 | |||
| Image credit |
Ever since Mum gave Bubs a copy of the Giving Tree, I was struck at the irony of how complex messages and subtle story lines can be found within such simple, line drawings.
I found this work of art by Shel Silverstein to be equally thought provoking and slightly sad. It resonates with me because I would love for Bubs to forever be filled with the same zest and enjoy life to its fullest into adulthood. I've been attending a series of classes at work and all of the trainers have stressed upon how important creativity is and how children often lose their exuberance as they get older. This is partly the reason why Hubs and I are sticking to our guns that Bubs attends a play school rather than a "proper one" (as my parents have repeatedly and kindly urged).
There has been so much debate recently about the quality of education, especially in Asia, that we are placing far too much (academic) pressure on children, expecting them to regurgitate verbatim. I still shudder with dread recalling how our primary school teachers made us memorise whole essays, right down to the punctuation, just so we can write the perfect one to "score in exams", never mind how ludicrous it must be for the examiner to mark 30 identical essays.
Never, ever ignore the inner child in you and that sense of curiousity and wonder that you had.
Conformity is overrated, Bubs.
Thank you for your inisghts, N.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking the same thoughts as you. But I'm coming from the perspective of the Australian experience where our schools are trying to find ways to 'catch up' with the results of our South East Asian counterparts.
There has to be a middle ground between both very sound approaches.
SSG xxx
It's interesting because over here, there are parents that are disillusioned by how academically focused education can be that international schools are a booming industry and ... that's right, they're based on UK/US/AU education systems!
Delete