Is the public school system treating kids like animals in the jungle?

Image Source

Author's disclaimer: I'm only talking about the public school system in Malaysia, where I've personally been through. I've not been to the public school system of other countries, so sorry if this article is not reflective of yours. Lighten up! Cheers!

Parents always ask me why I choose to send my 9-year old Will to a home-schooling resource center.

Aren't you scared that he won't be able to adapt?

What if he can't go to a proper university?

Sure it won't jeopardise his future with this alternative education system?

Normally I just smile.

You see, firstly, I'm a drop-out, so I have the priviledge of living a life when it's tougher to apply for a job. Even if I do get the job, my promotions are limited, so I know firsthand how hard it will be if Will can't get a degree like his daddy.

Secondly, I've grown up in the public school system, and frankly, I don't know how I survived (probably due to my mom being a teacher). To be honest, even the older teachers in schools today will tell you how the quality of educators have dropped since their time. Sit in a random class for 15 minutes and you'll see. Seen an English class being taught in not-English?

So, to put my son through a system that I know is not the best, isn't it punishing? Heck, if we map out our own journey so far and chart that same path for our kids, are you confident that it will lead back to where you are right now?

Putting my son to home-school system is different from the convention, yes. But I take it as a 50-50 chance. The way I see it, by 18 he will either be really awesome with the combination of home-schooling and un-schooling method he is getting, or he'll totally f*cked up big time, of which I'm aspiring to avoid on a daily basis. Heck, if it does, I'll probably just admit defeat, hand over the trust fund (if any), and go back to the temple to be a monk.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the jungle analogy. Here's my point of view on why the public school system can be like running a jungle sometimes, and I'm not just talking about the mischevious kids/monkeys.

Image Source

At the start of the year, the Principal called all the animal of the jungle to report for school. Looking straight in the eyes of the hundreds of different species, he said,

"For this year, to score an A means climbing that tree."

The monkeys went "Hell Yeah!"

The fish went "Oh fck!"*

The elephant raised his trunk and asked, "If I can topple the tree, does that count?"

The Principal looked at him sternly, shook his head and said "No. That's cheating."

Here's the question, what if your kid is not the monkey? What if he/she is a frog, a leopard or a rhino? Does that mean their ability to swim, or sprint or pure strength means shit?

With the home-schooling system, my son gets to pick on subjects he likes more (currently math) and focus on it. On subjects he's weaker in, well, let's just say he got the pressure to perform, but it's not compulsory. It's truely a system that enables a child to work on their strengths, not on their weaknesses.

Ask yourself, weren't there subjects or topics you prefered, and naturally excel at them? But because you're forced to take on other subjects that you're weaker at (or have zero interest in), it slows your overall progress, and over time, kills your curiosity to learn altogether. You start to hate school, and it probably just go downwards from there.

Here's the thing: if we're already going to specialise in a few skills in our adult life, and if we know what skills to build on 10-15 years earlier, won't that give us an edge in the workplace?

Mind you, when I'm talking about strengths and weaknesses, I'm referring to skill sets, not character flaws. Weakness in the latter needs to be addressed, and strengths of character need to be reminded.

But then again, this is an experiment, and it'll be another 10 years before I know the outcome. I could be wrong, and jeopardize my son's future. Of course when I look at the number of unemployed grads, forgive me for feeling slightly relieved. :)