I lift this entire paragraph from his article which was published in Today. I think it is rather self-explanatory and it implies my stand as to how to implement authority, from a teacher's perspective.
'True authority is achieved as a result of respect. Coerced authority is transient, ineffective and immoral. The Genghis Khans of this world can command a certain, reluctant obedience for a time but it is grudging, short-lived and minimally efficient. Often it rebounds on the perpetrator in a very unhappy and unexpected way.'
I would still like to add some thoughts to it though. Being inclined towards SOLELY using the 'stick approach' in dealing with students can gain their respect but it is one born out of FEAR and NOT FULL willingness to co-operate. It WILL WEAR OFF sooner or later and things will go back to square one. The teacher will have to start gaining the students' respect all over again.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Boost school rankings by ensuring high grades in all subjects
Some schools have encouraged students who do not fare as well as others in certain subjects, to drop the subjects. That seems to be making choices for the students and having prior assumptions towards their eventual grades in the major exams. This is rather unfair, isn't it?
Yes, the school teachers may have been using their earlier grades as a gauge but they cannot foretell how the students will do for the subjects in future. There is a possibility that the students may just need more time to grasp the subjects and they will fare better in the future tests or exams. Aren't they giving up hope too soon on the students and demoralizing them in the process?
They probably think they are saving the students from laying eyes on the failing marks in those subjects in their report books. This brings them back to the act of making prior assumptions towards how their students will fare for the subjects in the exams.
They evidently seem to think that they know what is best for their students, since they are teachers, but they are really ignoring their students' voices. After all, it is the students who will sit for the papers and whose lives that are at stake here.
When I was a student, my teachers never once brought up the matter of dropping my poor subjects. They continued being there to patiently answer my questions and even gave me pep talks, encouraging me to believe that I could eventually pass my subjects. I did and am grateful to them for not ever giving up on me.
What has happened to the education system with time? Are the schools just too caught up in climbing the ranks and producing good statistical results, at the expense of their students' morale and passions?
Yes, the school teachers may have been using their earlier grades as a gauge but they cannot foretell how the students will do for the subjects in future. There is a possibility that the students may just need more time to grasp the subjects and they will fare better in the future tests or exams. Aren't they giving up hope too soon on the students and demoralizing them in the process?
They probably think they are saving the students from laying eyes on the failing marks in those subjects in their report books. This brings them back to the act of making prior assumptions towards how their students will fare for the subjects in the exams.
They evidently seem to think that they know what is best for their students, since they are teachers, but they are really ignoring their students' voices. After all, it is the students who will sit for the papers and whose lives that are at stake here.
When I was a student, my teachers never once brought up the matter of dropping my poor subjects. They continued being there to patiently answer my questions and even gave me pep talks, encouraging me to believe that I could eventually pass my subjects. I did and am grateful to them for not ever giving up on me.
What has happened to the education system with time? Are the schools just too caught up in climbing the ranks and producing good statistical results, at the expense of their students' morale and passions?
Monday, March 19, 2007
Beauty Queens?
Edwin Yeo wrote a tongue-in-cheek article on women interested in joining beauty pageants. His answers to the questions for semi-finalists are certainly humorous but I wonder what reactions he will get from such ladies. Some of them may think he has a sense of condescension towards their intelligence level.
Our local contestants are not exactly known for their looks in comparison to those from other nations. They shine in their mental faculties however. Some of them hold academic qualifications and jobs which demonstrate their aptitudes.
I would like to point out that one former beauty queen has both brains and beauty. Eunice Olsen is now a Member of Parliament, is musically inclined, sporty and compassionate towards charitable purposes as well.
Our local contestants are not exactly known for their looks in comparison to those from other nations. They shine in their mental faculties however. Some of them hold academic qualifications and jobs which demonstrate their aptitudes.
I would like to point out that one former beauty queen has both brains and beauty. Eunice Olsen is now a Member of Parliament, is musically inclined, sporty and compassionate towards charitable purposes as well.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Stomp's attention-grabbing scene
Citizens who try to be civic-conscious take photographs to highlight certain occurrences in society. One of it is the couple who kissed each other full on the mouth for a period of time, while they were on the MRT. That is utterly inconsiderate of the couple. Obviously, they were trying to get attention from others around them, even if it is of the negative kind. They felt a thrill from making others feel repulsed by their act. That is what sadism really means.
If they are deeply in love, it is really for the two of them to express their feelings to each other. They aren't in love with people around them, are they? They can easily do whatever they wish to with each other at their homes. It also shows a lack of self-control within themselves and most people will not feel any happier for them when they give in to their feelings. Perhaps they are practising for the Longest Kiss Contest?
Basically, people won't bother as to whether they are in love with each other or getting married to each other. Real life is not like what we see on TV. People won't applaud them for being bold in expressing their feelings or loving towards each other. They have their own preoccupations to fill their minds.
They may claim that others around them are being intrusive and that it is none of the people's business as to what they do with each other. However, they are being a public nuisance in what they did, or else they wouldn't have been on Stomp's website, would they?
If they are deeply in love, it is really for the two of them to express their feelings to each other. They aren't in love with people around them, are they? They can easily do whatever they wish to with each other at their homes. It also shows a lack of self-control within themselves and most people will not feel any happier for them when they give in to their feelings. Perhaps they are practising for the Longest Kiss Contest?
Basically, people won't bother as to whether they are in love with each other or getting married to each other. Real life is not like what we see on TV. People won't applaud them for being bold in expressing their feelings or loving towards each other. They have their own preoccupations to fill their minds.
They may claim that others around them are being intrusive and that it is none of the people's business as to what they do with each other. However, they are being a public nuisance in what they did, or else they wouldn't have been on Stomp's website, would they?
Encounters of youths in society
There were quotes from youths as to their usage of computers and the Internet. One of them says that she keeps her computer on every minute and it has become a habit for her to do so. Doesn't she realise that it saves electricity to turn the computer off when she isn't using it? She is taking her parents' wealth for granted. As long as they can continue paying the bills, she doesn't care at all.
A PLMGS girl had a negative experience with the imposition of its school rules. The school has always been particular in the hairstyles of its girls. I remember something like the girls having to either leave short hair which is above their blouses' collars, or to neatly tie their long hair up. I find this rule even stricter than that of my IJ school's rule, in terms of what constitutes short hair. After all, how do you tie up hair that is just below the collar? There isn't much to form into a ponytail.
I think that the school was being too rigid and inflexible in its dealings towards the Malay girl. Sometimes the race and genetics of a person determines her appearance. Even after her mother verified that her hair colour was hereditary, the school refused to back down on its option of getting her to dye her hair. I feel that the school should start to re-examine its outdated rules and move with the scientific advances that affect a person's looks. After all, the reason was certainly valid and a person's appearance doesn't define her overall self.
I do understand that the school doesn't want its students to emphasise excessively on their looks, what with the latest fashion trends prevalent around them. However, I strongly agree with what the girl's mum said, that it should give more focus to preparing students mentally for their examinations instead. Anyway, the girl's hair was brown and not purple or green. Brown's a natural hair colour.
A girl was allegedly expelled from her school for unruly hair. That is not a just reason for the action. The principal refused to take any calls for clarification from the media and then claimed that it had been a misunderstanding. I think he probably retracted his decision out of social pressure after the report in the newspapers. He obviously thinks his decision is still right, as he apologised for his staff and not for himself. It seems that he is shifting blame to them. What a man.
Still, there are loose ends to this matter, as brought up by her mother. The school could have given a solution to the problem instead of carrying out such a drastic measure. I like IJ Toa Payoh's principal's way of handling an inappropriate uniform. The unreasonable principal should take a leaf out of this principal's book. Also, it is strange how her mother was not notified upon her repeated flouting and how no calls from the school were made to the family during the three days she was absent. Lastly, there is a contradiction in what the school claims about the girl's case and her actual habits. She allegedly had very long fingernails but she has a habit of chewing her nails. Is she being picked on as a sacrificial victim by the staff who are under work pressure?
A PLMGS girl had a negative experience with the imposition of its school rules. The school has always been particular in the hairstyles of its girls. I remember something like the girls having to either leave short hair which is above their blouses' collars, or to neatly tie their long hair up. I find this rule even stricter than that of my IJ school's rule, in terms of what constitutes short hair. After all, how do you tie up hair that is just below the collar? There isn't much to form into a ponytail.
I think that the school was being too rigid and inflexible in its dealings towards the Malay girl. Sometimes the race and genetics of a person determines her appearance. Even after her mother verified that her hair colour was hereditary, the school refused to back down on its option of getting her to dye her hair. I feel that the school should start to re-examine its outdated rules and move with the scientific advances that affect a person's looks. After all, the reason was certainly valid and a person's appearance doesn't define her overall self.
I do understand that the school doesn't want its students to emphasise excessively on their looks, what with the latest fashion trends prevalent around them. However, I strongly agree with what the girl's mum said, that it should give more focus to preparing students mentally for their examinations instead. Anyway, the girl's hair was brown and not purple or green. Brown's a natural hair colour.
A girl was allegedly expelled from her school for unruly hair. That is not a just reason for the action. The principal refused to take any calls for clarification from the media and then claimed that it had been a misunderstanding. I think he probably retracted his decision out of social pressure after the report in the newspapers. He obviously thinks his decision is still right, as he apologised for his staff and not for himself. It seems that he is shifting blame to them. What a man.
Still, there are loose ends to this matter, as brought up by her mother. The school could have given a solution to the problem instead of carrying out such a drastic measure. I like IJ Toa Payoh's principal's way of handling an inappropriate uniform. The unreasonable principal should take a leaf out of this principal's book. Also, it is strange how her mother was not notified upon her repeated flouting and how no calls from the school were made to the family during the three days she was absent. Lastly, there is a contradiction in what the school claims about the girl's case and her actual habits. She allegedly had very long fingernails but she has a habit of chewing her nails. Is she being picked on as a sacrificial victim by the staff who are under work pressure?
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