We often don’t realise how precious and valuable something is until it’s over and/or unless we are able to take a step back, zoom out and look at how it’s actually changed our lives. I finished a national exam last year and completing it was a major relief from the tension and stress that has been dragging my entire soul down. Singapore’s education system is world acclaimed – but to us students who are slogging through assessment papers, staying up late to work through homework, dragging our exhausted bodies to tuition, feeling all down and beaten about our lousy grades… it doesn’t feel that way.
But I’m not going to talk about the features of our system is and how good/bad it is, or how it can or should be changed. There’s a whole lot of debate, criticism and an entire trove of opinions out there comparing our schools against ideal models and nitpicking at the flaws of the system. While that is absolutely necessary and important, most of us are not (and will not be) in the position to make a drastic transformations overnight. We still don’t have much of a choice but to go through it, so here are some ways I discovered to make the best use of your education years.
1. Realise that education is more than a right – it is also a privilege. Millions of children worldwide have no access to or are unable to afford basic education even if they want to. Being born in Singapore makes us no more entitled to education than a child born in a third world country. It’s easy to take for granted our education but when we do so, we immediately value it less and that brings me to the next point.
2. Education will only be truly valuable if you deem it so. If you are constantly only looking at education as a means to an end, whether it’s in terms of grades, schools and future job
(and salary) prospects, it will be so. It will be painful, meaningless, useless and utterly irrelevant other than the fact that it can get you a nice piece of paper as an entrance to a career with high remuneration. But if you go beyond that and see the value it could bring
to you as a person, like how it could help you build logical and analytical skills, understand yourself and the world better, make better and more informed choices, shape your perspectives and outlook… you will in turn seek to gain these knowledge and insights and derive value from education.
3. Rankings don’t necessarily determine how smart you are or how far you will you go
in life. Our grades and schools position us relative to each other in terms of how well we have scored in exams. Yes, it does give an indication of intelligence levels (albeit a limited one) and it will make a difference to the environment you are in and the kind of resources you get. However, there are other factors that play a role like tuition, teachers and most importantly, mentality. We don’t all start on equal grounds. So being in an average school or obtaining a D or E does not mean you will never become successful – in your own terms – as someone who is in a top school or sustains straight As (provided you work hard at it) and it should not make you believe so about yourself. But this also applies in reverse. In short, don’t let one-dimensional categories define and fix the person you are and can be.
4. Grades, like money, is a by-product. What you reap is what you sow. Focus on the process step by step and your effort will definitely see results. Be wary though – we sometimes underestimate the amount of effort and time it takes to see results or overestimate the results we can get from the effort we put in and start to feel bad about ourselves or jump to the conclusion that we will never achieve anything. Practicing a few questions will not make you jump a grade. Be patient and give yourself a pat in the back for every little progress you make.
5. Immerse yourself in different experiences. Put yourself out there. Go for camps, competitions, overseas exchange and volunteer events. Locking yourself within the curriculum will only make you a narrow person. Make friends, make memories, enjoy yourself and grow. Experiences are what change us and become a part of who we are, what we believe in and eventually, how we guide ourselves to act. That, in itself, is also education.
6. Think of the future and be present. This sounds contradictory but it’s not. I don’t mean lose yourself in the imagined sense of freedom you’ll have once school is over while agonising over your current situation. Rather, keep in mind what your personal goal for education is and its long term impact so that you can be grounded and focused in the ‘right here, right now’ of every lesson and task you are engaged in. Because every minute you stray, you are losing something important you could learn or could work on.
7. Be curious. Question. Wonder. Explore. Go back to being a kid when you were constantly asking why? Curiosity is the trait that opens up worlds. Take your education in your own hands.
8. Hang out with people whom you aspire to be like. We are influenced by our environment and the people who surround us more than we think. Their actions, opinions and choices affect us subtly because of the sheer amount of time we spend together with them. A friend is constantly pessimistic and lazy will drag you down, but a friend who is optimistic and motivated will help to pull you along. However, if you can’t decide who you’re stuck with in a situation, then learn to resist negative influence and be able to discern good from bad example.
9. Talk to your teachers. Even the ones you don’t like. They’ve been through all this before and are likely to have more experience in life and are often more than willing to share with you advice and insights that can change perspectives and mindsets in powerful ways. When I was struggling with math nearing my exams and felt like giving up, my math teacher told me it isn’t about what I get at the end of the day but the very fact I’ve made it through the entire process and learned. Till this day, these nuggets of wisdom from the random conversations we had help to guide and comfort me when I’m lost and bogged down.
10. Remember that one day, this is all going to end. You can’t wait for all this to be over. But give it some time after you actually graduate and you’re definitely going to miss it. The crazy times you’ve had with your friends, the little nameless epiphanies, even the sheer exhaustion mixed with pride at the end of the day when you realise how
you’ve made it through… they all become a part of who you are. So slow down and take it in. Pay attention to this moment that you’ll soon come to miss and treasure so dearly. When you look too far ahead, you can’t see the beauty of what’s right in front of you.
My perspective on education has changed drastically over the years and these insights are gained only in retrospect, as a result of my education.