Education: The True Takeaway

Here in Singapore, we are made to chase good grades for the vast majority of our schooling years.

In lower primary, we chased good grades to ensure that when it was time for banding (sorting into classes based on academic results), we would get into a "good class". In upper primary, we chased good grades to prepare for the PSLE, so that we could get good results and go off to a "good school".

In secondary school, we chased good grades so that we would have proper preparation to get "good results" in the 'N' Levels and 'O' Levels. Also in secondary school, we chased after a "good CCA grade" so that we would have a substantial testimonial and all when we graduated. And so on and so forth.

Schools were opened so that people may learn new skills and absorb knowledge which would aid them in later life. At least, I believe that was the initial motivation for schools being started in the first place. But in our chase for "good grades", "good schools" and "good CCA grades", how many of us actually internalise what we learn in school and take it away with us when we leave school?

There is no use in flawlessly memorising your Biology textbook if, 2 years down the road, you can't explain to your loved ones why their bodies function the way they do. There is no use in memorising an entire Literature text + the "ideal" explanations and analysis if, a few years later, you can't look at the situation around you and analyse why people are behaving the way they do. 

Basically, what I'm trying to say here is that there's no POINT in just focusing on getting your 'A's, 'A+'s and 'A1's. Of course, these good grades are very important when it comes to advancing to the next level of education, and as indicators of how well you seem to understand a subject. However, when you really sit down and think about it, your employers aren't going to give you that job just because you're a straight A student. Your future spouse isn't going to marry you just because every grade in your report book is an A1. The grades won't matter once you're done with school. 

Then what DOES matter?

What really matters, my dear humans, is whether we know how to apply what we've learnt in school, into the situations we face in our lives. It's whether you know how to explain to your cousin and his wife that it's perfectly normal for their son to have O+ blood while both of them have B+ blood running through their veins. It's whether you know how to analyse the articles and advertisements you come across; whether you can read between the lines to see what they really mean. It's whether you can speak your mother tongue well even though you have no more mother tongue lessons to go to. 

Application!!! Sounds simple but really, it is way more important than we all realise while we're chasing "good grades" like crazy people.

So take a deep breath, close your eyes, and contemplate how beautiful and complete your life would be if only you allowed your brain to embrace whatever you need to learn, instead of cramming content into your head with little understanding. Imagine how blessed you would feel if you could master the art of applying everything you've learnt in school (as seemingly irrelevant as some of the subjects may be) into your life after school. Imagine :) And work towards achieving that :) 

I did not write this post with the intent to convince anybody that getting good grades is not important. Go on chasing them good grades :) But now, remember that chasing good grades should never be your one and only obsession in school (or life, for that matter) and that sometimes its important to take a step back, make sure you understand what you're learning, and also *side note* make sure you don't lose your sense of morals and ethics in your chase for good grades. It never pays to give up on things like morals and ethics altogether. After all, we're human. We need them to help us get around, and get through life :) #mannersmatter

*P.S.: You may wonder why I did not explain further on the morals and ethics, but that would make this post too long for most busy souls :) I don't mind adding on though! Maybe after a while I'll either edit this post / write a whole new post (depending on the length).