Help Yourself!

About a few weeks ago before I started this blog, I was complaining to myself that I wasn't using enough English. I concluded I was getting rusty because I was communicating too much in my native tongue, that I'm starting to forget how to read, talk, listen, and write in English. I started to improve myself by writing these blogs. They're nice, and not much of a hassle. I have to admit I love them.


Anyway, after reading the first few essays I posted here, I have to conclude that I still have a long way to go. I'm not really communicating effectively enough I reckoned. I used to be an award winning junior writer, so I kind of knew how much I lacked off after turning my pursues on other different hobbies. I'm improving I guess, but I don't know. Haven't been hearing much from anyone, so I'm conluding this by myself. I'm concluding that I'm improving because I'm helping myself.


I'm also concluding that the biggest reason why students don't understand lessons is because they don't try to help themselves!


The last seminar I attended was a seminar on ethics and education. The students were very vocal on complaining that most of the teachers spoke in broken English, and because of that, they can't understand the lesson. They said that since the teachers taught so badly they have to attend tutorial classes after school. They concluded because the teaching was so horrible in the university, they had to turn to tutors to help them.


I think they missed the point. To be exact, first of all, you don't need tutors. I'm sure that the classes are quite adequate for most people. The second point is that though the teachers may have broken english, but they have the knowledge. It is just the case that you have to get over the boundaries of english, and most of the english should be understandable. No one speaks perfect english, and I think we all have our influences of our native tongues on that. The third point is the reason why most students understand in tutorial classes is because they have a chance to go over the topic for the second time. Since the majority of students never covered their lessons before class, they usually can't understand what the teacher is teaching. It is only after class in the tutorial class where they actually go over the subject matter twice is where they understand!


The major issue is that education is not a one way process as most people believe. The teachers are the most important part of education. There may be bad teachers (there are many including me), but that isn't everything about education. The other side of the coin are the students! What I'm trying to say that education is a two way process. The teacher is supposed to guide the students. The students are supposed to learn. If the teachers are defective, the students can still learn. If the students are too lazy and stupid (dorks), then the teacher can pull them back. It could work one way, but it isn't the best method. We are going to need good teachers who can motivate students (and hope they don't shackle their creativity like how my teachers did to me), and responsible students who are responsible for themselves.


Unfortunately, you don't see too much of that. Not many people want to be teachers. Not many people want to be students. If it wasn't that education can get people good paying jobs, I'm pretty sure that most of the upper-level educational institutes would be probably empty right now. I'm sure most of the students who are planning to work on their own family business would be adequate with highschool education and on the site training in their family's company. The problem is that there is an obsession with degrees that is threatening this who process. The parents want their children to suceed in their degrees because it would be a good bragging point when they talk with other families. I don't really like that. I hate talking to people who hate learning, make fun of the institute and their facilities, just because they are forced by their parents to learn here. I really believe that they might be better off joining trade schools. They learn more, and complain less there surely.


Parent influence in these areas are bad. I really have to say that parents have somewhat become bad influences because they are rarely putting a hands off approach. By setting all the goals, and doing everything for their children, they are putting their children in a helpless position. They are teaching their children that they have only to follow orders(of their parents). That isn't really too good. At the end they follow people like blind sheep. That isn't the goal of their upbringing right? I truly believe that everyone should be able to help themselves no matter what. If we can't begin at home, I just don't see how my point will get across.


You can't help anyone if you can't help yourself.
No one is going to help you if you can't help yourself.


Amen.