It is nice to see young people take a social interest in life around them. Hence, I enjoy reading letters in the Forum by students, such as this young man (? - think the writer is male), although I do not always agree with their logic.
As it is, I do not agree with several things he wrote about but let me not go into that. In fact, I think he should be applauded for having a mind of his own and the guts to write to the national press, not to mention his enthusiastic learning attitude.
What I want to say is that I couldn't help feeling sad that he his love for the Chinese language is so entwined with his consciousness that he is learning the language for exam purposes. He wrote of reading more Chinese books, but for the purpose of writing better compositions for the exam. Also, for someone who, as he says, reads 'voraciously', I am surprised that his teachers did/do not encourage him to develop his own voice and style in writing. Surely he has the language competence to do so instead of just memorising 'good phrases' and learning how other people write.
He also wrote of Higher Mother Tongue as 'beneficial' in that it gives students 'exposure to various writing forms'. Again, isn't that for exam purposes?
Perhaps he has reasons for focusing on exams in his letter and I'm just assuming that, despite his love for language, he is too focused on exams. But, you know, when I read 'I adore both English and Chinese... a language opens up a whole new world', I expected that the letter would be about MUCH more than just exams.
Oh well.
The other very sad thing in the papers recently about school is the report about the Mother Tongue teacher who said she altered her students' PSLE scripts because of the pressure she was under to produce good results. Again, I am assuming that a teacher wouldn't normally alter his/her students' scripts, even if they were presented to him/her on a silver platter. Based on this assumption, this teacher must have been under A LOT of pressure to have done what she did. Very sad...
As it is, I do not agree with several things he wrote about but let me not go into that. In fact, I think he should be applauded for having a mind of his own and the guts to write to the national press, not to mention his enthusiastic learning attitude.
What I want to say is that I couldn't help feeling sad that he his love for the Chinese language is so entwined with his consciousness that he is learning the language for exam purposes. He wrote of reading more Chinese books, but for the purpose of writing better compositions for the exam. Also, for someone who, as he says, reads 'voraciously', I am surprised that his teachers did/do not encourage him to develop his own voice and style in writing. Surely he has the language competence to do so instead of just memorising 'good phrases' and learning how other people write.
He also wrote of Higher Mother Tongue as 'beneficial' in that it gives students 'exposure to various writing forms'. Again, isn't that for exam purposes?
Perhaps he has reasons for focusing on exams in his letter and I'm just assuming that, despite his love for language, he is too focused on exams. But, you know, when I read 'I adore both English and Chinese... a language opens up a whole new world', I expected that the letter would be about MUCH more than just exams.
Oh well.
The other very sad thing in the papers recently about school is the report about the Mother Tongue teacher who said she altered her students' PSLE scripts because of the pressure she was under to produce good results. Again, I am assuming that a teacher wouldn't normally alter his/her students' scripts, even if they were presented to him/her on a silver platter. Based on this assumption, this teacher must have been under A LOT of pressure to have done what she did. Very sad...
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