On Education

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Have you seen this? It’s a letter from 16-year-old Janelle Lee to the Education Minister and in it, she questions the fundamentals of the local education system, commenting on how she believes it could suppress talent and creativity, among other things. She also questions how “moral education” is being taught in schools, baffled at how good values can be taught from a textbook.

And what do I have to say about all that?

Nothing.

Because I can’t comment.

Let me explain. As a teacher, I am aware of the repercussions if I were to give my opinion on this matter. If I support this girl’s stand, people might start calling me a hypocrite for still being “in the system”. If I oppose her in any way, people might start calling me a blind lackey.

So why am I even bringing this matter up if I’ve got my hands tied so tightly?

Because I want to commend this girl for being such a coherent young voice, proving that her education worked.

You see, at some point in her life, she was taught the importance of speaking out for her beliefs. And so, she did. At some point in her life, she was taught the importance of writing with conviction and using impassioned language to capture attention. And so, she did. At some point in her life, she was taught the importance of being well-read enough to know what is going on around her, so she can be a critical citizen. And so, she did.

If you’ve noticed, I have not attributed it to any specific system, or person. Who’s to say whether it was the 10 years of compulsory education, or her family’s upbringing that moved her to write such a letter to the Education Minister? Perhaps she’s been inspired by all the Hollywood movies that she’s seen in her life, where teenagers give inspiring pep rallies to a room full of other teens? Regardless, I am sure of one thing; education is not confined to a mere building.

As Janelle herself has defined it (according to Dictionary.com), education is ‘the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life’. Exactly. And even when we don’t agree with a particular teaching method, we cannot claim that it won’t work for someone else.

Also, flawed or not, school in itself, will never be enough to prepare anyone for life. It’s the experiences that make all the difference.

We are in a constant state of learning. Education doesn’t just happen when we read some textbook. It occurs when we watch a video on YouTube where we learn how to fold a shirt the Japanese way. And even when we’re playing some online game. Surely, after being killed off by your opponent countless times, you would’ve learned how to return the favour. What I’m saying is, we must recognise that knowledge is exchanged every day and it is how we use the knowledge we have acquired that will determine whether one’s education has been successful, or stifling.

So with all sincerity, I want to congratulate Janelle for being a brave voice for her generation and for articulating herself well, especially considering her age. I hope we continue to see more inquiring, critical minds being developed.

Any thoughts?

Dinner at Disgruntled Chef

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Dinner with the girls is never not enjoyable. :) This evening, we celebrated Min’s 29th. Ah yes, our last year of being in our 20s. I’m so glad my birthday isn’t until August. Gives me that little bit more time to be in denial. Hehe.

I’m gonna keep this short seeing how it’s wayyyy past my bedtime. Yep, this 20-something still has trouble waking up at 5:45am after all these years.

Dinner was at the Disgruntled Chef, at Dempsey Road, in which we ordered several Small Plates, a couple of Big Plates and desserts to share. And because we’re all stressed out at work, we ordered a jug of cocktail for kicks.

Here’s an interior shot of the restaurant:

Nessa peruses the menu:

Our first Small Plate was also the best one, in my opinion – Crab Cakes, with cucumber and tomato chilli jam:

Small Plate #2 – Crispy Lamb Shortribs, with chilli and cumin. Not fantastic, but not bad either:

Small Plate #3 was the most unexciting of the lot. Baked Scallops, with vegetables and truffle butter:

Here comes our first Big Plate – Roasted Miso Cod, with sauteed mushrooms. The rest didn’t like this as much as I did:

Our second Big Plate was much raved about, but I personally thought was quite uneventful – Crackling Suckling Pig, with crudites and honey & clove sauce:

All that food wasn’t enough, so we ordered another Small Plate – Baked Camembert Fondue, with chicory, toast and apple sauce. We loved the cheese. :)

Our first of two desserts – Fig Crisp, with roquefort parfait, port reduction and chocolate ice cream was nice enough:

But we preferred the Sticky Toffee Pudding, with vanilla ice cream:

Our jug of Fresh Raspberry Mojito:

Here I am, with Dia:

And Nessa with Min, the birthday girl:

Overall, I’d say the food was a bit of a hit-and-miss. They weren’t as delectable as I’d hope they’d be, and the service wasn’t exactly the most impeccable either. But it has a good ambience and is certainly a nice place to hang out. I just wish I drove, then getting there wouldn’t have been such a hassle.

. . . . .

Song of the Day

As I Lay Me Down, by Sophie B. Hawkins

Sticky Note Holder

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I’m really enjoying spending my free time making little crafts. I never quite saw myself as one who would actually craft as a hobby, but with all these tutorials on YouTube giving me step-by-step instructions, and colleagues who are equally enthusiastic about creating nice things from scratch, it’s been fun, to say the least. :)

Here’s something I created today. I was too eager and forgot to take photos of the process, but it’s definitely easy enough.

These are the materials I used:

Using fancy scrapbooking paper, leftover card stock, a pair of scallop scissors, an ink pad, sponge brush and rub-ons, I created this holder for my sticky notepad:

I used the ink pad and sponge brush to create that vintage, antique-y look.

What do you think? Would you buy this?

. . . . .

Song of the Day

Falling, by The Civil Wars