T-U-syenn!!!
A lot of fuss has been created concerning schoolchildren going to tuition classes after school. But really, is it such a big deal? Should teachers go to school on Saturdays? Should there be incentives for them if they did so? Apart from focusing on whether or not schoolteachers are doing their job properly, in reality I think all of the entities in this riot have their own parts that they play.
More than 90% of urban kids go for tuition classes. Don’t concentrate on the number. Concentrate on the word ‘urban’. So really, do these kids badly need tuition classes? Or is it just the case of their parents trying to keep up with the jones? OK let’s get real; which urban parents (forgive the phrase) would want their children to fall behind in school? In this (somewhat vicious) ‘competition,’ each and every set of parents wants an edge so that their children will excel (and they will get the bragging rights; “anak saya tu skang belaja katUK
Secondly; children in the urban areas have a gazillion things to do every day. They have tae-kwon-do classes, swimming, ballet, piano, etc (all of which might also be a result of their parents wanting them to have an edge), they also have their playstations and astros and arcades and TGVs. So will they actually allocate a sufficient amount of time studying? Not a chance, dude! I mean seriously, who wants to study when you have Need For Speed? So the solution is…? Precisely. Tuition classes are a means of allocating a precise amount of time everyday for these urban kids to focus on their studies. When I was in standard five my English language teacher asked me if I went to any tuition classes since my English is pretty good. My answer is no (for the record, I’ve never been to any tuition classes whatsoever). But God knows how many Enid Blytons I’ve read. The thing is, if the kids are willing to struggle on their own, they don’t need tuition classes.
Or do they?
They might. As it turned out, these days, the syllabuses (even for primary schoolchildren) are very advanced. When I was in form one (or maybe form two, I can’t remember), the ‘energys’ are; potential, kinetic, chemical, sound and light. Kids these days learn about electrical energy, nuclear, mechanical, biomass, etc. God knows why thirteen year olds need to know about nuclear energy, but the fact remains that kids these days are exposed to a lot more information than the previous generations (the usefulness of which is hard to determine). Schoolteachers have to follow these syllabuses, and at the same time teach about values in life. At tuition centers, the facts are somewhat ‘trimmed down’-tuition centers usually have these ‘experts’ who have very reliable predictions on the questions that might surface in the next (major) exams so students should focus only on certain parts in their syllabus and not the other-and the teaching of values are usually ‘optional,’ because the focus is to get the students to score in exams;
“I sent you to that tuition center and you got 8Cs for PMR (or maybe 9. Or 10, for all I care)? Well, at least you respect the elders. I’ll be sending you there again next year!!”
This kind of dialogues don’t exist do they?
So are teachers to blame for all this tuition riot? Yes and no, I guess. I teach a few tuition classes myself and if I understood correctly, my students’ schoolteachers suck. Big time. And there are (evil, unethical, choose your word) schoolteachers who actually teach full-heartedly only at tuition classes. These teachers actually say things like “see you at the tuition center after school” at the end of their period at school.
Genuine schoolteachers teach us to be good to others. To respect the elders. To be honest. To be good citizens. They are highly respected by the previous generations and in the rural areas. Because we learn lots of things at school, and we don’t necessarily do that in our classrooms. If anything, I think kids learn to score exams in tuition classes. They learn about life at school. If lots of students depend on tuition classes and lots of people are criticizing schools and schoolteachers, then maybe nowadays we rely too much on exams in evaluating people.
Then again, maybe that’s the only way to be.
More than 90% of urban kids go for tuition classes. Don’t concentrate on the number. Concentrate on the word ‘urban’. So really, do these kids badly need tuition classes? Or is it just the case of their parents trying to keep up with the jones? OK let’s get real; which urban parents (forgive the phrase) would want their children to fall behind in school? In this (somewhat vicious) ‘competition,’ each and every set of parents wants an edge so that their children will excel (and they will get the bragging rights; “anak saya tu skang belaja kat
Secondly; children in the urban areas have a gazillion things to do every day. They have tae-kwon-do classes, swimming, ballet, piano, etc (all of which might also be a result of their parents wanting them to have an edge), they also have their playstations and astros and arcades and TGVs. So will they actually allocate a sufficient amount of time studying? Not a chance, dude! I mean seriously, who wants to study when you have Need For Speed? So the solution is…? Precisely. Tuition classes are a means of allocating a precise amount of time everyday for these urban kids to focus on their studies. When I was in standard five my English language teacher asked me if I went to any tuition classes since my English is pretty good. My answer is no (for the record, I’ve never been to any tuition classes whatsoever). But God knows how many Enid Blytons I’ve read. The thing is, if the kids are willing to struggle on their own, they don’t need tuition classes.
Or do they?
They might. As it turned out, these days, the syllabuses (even for primary schoolchildren) are very advanced. When I was in form one (or maybe form two, I can’t remember), the ‘energys’ are; potential, kinetic, chemical, sound and light. Kids these days learn about electrical energy, nuclear, mechanical, biomass, etc. God knows why thirteen year olds need to know about nuclear energy, but the fact remains that kids these days are exposed to a lot more information than the previous generations (the usefulness of which is hard to determine). Schoolteachers have to follow these syllabuses, and at the same time teach about values in life. At tuition centers, the facts are somewhat ‘trimmed down’-tuition centers usually have these ‘experts’ who have very reliable predictions on the questions that might surface in the next (major) exams so students should focus only on certain parts in their syllabus and not the other-and the teaching of values are usually ‘optional,’ because the focus is to get the students to score in exams;
“I sent you to that tuition center and you got 8Cs for PMR (or maybe 9. Or 10, for all I care)? Well, at least you respect the elders. I’ll be sending you there again next year!!”
This kind of dialogues don’t exist do they?
So are teachers to blame for all this tuition riot? Yes and no, I guess. I teach a few tuition classes myself and if I understood correctly, my students’ schoolteachers suck. Big time. And there are (evil, unethical, choose your word) schoolteachers who actually teach full-heartedly only at tuition classes. These teachers actually say things like “see you at the tuition center after school” at the end of their period at school.
Genuine schoolteachers teach us to be good to others. To respect the elders. To be honest. To be good citizens. They are highly respected by the previous generations and in the rural areas. Because we learn lots of things at school, and we don’t necessarily do that in our classrooms. If anything, I think kids learn to score exams in tuition classes. They learn about life at school. If lots of students depend on tuition classes and lots of people are criticizing schools and schoolteachers, then maybe nowadays we rely too much on exams in evaluating people.
Then again, maybe that’s the only way to be.
posted by Jibam at
1:45 PM
2 Comments:
and to think that my initial ambition was to be a teacher..a noble one that is.. :-)
By
Anonymous, at 11:34 AM
teachers are sooooo under-rated. but the attitude of them makes the others look bad. aku setuju ngan ko pasal bebudak bandar gi tuisyen. memang kena beb. itu je masa utk belaja. but in the end, up to each individual to achieve it. u can send ur kids to learn French, play the piano, write poetry, or even make a nuclear bomb, but if they don't have the passion, just send them to bed lah
By
The Narrator, at 3:47 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home