{WE HATE O LEVEL HUMANITIES}


This is a rant thread written by an O level Geography Elective student, dedicated to expressing his intense dislike for O level Humanities.

Humanities are supposed to inculcate a love for arts, culture and teach us to understand human mentalities and society. But, is O Level Humanities doing its job in teaching us culture? In a Humanities lesson, we are expected to learn to express our views and taught that nothing is absolute in culture. We are all entitled to our own views. However, is this view being brought to life in the way we are assessed? From how I see it, Humanities has been degraded to three basic points:

1. Memorising chunks of information
2. Vomiting out said chunks in record time while contending with acute muscle aches in hands (hence Humanities exams give an unfair bias to ambidextrous students- GRR!)
3. Trying to analyse the stupid question! Like what the hell does the examiner friggin' want man!

Instead of getting us to express our ideas about society and human interaction, Humanities exams are now testing us on how fast we write with respect to questions that stump all of us. Why is it that we are expected to do so much in just one and a half hours? Have the examiners ever tried taking their own papers? A Social Studies paper requires at least four cross-references, identifying of purposes, tones and hidden motives. How are we expected to do so much in an ideal time-split of 45 minutes? And, the SEQ questions are not tests of skill at all. Instead, they test our ability to remember the model answers, and then vomit them out in record timing. Is this what Humanities means in materialistic, modern Singapore? That all we need to do to get far in life is memorising a bunch of random facts and spilling them out?

Geography exams are not the best papers to do either. One point of contention I have with the method of examination is the requirement of examples- some questions, like the first sub-part for the 2009 Geography Elective Human Geog questions, are based entirely on the regurgitation of examples. Also, when we do questions involving GM Food, how many times are we going to vomit out the facts involving lectin potatoes and Bt corn? Are memorising examples as important as knowing the concepts and applying in situations? Geography is no longer a subject where we learn about the land and political issues that are faced by the people- it's now about memorising facts and vomiting!

People, Humanities needs its life back. What it needs is the actual artistic spirit that it aims to instill in us.

On a lighter note, hurray! Humanities is OVER!~ No more ridiculous questions involving weighing of factors to think about!

"Social Studies is a compulsory subject for all Secondary School students. Students are put through rigorous speed tests to ensure that they can complete the bulk of the paper in the stipulated time of 1.5 hours, and learn to predict future trends by analysing past-year papers in attempts to "spot" essay questions. By putting students through such unneeded stress and by forcing them to swallow huge chunks of information, students are bonded together with a common hatred of the subject, fostering a common identity and ensuring cohesion in the next generation of O Level students."

Benson blogged at 11/10/2009 04:55:00 PM.
0 comment(s).

{Solomon's being mean! =(}


Extracted from MSN..

Benson says:
dinghuang
joshua is having a cell meeting on friday for the sec 2s and 3s.
[16] d.h.tan Solomon says:
huh
joshua
...
[16] d.h.tan Solomon says:
oh yeah i not going cell this friday
Benson says:
?
[16] d.h.tan Solomon says:
as in my school got remedial for this week to go through answers
Benson says:
oh alrightey.
aaah. i'm all by my lonesome! =(
the sec 2s and 3s are eloping without me!~
[16] d.h.tan Solomon says:
oh ok
[16] d.h.tan Solomon went offline.

Thanks, bro. Exactly the sympathetic and compassionate response I was expecting. D=

Benson blogged at 10/21/2009 07:45:00 PM.
0 comment(s).

{Flying high}


Four years in Fuhua, finally up! I don't feel as happy as I thought I would.

My life in Fuhua can be separated into two parts:

First and second years- last express class, one of the least confident, least outspoken people in class, entered what was probably the worst CCA ever with a Drama COP.

Third and fourth years- Everything changed here. From last class to first, from junior softie prefect to Head of Liaison, from quiet member to pasionate ELDDS President, from softspoken little boy to totally extroverted young man, from Drama COP to Drama Silver, from godless to Godly.

It might be common and trendy for neighbourhood school students to hate their schools. I don't see why not- with substandard facilities and small compound, as compared to the branded schools, there's nothing to love and everything to hate about Fuhua.

But it is these things that make me love Fuhua. The way Fuhua makes ELDDS and Prefects fight, it has made me stronger. It has taught me to never give up, and know that I can walk on water in stormy seas. Dragons can always be defeated. Fuhua has taught me how to fight for what I love.

It is these things that give Fuhua its non-replicable feel. The way Mdm Oen makes her long speeches every morning that are filled with grammar mistakes, the way Mr Govind patrols the corridors on hunts for students smuggling drinks into classrooms, and the way the hall projector breaks down during important videos- they all give Fuhua its unique, quaint, semi-rundown charm. If Fuhua was as perfect as we all hope it'd be, it wouldn't be truly Fuhua anymore.

And hence, I am proud of Fuhua. For teaching me to fight and love, and for being rundown in its own charming way.

Benson blogged at 10/10/2009 05:57:00 PM.
1 comment(s).







In Your freedom I will live;
All I am is Yours!