T1Essay " Are School Examinations Necessary? "
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Ah, examinations -- the source of woe and laments of the schooling populace around the globe. It includes almost unbearably heavy bouts of stress, especially within our contemporary rat-racing society where a respite is more fantasy than reality, unnecessary revision for an otherwise well-learnt topic and later, when the results are released, may cause the lowering of self-esteem should it not be up to par. And now, the main question: if there are so many cons, why do we bother with this sort of half-yearly assessment and put this useless burden of stress on our students?
We have the consider all points, and looking at it from another angle provides fresh insight. For one, the main complaint against examinations is generally stress. However, when you compare those complaints to the real workplace that awaits them after schooling, these complaints are but petty affairs. Stress is everywhere. By learning to cope with, and not succumb to, this neutral factor, which is both boon and bane, we can push otherwise meagre, commonplace results beyond their boundaries.Which brings us back to school examinations, where the plaintiff's excuse is no longer that much of a viable point. A good school is one that can suitably mimic a workplace, encouraging positive competition and the leaving of his safety zone to achieve his potential. To rid the academic regime of such an important factor is impractical and also seems to throw favour at breeding complacency, which may have undesirable effects when they leave the safety of the school and step out into the cruelly practical society in the future.
Next, to further bolster the importance of having examinations, we have to consider what is it that we are typing into the millions of report cards and progress reports around the world. These multitudes of standardised letters are not random gibberish: any parent would know that this is a complete record of his or her child's standard in school, in the class, even in the nation. The abolishment of examinations provide no other feasible feasible method to track a student's understanding of a subject or topic. While many people have suggested the regular checks of homework, or perhaps a test the would be held after every chapter, they forget: when it all boils down it is still in essence an examination, the submission of student's applied knowledge to scrutiny and nit-picking. In fact, if we were to truly ensure that every student knows his or her work, we would probably need a teacher to each student on a one to one proportion, but even then, without a short text, how can we really be sure?
I am of the opinion that while play can be an important factor, work is of at least equal importance. all work and no play can make Jack a dull boy, but what about all play and no work? If a student has been so fortunate to play and frolic his way through the year, an examination can be a good way to sober up and start putting in his very best or regret it later. As mentioned earlier, a good school mimics a typical workplace and would thus adequately prepare a student for his subsequent chosen career. As most people can tell you, work is not called play for a reason, and not everyone is lucky enough to work at something that he loves. An examination would play the part of the antagonist in a the surrealistic Wonderland of a perfect fun-filled school life, keeping students grounded and practical as they would likely need to be in the future.
Then does that mean that there is no hope, no chance of a respite for us all? cry the distraught, school-going populace. In my opinion, not really. Examinations are important, but they are not everything one has in life. It is a good assessment, but it is not infallible. This regime is only a watered-down version of the adult's everyday work pressure, the constant criticisms and picking apart of each other's work, but it, on its part, works quite well and up to par. I strongly insist upon the importance of examinations, and that they not be abolished. But I also further insist that students, instead of being miserable and woebegone should take up the challenge and meet it head on like how we are taught to.
(725 words)
posted at 9:29 PM
1 comments
she is the one and only Julian ;D
1 Comments:
simple to understand ;D make sure you maintain your standard :D and write more about xenia <3
January 28, 2009 at 5:30 AM
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