It starts from my toes, and I wrinkle my nose

Sunday, October 15, 2006 Expectations and achievements. This is what the system expects out of you all. All of you can do much better with the exception of a few that have already performed well. This is what the MOE system has churned out taken from your PSLE results.

How sickening it is to be living in a society that holds far too much expectations of each student until we are unable to perform at what we know is our best. Human resource. Yes I know thats what Singapore is but till the extent of having to need to be forced into getting 7 or 8 points is utterly ridiculous. They are not aware of the amount of pressure and work we are placed under yet they still expect us to push, like work horses under the sun. Compared to other countries, Singapore has one of the worst education systems around. Yes, we may have top notched teachers. We may have the best teaching systems and different technologies to aid us in our learning, yet is that the life of an teenager what more an 8 year old child? Each morning when I pass the school gates of the primary school, I see such small children trudging up the hill with large heavy bagpacks filled with textbooks and workbooks. Elsewhere, these children are enjoying themselves out in the open, being able to play when they want to, run around without any worries of completing their homework or having to wake up early in the morning at 5 30 or 6am to get ready for school.

Frankly, we Singaporean children lead such a deprived life, only revolving round studies, CCA achievements, getting scholarships and testimonials to be able to fight it out in the working world for the job that we will be eying. At an age of 16, we're already fretting over what our life plan should be like, that we have to plan and prepare for our future job. For those that have no particular goal, they're seen as useless, not talented people. This is such a wrong perspective of what life should be in the circular world. In other countries, teenagers worry about not being popular or getting friends. Dont get me wrong. Im not saying that this should be our priority, yet what im putting across is firstly,

children and teenagers in Singapore are trapped in an education system that wringes them till they are dry and squeezes every amount of time that they can spare to stay in school.

secondly, we're left without any proper time to fully rest our bodies nor do we have time for recreation. Yet when we do, we're too tired to be able to complete our homework, seen as a crime and deserves punishment.

thirdly, children especially nowadays do not know the meaning of play and fun in Singapore. To them its sitting in front of the computer of television screen watching re-runs of Under One Roof on Must See Tuesdays or playing crazy computer games. They are unable to truly experience the outdoors with great amounts of pollution, tarred roads and the lack of space to run about.

I remember as a primary school child I used to enjoy blading, until a time where my housing blocks were fenced up and we were unable to blade freely across through the HDB blocks. We hardly had place to play compared to when i was in NZ, huge gardens and a trampoline. Seriously, now, theres no such thing as running around barefooted or hiding in a ditch as I used to do.

As for me personally, JC open houses just ended. A tiring but exciting round of visiting various schools around Singapore from NYJC, SAJC, ACJC and VJC. Free shopping trip. NY is far too chinese for someone like me and VJ is...unattainable. Just went there to look around and meet my church friends.Stupid Chua Yee Ling was too lazy to even go and look around. Only wants to SLEEP SLEEP SLEEP. read this CHUA. As for SA and AC, i'll have to decide which one to apply for. Not that I can enter based on my prelim results, but im intending to appeal through canoeing if its possible. Thank God for my 1* certificate. Or else, I can always rivet back to debate though I doubt I will till the last resort. I want to try out a sport. Soccer would be cool! Sigh. Michael Owen is non existant. So much for staying in his no. 10 jersey forever. Nvm. Thankfully theres Gerrard, Lampard, Terry and even Crouch(yucks).

Well so much for me lamenting about the education system. As if it'll ever change. Idiots.