decisions. What is the point of learning something you'll never use? It's unnecessary information clutering up your head.

I thorougly resent the fact that I know how the digestive system of a rabbit works, when there are so many more USEFUL things I don't know. THe inns and outs of Tax, for example. Teach the basics, and let us choose what else we want to learn.

[Tharrick]

You learn things like trig etc because a) there's a chance you'll go on to do something like engineering where you'll actually need it, and b) because it teaches you number manipulation, which will stand you good stead in any scientific career, or indeed in any career involving numbers at all (the practice will make accounting, for example, easier. Or even just cashing up the till at the end of a busy shift at Tescos)

Why is it necessary to force children to appreciate Shakespeare?
Because people have to at least try to understand that words can be just as beautiful as images, which is something that we're unfortunately losing these days. I knew people who'd beat other people up simply because they liked Shakespeare or enjoyed reading. Unfortunately, people who appreciate language seem to be a minority these days.

[katie]

unfortunately, i'm one of the drones. the teachers tell me to jump and i ask how high.
but at the end of the day, i'm a well rounded person too. i have a job, i do sports, i have hobbies, i have friends (most of the time).
i do think we get too much work at school, and yes, exams do suck, and they are too much pressure, but we need to pass them in order to get what we want later in life. the harder we work when we're young, the easier things will be when we're older.

[ROCKY]

the harder we work when we're young, the easier things will be when we're older.[/QUOTE]

that is true because you then work hard because you are use to it.

[Seraphis]

Wow O.o! This thread is still alive.

Well, don't get me wrong as I do not hate school. There are many times when it is enjoyable and you do make your acquaintances in life there. I just do not agree on how the future of our lives are based on a piece paper.. You make it or you break it. I feel that there should be more application in class compared to the amounts of theory and paperwork you have to do.

At the end of it, it isn't anything to do about our education anymore, it's more to do with our future. I'm more concerned about how education might shape us to be drones.. like A.I if they do not emphasis on an all-round education and just focus on the books.

[Irrelevant]

I'm more concerned about how education might shape us to be drones.. like A.I

impossible.
even throught hard conditioning from a very young age, a slight number of us would maintain our freewill and question the absolute control of society if that was ever the case, which it is not.

[lukeman]

Hmm... OK, Tharrick pretty much convinced me that Shakespeare and stuff isn't so bad.

It's nice to get a reason, I used to ask my teacher what the point was and he'd just shrug and say "It doesn't matter, it's in the syllabus."

Education couldn't turn as into drones. We learn information there, basic rules for living in a community. This isn't military school we're talking about.

I think school could be made much more effective with active learning.,. geting set logic problems and such. I love those!

[Seraphis]

Hmm.. perhaps I didn't phrase my words properly there.. my bad..

When I meant that we might turn into A.I or such, I was being rhetorical by thinking that there won't be much diversity anymore. For instance, if everything we learn is in the syllabus and we cannot choose what we want to learn, there will not be much point as all of us have the same credentials and it will be hard for employers to employ people with the same qualifications for instance.

I agree that we all have our own free will which distinguishes ourselves from another. However, my point is that in my country, almost 70-80% of children and teens are so caught up with additional tuition and classes in order to catch up with the 'ever so important' syllabus. There isn't much time to do pastimes like having a game with friends or even reading a novel! Most of my free time for instance is spent researching several textbooks >,<

The mould is so bad that most graduates here pass with flying colours and yet are unemployed. Why? Its because besides being superb at theory, they are pretty much sharp-ended and unable to do application of their skills. Any real life experience like part-time work or anything to do with that before really getting a job is null.

[Lenin]

Wow O.o! This thread is still alive.

Well, don't get me wrong as I do not hate school. There are many times when it is enjoyable and you do make your acquaintances in life there. I just do not agree on how the future of our lives are based on a piece paper.. You make it or you break it. I feel that there should be more application in class compared to the amounts of theory and paperwork you have to do.

At the end of it, it isn't anything to do about our education anymore, it's more to do with our future. I'm more concerned about how education might shape us to be drones.. like A.I if they do not emphasis on an all-round education and just focus on the books.

Not always, if you have grades but dont have the proper attitude, you will die in the shit in the working world, look at your local coffee shop( or kopitiam or what ever) owners? they maybe least educated but they have the positive attitude thus they are richer and or happier.

Edit, No, Education dosent make us drones, it makes us less ignorant.
Its the process of gaining knowledge which makes us into drones.

[Nexus]

I don't hate what i don't completly understand there for I can never hate school. Education is important but the teachers at my school tend to forget why they are there...

[Dr. Aeyze]

Rofl, so sue me, I love going to school. I very much enjoy having a schedule to work too, I suck at organization and school helps rememdy that to some degree, I wake up, get ready, go to school, lessons, write, home, play on the PC etc, homework, sleep again. I'm the most indecisive person you could ever hope to meet so I like having someone tell me what to do (to some degree of course)

Education wise... Mmmm, *creepy voice* Aeyze likes to learn. I'm sad like that. Not sure about anyone else, but I enjoy learning new things, even if they are useless, once I have an understanding of something I feel a lot better. I love my school, the teachers are more like older friends or distant relations then formal teachers - especially since I started in the sixth form (further education for 16-18) I have good natured arguments with my teachers quite often, I'm pretty friendly with a lot of the teachers - even those who don't teach me or subjects I've never taken. Myself and Dr Estall always have an argument after school at least once a week, it's some sort of ritual thing now I'm sure - she's never even taught me anything xD Teachers here aren't overly bothered about homework - afterall it's your problem if you don't do well in exams because you never did any homework, I haven't been chased up for homework in weeks now (of course, if it's regulated work, like coursework or something, you're in for some angst if you forget that xD)

My school [ http://www.parkstone.poole.sch.uk/ ] (and that is a pretty crappy website, I'm helping recode it atm along with my friends for their computing extra work) is awesome and I love it. Anyway, I'm pretty sure the topic of this thread isn't about schools itself, I'll shut up on that now.

There's a heavy influence from teachers that good marks are not the be all end all, like there should be in any school in my opinion. People often cringe at my choice of subjects for AS (the current level of education Im on myself according to the English School system, for ages 16-17, then A levels next year) - Maths, Further Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Advanced Physics - but I honesly enjoy them, my teachers often deviate from the syllabus, so we might spend lessons doing something slightly more interesting then the photoelectric effect, diffrentiationg graphs or investigating the trophic levels of a basic food chain.

[lukeman]

I dunno Aeyze, it's better than the Poole Grammar website (we're the boys school just up the road!). I'm not even gonna LINK to that, at last check it was two years out of date!

[Blue Moon Dragoon]

Well, back on topic:

Hmmm Education.... Well, it's not bad, I mean in other countires it's not, but in my country there is a system called 'NCEA' and you have to collect credits thoughout the school year, as well as external examinations at the end of the year. I myself do not think it's a very good system, as some subjects, such as Food Nutrition, offer you about 40 credits, while all the subjects that require hard learning, such as History, or Physics, only offer you about 25. It's just not fair on people that take subjects that actually require you to WORK. It's the only reason I hate school so much. I take all the hard subjects, yet I get nothing for doing them in return.

Im not too sure what the educations systems are like in any other countires though...

[Axel]

Well, here in my country education is becoming even worst than 15 years ago.Now, the parents are the "judges" of teachers's work.This is so unfair, cause if a parent see a note of about 10, he gets there and says that teacher didn't teach that subject well to the class to understand.

Other thing that's bad is Exams:This is being unfair for me, cause this year the exam counts 35% of my final note and in the last year was 25!!!It's unfair seeing that we have to study more...Not to say that I'm not lazy, but it's unfair cause our note can minus 1 point and give you negative!!!


It's cause of this that our education sucks even more....

[Dale Anthony]

I heard someone mention Shakespeare early on. I must say, the one part I loved about school-life was learning the great Arts of Shakespeare. Since then, I've found a large love for Romeo and Juliet and had I not learnt about it, I might have struggled with this audition I've got coming up but it's one of my favourite works by Shakespeare, I love the story. So I'm familiar with it.

[Angel's Trident]

I personally think education should be something that we'd WANT to seek and should be able to seek if we choose to. Education should be enjoyable for everyone because whats the point in learning? The reason I'm doing ok is because I enjoy it. I see a lot of people going to school because they HAVE to, not because they WANT to. You can go a long way if you WANT to learn.
And as for my school education system. We do a thing called NCEA Lv 1, 2, 3 and we have things called INTERNAL and EXTERNAL. Internal being assessments that we do in class during the year (each is worth a certain amount of CREDITS) and Externals are tests we sit at the end of the year. Some people don't have to do exams because if they may have reached the certain amount CREDITS required to pass the NCEA Lv (lv 1, 80. lv 2, 60. lv 3: 80) but to gain University entrance you must have something like
20crds: English/Maori at lv 2 or 3
20 x 4: Any 4 approved subjects
20: maths lv 2 or 3

So the education system here is pretty awsome!!

EDIT: Apologies I just pretty much repeated Blue Moon Dragoon
p.s HEY MATTY!! LOVE YA

[Tidus]

impossible.
even throught hard conditioning from a very young age, a slight number of us would maintain our freewill and question the absolute control of society if that was ever the case, which it is not.


with that ya're wrong my friend, why? cause if ya use conditioning, we're talking bou psicology and there are 2 types of conditioning, operative and clasic, normally for this we would use clasic, if thats the case, then if they start conditioning ya from a young age, bit by bit, in every aspect ya would end like a robot and more that with A.I. worse, ya would end like programed with everything they wanted ya to be, if they want ya to be scared of bees, ya'll be, if they want ya to love pink, ya will, and so on, so at the end ya'll end like an android program to be as they want ;)

[Glash]

yeah you learn about the world and Maths and Science but think about it it chews up part of your child hood i think the days spend in school so be shorten

[guerrilha232]

i think that it is importante to be wel educadate so ya can get a nice job, and ya are having a conversation you're not always talking about the samething, but i think that going to get held back for skipping to many classes, but increnidibly my grade are ok