There are two
ways to live life: 1) Live a normal life just like everyone else 2) Strive to
live differently and break away from the norm. When you live a normal life,
your life can be represented by one straight line: Spend your early childhood
with toys (and friends, if you’re lucky enough), Go to school, Find a job, Work
hard, play hard, Start a family, Raise a child, Struggle through a mid-life
crisis, Retire from your job, and then (finally) die peacefully. Well, not
really. Life is not that simple, but if you’re a straight-laced person wanting
to live a normal life, that’s the closest simile you can think of.
More often
than not, you’ll most likely live a normal life, just like everyone else. Even
if you don’t want to, society will force you like it’s a moral obligation. Even
if you want to let loose and do something unique, you’ll be shunned and
ridiculed by other people. They’ll call you weird, rebellious or even crazy.
That’s just the way it goes. People naturally embrace normality and feel uneasy
around things they don’t normally encounter. This is very evident in one
particular part of our life: When you receive your education.
I believe that
school life is like a mini-me representation of life itself. The school is your
house, it is where you stay most of the time. The classrooms and other
facilities represent the different rooms in your house. Your teachers, if
you’re young, are your parents. They tell you what to do and what to learn in
order to survive this mundane world. When you get a little older, you teachers
may represent your superiors at work. You know they mean well, but sometimes
your temper will be tested, if you’re lucky. If you get those overly
competitive parents who push their expectations on you every single day, expect
to feel a strong amount of pressure resting on your shoulders. The principal is
like your grandparent, but they won’t give you cookies or anything. The best
thing they can give you is advice and wisdom they learned from life.
Last but not
the least, grades. Honestly, this was the only thing I expected would not show
up in any other part of my life except school. I was dead wrong. After I
graduated college, and got myself a job, I’ve encountered different kinds of
terms, such as “metrics”, “performance” or “rating”. All of these words all
mean the same thing: it’s a way for your employers to measure your performance.
In short, GRADES. In one form or another, grades will always be present in your
life. Everywhere, anywhere, grades are ALWAYS there. If you think about it, the
expectations of your parents can also be classified as grades, because you have
to meet them one way or another. If you live if to their expectations, you
pass. If you don’t, you’re considered a failure in their eyes, a disappointment.
School… when I
think about that word, a lot of different things pop up in my mind. I don’t
really know why, but the first things I remember the most are always the most
embarrassing things that I’ve done. There are so many instances of awkwardness,
embarrassment and confusion back in my days as a student… Yup, plenty. I’m such
a socially awkward child. Oh, you want to hear about them? Nah, that’s a topic
for another time… or maybe for my own wellbeing I’ll decide not to share it
here. Why? Well, maybe shouting out my most awkward moments in the internet
where everyone will know is not such a good idea. Depending on my decision, you
might or might not know about them. The second thing I remember is the most
memorable part of my life as a student: High School. They were right about high
school being the best part of school. It is the perfect time when you’re still
young enough to do crazy and immature things, and at the same time learning to
mature to prepare yourself to become adults. It was especially fun because of the
school I studied in, PAREF Southridge School for Boys. I little shoot-out to my
high school classmates. Hope you guys are doing great, PER ARDUA AD ALTA! The
third thing I remember are the awesome teachers. In my days as a student, there
are those types of teachers that are so good at what they do, that you won’t be
able to forget about them. In their own way, they are able to teach the lesson
in the most interesting and simple way possible, that you’ll be able to easily
understand the topic at hand. They also have those trademarks phrases or poses
that make them more memorable. I just know that if there were more teachers
like this in the world, the world would be a better place.
When there are
good things I remember from my school days, I also notice some problems with
school. The good things I remember at school are mostly because of the fun
events, great teachers, and awesome classmates. As for the bad things, there
are quite a lot. The educational system expects everyone to be all-rounders who
has to be good at every subject, teachers have favorites among the students,
teachers who don’t want their students to surpass them and are too lazy to
share their knowledge and expertise, impossible amounts of workloads pile up by
the end of each quarter, and the lax management in enrollment and other events.
Don’t get me wrong though, these problems are not present in every school, I’m
just basing it on my own experiences and observations.
All in all I’m
not really against our educational system. It teaches us a lot of things other
than the things you learn inside the classroom. It teaches you the value of
time management, perseverance, friendship, teamwork, leadership, initiative and
a whole other things. But these values and virtues are not exclusively picked
up in school, you can learn them in normal, everyday life. The most famous
billionaires in the world, like Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs, were school
dropouts. This proves that even without education, people can be still
successful. You know what they say, it’s not in the school, it’s in the person.
If you truly want to be a successful person, you will be able to find a way.
Learning does not stop after your education.
Learning is a continuous process that helps you grow as a person, so it is
something that you must never stop doing. You don’t need to take notes, pass
tests and report to class to learn. All you need is to give yourself the effort
to learn things you don’t know and do the things you’re not doing yet. Always
seek out new experiences and discoveries. And don’t forget to share what you
have learned to other people. Share your knowledge to other people so that they
can be informed too. Knowledge isn’t something meant only for one man. Pass the
torch, start a big flame. The more educated and informed people are out there,
the better.
[Disclaimer: This is not the full article. Additional Content will be added later.]
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