Reflection on Society must broaden ‘definition of success’ beyond academic goals to reduce stress on students: Chan Chun Sing
Here are some reflections after reading this article: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/society-must-broaden-definition-success-beyond-academic-goals-reduce-stress-students-chan?fbclid=IwAR0p_Q_hQztDexeBVLMiGOT8GxAzpO4v7-MDYebkUQtTgFusqVMmuOKBY88
To attain equilibrium, I believe that the same amount of emphasis should be devoted to growing, equipping pupils with self-management and social skills as is given to academic successes.
Students go through education in primary and secondary school to build foundations so that they know how to read, write, and do arithmetic, however, this is somewhat a old-school belief. And “Joy of learning” — how many children genuinely enjoy learning? Because a 90 on a math paper may not indicate ‘joy of learning,’ but rather that the student is good at it and does not necessarily have joy of learning. Students are urged to learn, memorize, and master concepts based on what is taught in textbooks, but students wonder, “How are these courses, such as art, important to my life when I don’t like art?”
“Vast majority of former students who returned to school to discuss their experiences cited abilities they gained through co-curricular activities as qualities that allowed them to persuade their employers to give them a chance since they had “gumption, inventiveness, and so on.”” However, in today’s school environments, our school timetables are structured in such a way that there is little time allotted for CCAs, communication skill development, or even financial literacy and digital literacy abilities. So, how can pupils grow in other areas when they are so stretched?
Whatever time they have left, they are attempting to catch up on sleep, maintain relationships with friends, form self-identity, and struggle with being a young teen, a friend, a son or daughter, and a student in an academically driven environment while being told to ‘be resilient,’ ‘have self-control,’ but little is being done in school for them.
“But,” some would say, “there are workshops given at various times throughout the year to support kids, educating students with different skills such as communication, conflict management, bullying, and so on.” I believe that while this is beneficial, it is only the beginning; what about follow-ups? You teach skills, but monitoring application, progress, and mastery takes just as long.
To attain equilibrium, I believe that the same amount of emphasis should be devoted to growing, equipping pupils with self-management and social skills as is given to academic successes.
