When I was 15, I distinctly remembered reading in my geography textbook a chapter about population.
Big glasses were totally fashionable then
According to the book, there are some countries which had homogeneous population. Homogeneous meant that the entire country consisted of only their own race. And two of the most evident examples are Italy and Japan.
However, as globalization becomes increasingly common, the textbook is now a relic rather than a book of facts.
Just a regular walk to the market for example, and I’d see a multitude of nationalities. Just today, I bought some chicken from an Egyptian guy and a few steps away is a Bangladeshi guy selling me some Thai rice.
And if you’d browse through Wati’s blog, you’d see the same phenomenon in Japan.
What I studied years ago doesn’t hold true for the situation now.
In fact, its even common for a subject newly taught in schools to be obsolete right when the student graduate. And it makes me wonder, in this day of age where nothing is constant any more, is it even worth to study?
I think it just means we have to keep learning and learning, as new things will pop in.
What we learned in school may not hold true anymore, but it’s the learning spirit and mentality that keep us going. 😀
that’s what i think.
Thought-provoking post you have there, good job.
I feel that a certain amount of studying is definitely necessary, best if it’s until say, polytechnic. University education can be, and is a drag most of the time. I would prefer to start earning money and see the world earlier.
That said, a friend of mine once remarked that most jobs in this world don’t really require a super powerful brain – so long as that person is sane and have common sense, good enough.
Another food for thought.
Ha ha…. good observation there. If what you read about in textbooks then was outdated, imagine how much worse it would be for an older fogey like me.
I think education and learning in school is definitely useful not just for the sake of picking up knowledge, but training in synthesizing them, piecing them together, analysis, problem solving, and conceptualisation. Reading books allows one to quieten one’s mind and heart, and absorb knowledge, wisdom and learning at a more sustained pace. Some of this can be applied to our jobs, but a lot of it won’t which is absolutely fine. I for one, don’t believe that learning must result in getting the right paper qualifications for the right job. Education should be a pursuit for its own sake sometimes rather than just a means to an end.
CC
I enjoyed going to school, but for all the wrong reasons, more to make friends than to study … hehehehe!
MLM
At the same time, its always paper qualifications that makes a person earn more money. Even then, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the person is the best qualified for the job.
Walter
Studying for the enjoyment of studying, rather for the sake of studying … 🙂
I agree with Walter in that I think education nowadays isn’t so much about the facts that are pushed to us but in teaching our minds how to analyze and process information. To me, teaching someone how to think is more important than actually making them retain facts. I’ve heard that a lot from university teachers too. They say that they try less to get their students to retain hard facts like exact dates (years are good enough) and instead focus on developing their analytical skills.
I also agree with mlmaestro that most jobs don’t require the degrees they say they require a candidate to have. Any person with common sense and that has been taught how to learn can do most any job in the world. For most of the jobs I’ve held I’ve gone into them with little to no relevant experience and it didn’t stop me from becoming successful.
I think the thing about schools in general is that there is an emphasis on tests and examinations rather than the enjoyment of learning itself. But that’s quite tough to balance because at the end of it, educators need to guage how well that the student have learnt.
Regardless, I think that most of us have the most fun in school, be it for learning or just to hang out with friends 😛
hi…erm, is that cikgu zuraidah in that pic? were u from bt view sec?