What grownups say...
What grownups say...
I pointed to a math problem and ask my math teacher: Why?
He said,"I know you want to know why instead of memorizing the algorithms and methods but if you do that with every problem you'll run out of time. Yuo see here in Highschool we have the great college entrance exams to worry about and as long as you do well on the exams it doesn't matter whther you completely understand the mechanics behind every question or not. You can try to seek theansweres later (after highschool) if you're still interested."
I know he wasn't just being mean and prudish. He is foremost an excellent teacher with his students' best interest in mind. It's just that the best interest for his students is to get into a good college, and he won't go against the grain so students achieve less. It's also possibly because I'm only average in math, and he thinks I'll be wasting my time focusing on the mechanics behind one problem instead of learning how to solve problems. It's just disturbing that anything like this should come out of an educator's mouth. Why should the system impede students from learning well?
I told my dad I wanted to attend environmental camp. He told me "You don't have to participate in this. There would be plenty of activities and classes for you to attend when you get into college. Why do you think most college students work?" "For tuition" " For fun! For fancy cars, stereos, computers, clothes... I work in a University, I should know. Taiwan parents aren't like american parents, most of them provide for their kids all the way to Graduate school." (Taiwan Universities are a lot more affordable than American ones) "I don't want to participate in activities in college just for fun. I want to work hard. Those who work hard get better grades." "You don't seem to get the picture, do you? Once you get into college, you'll want to have fun. Everyone works so hard in Highschool to get there and now what everyone wants to to relax. There are no exams in Universities." "There are the midterm and finals." "Most students just study a week before the exams. They do reports by copying it from each other, from internet sources. Everyone does it. If you copy your work you get a 90, if you work hard at your work you get a 90. People who work hard are laughed at, called bookworms and nerds." "That's the atmosphere at your college, it's not going to be that way at mine or every other college." "Every college is the same! You just don't get it, do you?" "I'm different, I don't work hard in Highschool just for the exams and it's not going to be that way for college either. I don't like to play. You think the activities I attend in Highschool are all for fun??? I don't do it for fun. It's for the credits, the experience, whatever meagre learning I can get out of it. I don't play with people, it's not in my nature to mingle mindlessly. I want to learn..." "It'll be different in college, you'll see. You aren't listening, you're not going to listen, you're not going to accept anything I say. I can see that. Fine, I 'm not saying anything more." But I wanted him to. I wanted to convince him.
Why does it make no difference? Why would it be so different in college? Why am I not able to conquer my environment, the atmosphere? Why am I not ever expected to go against the grain? Aren't there any colleges where students do work hard? I need to find good friends.
I pointed to a math problem and ask my math teacher: Why?
He said,"I know you want to know why instead of memorizing the algorithms and methods but if you do that with every problem you'll run out of time. Yuo see here in Highschool we have the great college entrance exams to worry about and as long as you do well on the exams it doesn't matter whther you completely understand the mechanics behind every question or not. You can try to seek theansweres later (after highschool) if you're still interested."
I know he wasn't just being mean and prudish. He is foremost an excellent teacher with his students' best interest in mind. It's just that the best interest for his students is to get into a good college, and he won't go against the grain so students achieve less. It's also possibly because I'm only average in math, and he thinks I'll be wasting my time focusing on the mechanics behind one problem instead of learning how to solve problems. It's just disturbing that anything like this should come out of an educator's mouth. Why should the system impede students from learning well?
I told my dad I wanted to attend environmental camp. He told me "You don't have to participate in this. There would be plenty of activities and classes for you to attend when you get into college. Why do you think most college students work?" "For tuition" " For fun! For fancy cars, stereos, computers, clothes... I work in a University, I should know. Taiwan parents aren't like american parents, most of them provide for their kids all the way to Graduate school." (Taiwan Universities are a lot more affordable than American ones) "I don't want to participate in activities in college just for fun. I want to work hard. Those who work hard get better grades." "You don't seem to get the picture, do you? Once you get into college, you'll want to have fun. Everyone works so hard in Highschool to get there and now what everyone wants to to relax. There are no exams in Universities." "There are the midterm and finals." "Most students just study a week before the exams. They do reports by copying it from each other, from internet sources. Everyone does it. If you copy your work you get a 90, if you work hard at your work you get a 90. People who work hard are laughed at, called bookworms and nerds." "That's the atmosphere at your college, it's not going to be that way at mine or every other college." "Every college is the same! You just don't get it, do you?" "I'm different, I don't work hard in Highschool just for the exams and it's not going to be that way for college either. I don't like to play. You think the activities I attend in Highschool are all for fun??? I don't do it for fun. It's for the credits, the experience, whatever meagre learning I can get out of it. I don't play with people, it's not in my nature to mingle mindlessly. I want to learn..." "It'll be different in college, you'll see. You aren't listening, you're not going to listen, you're not going to accept anything I say. I can see that. Fine, I 'm not saying anything more." But I wanted him to. I wanted to convince him.
Why does it make no difference? Why would it be so different in college? Why am I not able to conquer my environment, the atmosphere? Why am I not ever expected to go against the grain? Aren't there any colleges where students do work hard? I need to find good friends.
posted by Mignon Chang at 7:38 PM
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