“Education is that which remains, if one has forgotten everything he learned in school”

- Albert Einstein

Allowing young people to act as individuals is the root of progress, this individuality can be gained through giving young people a proper education. The importance of a good education is quite obvious to everyone, we can find this out just by looking back through history.

“If a man neglects education, he walks lame to the end of his life.”

- Plato

An important part of all education currently is the examination. Exams should be a way of checking the ‘Calibre’ of students, their talents, and determined where they stand within the academic system. But our examinations are purely mark based. This tunnelled view can determine the rest of a student’s life.

Students are made literate, but not educated. Students become passive thinkers and can only relay what they have been taught, and have no passion, drive, or knowledge to question the only thing they know: how to listen.

The current examination system only test the memorizing capacity of a student. The system doesn’t allow for the development of creativity.

As exam time approaches you will see students cramming and forcing formulas, theories, definitions and so on into their brains. Students spend weeks trying to learn their study material. Because if a student come up with a new, creative idea then the teacher can’t bear to think of something in a different way. They want their students to copy out the paragraph from the text-book, word for word, full stop for full stop, and comma for comma. Even if the student might not know any of the logic behind the answer to the question, or even what the question means. But they know when they see a certain word in the question that they need to copy out a certain paragraph from the text-book.

The entire examination system is based on memorization. Not learning.

It is totally unfair to expect students to be able to fit an entire years worth of learning into just a couple of hours at the end of the year.  Of what worth to the student is memorizing the entire text-book when just days after the exam they would have forgotten it all. How can this possibly test the potential of a student.

Student are under tremendous pressure due to they being overburdened by school or college. Students panic at the thought of any test or examination. The education system is creating problems and fear with in these young peoples lives- prompting students to be driven to cheat, or even harm themselves.  When the pressure builds and get out of control, it leads to frustrations and nervous breakdowns. The students feel unheard, and as if nobody understands their problem.

Around exam times last year there was a 30% increase in students who visited doctors. Can this really being doing any good to young people?

Conventional annual examinations must be dropped. Internal exams could be held on weekly basis and the students could be rated on the basis of their overall performance. Internal assessment should be an important component as well as other extracurricular activities, group discussions, case studies, oral presentations, seminars should be introduced. These activities ought to carry some marks for the purpose for evaluation. Learning has to be made enjoyable and an enriching experience. Things should be made simpler and interesting for the students, even if it involves hard work. Parental pressure should be reduced. They should not learn for the exams but for acquiring knowledge and enriching their minds.

As much as Colin persuaded me – the parents evening on Wednesday was a real eye-opener. It made me feel how valued I am and how much and I want to stay at QE. The teachers were just so happy to see me and wanting to do their subjects! Especially Mr Bishop who was telling me how he wants to teach me. I’m self-motivated, can work on my own and really enjoy learning.

So… when he was telling me about the extended project for A-level, he said I was the ideal candidate for it. It involves you researching a topic and presenting what you’ve found out after several hours. It’s a blank canvas. You say to yourself – what interests me. You sieze the responsibility and then show why they all0wed you to work with your own skills. Most of all, it is far better than general studies, which he described as possibly the most undervalued, and most boring A-level. I can’t wait until I start A-levels, it means I can do exactly what I want to do, at a level of depth that interests me! In the meantime I won’t wish away my life and I will make the most of it!

Today made me feel even better. We have enrichment sets, in which we are told about our futures etc. ZE8 is the group which they give biscuits to and where will you go after sixth form. ZE2-7 look at culture and various other unabsorbing issues and ZE1 is the Oxbridge set. I’m in ZE1. Very bluntly we’re the cream of the crop at school. A fortnight ago Mr Bishop asked us to do a little piece of homework, telling him about our learning styles. Only Jenny Akhurst, Jenny Robertson and I had done it. So we were not the target of today.

So he ranted. I don’t mean rant. I mean grill in a pressure cooker. He blasted the group’s heads off! He was saying if not bothering with homework was going to be our attitude to the exams, and the mocks… he would practically explode. He was angry. I don’t think it’s in his personality to be that angry – it’s just the pressure from those above. He ranted about his head being on the stick when Ofsted arrive soon, if we fail our mocks (which means getting B grades)

Of course, I’m on the right side of him, I understand he needs to kick some of the group up the arse.  I do care about my education and am well prepared for the mocks. But I think rants like today’s could disillusion others in the group. It will bring up fear and loathing in this pressure cooker environment. Fear of failure, and loathing of authority like Mr Bishop. Especially if it seems the school care more about exam results, league tables and the number off to Oxbridge – than the kids themselves.

To conclude, if you’re in this group – there are two ways to react if you are in the situation. Take this kick up the arse and prepare, be proactive about it and succeed. Or just hate school, hate Mr Bishop and hate everything. I know where I stand.

Tonight, I’ve gone through the range of emotions. Frustration, agitation, annoyance, happiness and now I’m gleefully smiling. Why? Because me and Colin have been talking about where I want to do sixth form. Now it started with me asking if he was OK with me staying at QE. Now I have wanted to stay there for a while, and had my heart set on it. But he had to say something.

He said it would be a massive mistake if I didn’t even think about anywhere else. Colin is very persuasive! Very very persuasive! If he doesn’t become an actor he should become a salesman. He is so insanely persuasive! The thing is, now he explained what I would miss out on if I went to Simon Langton Boys in Canterbury. I felt like a bag of cement had fallen on me… I was being ripped in two directions.

I think the level of teaching at Simon Langton is better, from what Colin has said. I would be able to take economics for A-level, which I would love to do. Also, Simon Langton is in Canterbury, the city which contains the university I want to go to. And I would also get to see Colin every day.

However I would lose out on Emily and Katherine and all the wonderful friends I have at QE. I would also have to establish with new teachers who I am, and how good I am at their subjects. Plus, with the heaps of traffic in Canterbury there will be longer journeys and longer days. The time of which, could be used for economics evening class instead perhaps, if I was at QE?

To the downside, I would miss Emily, Katherine and all the amazing people I know and love at QE. I know the teachers really well and get on with them… I know their teaching styles and it could be a disruption if I move schools. It’s also the QE culture that I would miss.

It’s going to be a really tough decision. Not one which I will judge until I do an induction day at the Langton, and see what I think of it. It’s given me a lot to think about!

1 more paper left and this whole A Level is gonna be over forever! [unless i wanna retake it next year LOL!]

gonna sleep now, perhaps through dinner till tmr morning. oh yeah, school at 9 a.m lol.

today was pretty enjoyable though i don’t fancy window-shopping. thank God for the time i had! (:

got rejected from Artbox LOLOLOL! expected but i just wanted to try out. no harm making a phone call. and no hard feelings.

An Damaris <3 Jesus

well, this is a dark thought but i should just jot it down. ‘trying not to mind it as much as i could, i just felt weird not knowing anything.’ great, the sentence doesn’t make any total sense. forget it! 

not funny.

Today’s changed my whole perspective on life, and to be perfectly honest nothing that significant has  happened. Just talking to James today has made me realize that i’ve got to stop thinking about those things that just aren’t important to me anymore (him). Apparently i’ve got so much “potential”?

It’s not easy being creative, at college i always get the academic people looking down at me. Don’t get me wrong, they all compliment my work, compliment me, but i still think that they think that they’re better than me. Maybe I’m just getting paranoid in my young age?

Out there’s gonna be very competative for me though, i know it. I know its a challenge to get into the best med school, or seven thousand years of training to become a lawyer. But should i be dissed just because thats not what i choose to do with my life? I want to be an artist!

I want to live in a one bedroomed, open planned, tacky flat, with the love of my life, a fat ginger cat and a shar pei. I’ve always had the same dream, the desire to be somebody never changes, i guess you could see it as a curse, because each year that passes i get closer to that dream, but at the same time more doubting of my skills and originality.

Let’s just get through these A Levels, then head off for a foundation (which apparently i don’t need) and then worry about which degree course i want, and where i want to be. I’ve always had this image of me in a playsuit smoking pot outside the main doors into Goldsmiths. Is that a normal desire to have in ones life? I’ve never smoked weed in my life?

I wish i could say i’ve never smoked. I’ve tried it, i smoked socially for a while, but its just the after-taste i can’t stand. It reminds me of my x (Ryan). Yet i still do it occasionally. I’ve got backie in my bag at the moment, but i couldn’t tell you why. I’m not addicted, it just sort of sits there as a safety net if somehting stressful happens and i need to chill out a bit.

But really readings pretty good for a tension releaser.

its been a really really long time since ive touched this place. woa. its just 3 more papers and i will finish up A levels once and for all man. Finally, the jc journey is ending. omg. yay.

For once, ive never ever been so eager, to leave man. haha. like i just cant wait to leave all the unhappy things that have happened here. lol. yes. i cant wait. Today, its been like since a really long time since ive actually slacked an entire day away! omg. hahaha. damn shuang to slack. ive just watched tv, and eat. that’s practically all ive done today. oh yeah, and just read the first part of the application notes. which is, mmm, literally done nothing at all. omg, i cant wait, just cant wait, hahaha. next week, ubin, jurong east swimming, visiting jovan, chloe, going to ice skate, and so so many other things. OH BOY. YES. hahaha.  But still, ive got to worry about the monday papers first ah. chem paper 1 and bio paper 3, practically the 2 most hardest ever papers ever out of all. Although econs is quite. mmm. yeah. mmm. haha. But still, the worry doesnt stop there. I really really pray and hope that my scores and qualify me for a place in NUS, faculty of science or faculty or arts and social science. Im not talking about going overseas to study, Im not talking about some really really horribly hard to obtain courses, like medicine or law, and even more so, im not even talking about a scholarship. Just 1 place. 1 place in either of these 2 schools, ill be really really happy. LOL. really, just let my grades to hover about a B average. Ill really really be happy enough. =/.

academics aside. I think, im gonna to do my thanking post on my official blog man. haha. I mean, yeah, thanking post. Anyhow, just seeing how they are still keeping in contact, so happy etc, Im satisfied here on my part again. Dont worry, I promise, I wont ever ever come back and play anymore.  Majority of the memories that are left inside me, are just really really horrible ones. About how you people exclude, about how you people discriminate, about how you people bitch, about how you people fight, about how you people play with politics. Its just really really scary to even think about it. But at least, I still have my friends from there. Sometimes, I just really wonder how the heck my future would’ve turned out if i had chose a different place to study  and play in all together. But 2 years ago, I was rather keen, determined and hopeful to enter here in the first place. and surprisingly, I let that be the deciding factor. yeah, it really did attract me, to a deep extent to this place. And guess what, now its one of the reasons i cant wait to leave it. Yes. But still, I thank god that, from this place. I still have loving people around despite the so many happenings and scary things, but still, really, I really really hope never ever to have to repeat this kindda experience ever again man. But ya. and anyhow, dont assume anything when you read this para, just saying about stuff ah. Even though theres improvement and stuff ah, but still, i hope to move forth. yes.

and also, somehow, i cant wait to not ever see certain types of people in my life ever again.(though the worse might be still yet to come), but for now at least, i dont have to be subjected to the temperemants and calls of  others, not having to be treated as a commodity, not to see competitive f-ers around in school, to see how people can treat other people like suckers, and just, omg. bimbos, bitches, just, ugh. yes. NO MORE. enough man. Its just so sickening. and im happy that once and for all, NO MORE. though, yeah, even though more might come, but its k lah, leave that for the future, for now, ill be contented.

NS. OMG. YES NS. hahaha. 11th december. LOL. so early ahhhh. WHY CANT IT BE MARCH. but never mind lah, ive already come to accept this fact yes. Hopefully BMT would pull through fine and everything, and hopefully i can get along well with my NS mates, but sometimes just meeting people at first can be so scary. omg, all the push ups, pull ups. haha, hopefully i can earn a place in SAF band. yeah man. flute for 2 WHOLE YEARS. HAHAHA. that’ll be damn cool ah. hahaha. just nothing more but flute. i really cant wait to start working on flute again. yeah. haha. that’ll really be cool.

sighs. A levels a levels, kuai kuai wan. hahaha. but still GP and econs are really a cause for concern. Its not like chem, math and bio are any better either. but please man. let the last 3 pull through me fine. mmmm. yeah lor. please please man. hahahaha. i dont ever wanna repeat this anymore. omg. please no. torment for 2 years is enough.

although i mean, yeah experienced alot, grew up quite abit here, but really given a choice, no, never again man. hahaha. sighs oh well. okay off to bed alr. gotta try hard man. but seriously, whats with the weird questions this time man. sighs, but nvm, have to try. jiayou jerms. jiayou all.

-jermain

:] :] :] :] :] :] :] :] :] :] :] :] :] :] :]

(x 1238409709374710)

nope not over yet. but soon, real soon.

I guessed everyone felt the same as me- screwed after econs paper. Although I know I didnt do really well for some of the papers, I know there’s nothing much to do. Yes, there’s seriously nothing we can do after having sat for that horrendous paper in my whole life. But, damn, I can’t even sleep well coz of that. Ahhhhh. I hope the whole Singapore fails and some random parent goes up to Moe and complaint about their insanity of their questions.

A’s is ending real soon, and I’m like fretting what holds for me in the future. The fear of not getting into any locals universities keep coming back. People have been telling me I can do, can one lah etc but they are just words of encouragement? Sighhh. A’s results aren’t as predictable as O’s results were. At least you roughly know what grades you’ll get and roughly if you’ll get into Jcs. A’s is like ohmygosh, free me from this shit and come next year can some twin of mine take my place and get my results. I don’t think I’ll get on stage but just hope grades aren’t that bad after all. I just want to get out now and have a walk and cheer myself up. A sad and disappointed person can’t study for nuts and perhaps a nice starbucks like green tea latte or caramel macchiato would gladly make my day better a little.

title says it all.

-edit.
and i want you gone, so badly.
i thought maybe i could just erase your existence out of my mind.
but it didn’t happen.
or rather, it couldn’t happen.

do you think time can pass it by?

‘Does anyone know you are here’ J asked me, watching me sip my wine while he laid on his high rise bed, ‘because I am not so sure about your security system.. you did not seem to ask too many questions about me before traveling so far out.’

I raised my eyebrows and stared at him a bit before looking around. ‘My friend knows where and I am and your name and number and when I should be getting back, but she doesn’t know what it is I am doing here exactly.’

J started to freak me out quite a bit to say the least. He gave me some tips on upping my security which I’ve already done a lot of research on. I also brought my friend’s mace, and the number for the local cab, so I mean, I had some things, but I am just not at the stage where I can get a driver. He ended up giving me some very nice advice. You can never be too careful afterall!

Today, I met with a guy called D who had been made redundant from the advertising agency he worked for. There was something so sweet and kind about him and to hear him talk about it, it just broke my heart. I didn’t really want to ask him for any money, but of course, I am in just of much need of a job.

The whole experience was a nicely erotic one if I’ve ever had one. I think perhaps I am just getting the chance to experience a truly sexual experience in a way i hadn’t really been able to experience before. Perhaps these men I have been attracting have luckily all been the type who believe that if they are paying someone like myself, they may as well make it something memorable, and it seems it just gives them a chance to explore a woman in a much more secure and comfortable way. I mean, they know I won’t judge them for whatever it is they want. Anyway, the bedroom was like a sauna, after a few minutes in the room, I had to leave and change into my garter and get out of my jeans. (I would normally already have the garter on under my outfit, but because I thought I would have time to change I didn’t bother.) I gave him a full body massage, very slow and thorough. I never really have gotten a chance to practice my techniques, so it was a nice opprotunity. He then returned the favor with interest of course. Ice cubes, strawberries, etc. I just never got the chance to do things like this before. I mean, I’ve tried, when I was with The Ex, but I couldn’t take it seriously. When I saw him trying to be romantic and seductive, it just made me laugh. I don’t feel that way with clients though. I truly enjoy the experience and find it unbelieveably erotic.

So far, noe one has been able to perform A levels with me. Is there something wrong with my arse?

In another note: V said I could move into his place, but I haven’t hear anything from him since. Squatters, i’ve found, are very unreliable.

helllooooooooo

ZOMG IM SO SUPER DUPER EGGCITED COS ITS ONLY FOUR MORE 4 FOUR DAYS TO END OF A’S ZOMGGGG cannot wait DDDD

today was horrible lit which i thought was at 2pm thank God julia msged me and i found out HAHA.

fell asleep during the paper (zomg) then just anyhow write laaaa.

so i went home ate lunch (happily) then slept till 3.40 then got REALLY EGGCITED ABOUT AFTER A’s tried to read some stuff and decided to make instant soup and ate bread with olive oil HOHO. then like close to dinner i decided to finally try to read great ex but ended up using facebook (ITS SUCH A DISTRACTION) and then it was dinner time and then i just showered and now TRYING TO READ AGAIN and zomg i still have othello untouched ): ): ):

JIAYOU SHAN i was looking at pictures of me and joy just now and i was telling her SUPER EXCITEDLY in those pictures about after A’s hahaha seriously i was like bursting with joy and the pics look horribly unglam gosh. AND I CANT WAIT THE DAY IVE BEEN TALKING ABT SINCE FOREVER IS ARRIVING IN FOURRRR DAYS WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

happy happy happy

seriously scared for untouched econs though SHIT. and like geog geogggg UGH.

GOD SHALL WRITE THRU ME AMEN!

So – like every other science department in the country our A level specifications changed last year. We all got through the new AS last year and are now working  through the new A2 course. Some changes are minor (much more emphasis on cell signalling in the OCR bio AS) and some fairly major (where did the digestive system go?) In many ways the process has been very useful; a chance to rethink how we teach the A level course and to introduce new ideas and activities, but as I plan tomorrow’s AS biology lesson I find myself wondering who it is that decides what goes into a specification. Tomorrow  my year 12 students will be covering obesity and its link to coronary heart disease. Now I’m pretty sure that the idea that being very overweight has consequences for health will not really be news to my class and I cannot help wondering what this topic is doing in the A level spec at all. It’s not exactly challenging and in general the students find it wooly and unsatisfying. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m actually quite a fan of A levels, despite the bad press they receive. But if they are going to be presented as a rigorous academic qualification, and for most students the qualification they take before starting university then is this obesity stuff really a topic that should be included? And who decided to include it? Surely A levels are not the place to be giving advice on healthy eating. Whilst I appreciate that obesity and its related diseases are on the rise is an A level Biology class really the place to be education young people about this problem, and is that class really the target audience for such information anyway? I cannot be the only person who believes that what we teach, at all stages, shouldn’t be driven by functionally and relevance, but should be based in academic challenge and rigour. Where is the joy and inspiration in lessons that only teach functionality? Every time I teach my year 13s about the Krebs cycle I’m struck by just what an amazing process it is, I’m reminded each time I cover Natural selection at GCSE what a simple and elegant theory it is. Little bits of topics, enzyme inhibition, negative feed back, DNA structure, never fail to remind me just how down right fabulous science can be, and I have the fond hope that at least some of my students will be inspired by these ideas too. I’m pretty sure that no one is going to be inspired by tomorrow’s obesity lesson, no matter what I do with it.

I just woke up not too long from a long overdue nap, meaning a nap I had to take. It was good, plus the weather, almost perfect. I usually cannot wake up on my own while taking naps, usually sleeping all the way till mom or dad yells at me to get out of bed. Today, I woke up on my own accord, like 3 hours and that was like the maximum already. Nothing more, tried to sleep somemore but couldn’t. I thus conclude that I am gradually losing my habit of taking afternoon naps. Also, this nap was full of dreams, half good and half bad. Guess was talking too much with them over lunch about coming to my house, I dreamt we had guests over at my place. Okay, I can’t say they were guests cause there were some among them whom I’m not too sure about… But that’s not the point, the conclusion of the whole matter is that I am losing the art of naps. 

I already feel that there’s a load off my shoulders, and the As are not over yet. I still have 3 more papers left. If this is the relieved feeling I get after 6 papers, I can’t imagine what it would be like after all nine papers. I will be at a lost with the amount of time I have in my hands I think. But wooohooooooooooooooooooooooo, I see the end coming! 

As it becomes increasingly difficult to find – and retain – jobs, owing to the effects of the credit crunch, more and more adults are opting to go back and study for A levels to improve their employment prospects. For logistical, family and professional reasons, many of these mature students are choosing to study their chosen subjects by distance learning.

One of the major plus points of distance learning (definition) is that it gives students immense flexibility, allowing them to fit their research, studying and essay-writing in around various other commitments – such as jobs, children and caring for elderly parents.

One of my closest friends has been caring for her mother almost continuously for the past eight years, so she’s not had much of a social life for a long time. However, the positive aspect of all this is that she has put all the hours she’s been obliged to stay indoors to good use by sitting 3 A levels – in which she achieved 2 As and a B. Angie would be the first to confess that she never expected to do so well, but she found that the courses she did (this sort of thing) stopped her from getting bored to tears. The end result is that she’s now far better qualified – and her mum is really proud of her clever daughter

and that is an understatement. I am exhausted. drained. mentally, physically, emotionally (maybe.)  but I have one more paper tmr. 5 consecutive days of papers is no joke. I tell you, tmr when I reach home, I will and must take a nap. 

5 down, 4 more to go.

p/s anyone wants my GC? I don’t think I will have any use for it after tmr.