Think outside of the box, use your right brain...and feel free to ask questions

Today, during a talk/discussion/ Q&A session there was a guest speaker....Fahmi, he said something which really hit a nerve (in which in my mind i reacted 'Damn straight, hallelujah', but in real life i just smiled and nodded)..

He said something whithin their context...Encourage intellectual freedom in schools.

This statement made me think of my experiences...

I grew up with the privilege of going to private international schools my whole life. Hence the reason why my mother tongue is English and my malay makes me sound like a minah rempit. ( though i take pride that i can speak bahaso nogori)

I'm not saying public school here in Malaysia sucks....the over all attitude and teachings are so left brained so mechanical.

I graduated from a private high school (american system)..and the one thing i remember learning was to think to analyze to dissect and to think outside the box....to come up with my own theories...i remember my thesis when we were reading Othello...my argument that the downfall of Othello was a character flaw and not because of destiny....and i was one of those that preferred theatre and art classes.....so art class was always do what you want..i did art critiques, went to galleries analyzed art, artists, art movements....what a joy!

I can back to Malaysia......got myself into a Local private university....I felt so intellectually stunted. Now i'm not preaching that the education system here sucks....but everything stems from the attitude which is clearly reflected in the education system.

I feed you with information and i control that information. You regurgitate it in you exam. Get good results, and off you go into the world where there is a right answer....give the right answer and you will go far....that is how i see the education system is here

..I remember a lecturer saying to me.. "You students like to do your own thing...I don't get you....you come for consultaion, do what we say and you will pass...."

In my mind i was thinking, "&^%$#$$%#%, then why don't you do the assignment and pass it up and put my name". Working within a set of rules and using our creativity is fine by me...that is were the challenge is- the thinking outside of the box...but this case was..do it like this and you will pass. Do it like that / think for yourself...and you will fail.

It was so grilled into the students heads that you have to consult your work...do it the 'right' way get the green light...then go complete your assignment......

it was so automatic that in painting class my lecturer was perplexed....'Why are you all consulting with me what to paint, there is no right or wrong, just paint what you want, consultation with me is to ask questions like what material do you recommend i use or do you think my composition is good"....It seems the students were so scared to paint what they want...it was such a foreign concept.. I was so entertained by the faces of the dominant left brained classmates......i could see it in their faces and it clearly had the look 'what-do-you-mean-we-can-paint-what-we-want?'

It has stunted my intellectual growth .there was no encouragement to think to talk to be loud say something and be vocal....so i was always called on so say something by my lecturers when they would ask a question and all the students just sat there........in my mind i was thinking 'when no one answers your question call on me to say something give an opinion', but when i have an opinion you hate it' pffftttt to lecturers that had no passion to teach and share knowledge......

..cause i was the one that always had something to say - which made me uber popular - NOT! If anything my out spoken-ness has earned me the label of the one with the mat salleh accent, melor yang takder hidayah (very original compared to melor the telor.....funny yet so mean), that never puas hati about anything.

Looking back...yeah there was something I tak puas hati, so I did something about it, which almost always was 'who do i see to talk about this'. It was too against the grain for alot of people. And I was not afriad to voice my opinion...my opinion at times gave a different perspective - however it wasn't seen that way by a few lecturers and some of my classmates.

We should all be encouraged to speak, to think, and most importantly encourage the freedom to ask questions! Do our local schools encourage this?

Now in no way i am saying that private schools are better...cause i've seen my fair share of private schools in kl which are equivalent to public schools except you just pay more. And i've seen public schools which produce great thinkers....its the overall attitude which gets me so irked. There were quite a few bad apple type lecturers as menioned above...but there were quite a few great apples in the bunch...kudos to those lecturers.

If I had the financial back and freedom to choose, after graduating from my high school in Lima, Peru, I would've gone to art school - and majored in art history (my 2 loves....art and analyzing!) i wouldn't have come back....

**rereading me entry**

I sound so preachy......*thinks to publish or not to publish*......

I'm passionate about this issue and i shall share it......