| Chieh on Education / Story of my experiment The idea of changing the education system first occurred to me during high school. I was in a science class and bored out of my mind. I was rather disappointed and shocked at my apparent lack of interest in science since I had looked forward to this particular class ever since my freshman year. It was a subject I have always wanted to learn due to the television show MacGyver. MacGyver was an action hero who was able to use everyday objects such as bleach or soap to create some kind of bomb that could blow open trap doors. He used science to solve crimes as well as save people's lives. Needless to say, I attribute most of my scientific aspirations to him. Although I had entered the class as an avid student, it took only a month for the teacher to beat the interest out of me. For some reason, I didn't want to associate any part of myself with the teacher. So instead of passionately inspiring me, the course quickly became a chore. And it was a shame because I probably would have become pretty darn good at it. Unfortunately, what happened to me is not a singular phenomenon but a global problem. In psychology, it is called "negative association," and it happens to most of us subconsciously. As a child, I was unable to distinguish between the sources of my aversion, and as a result, I harbored a dislike for the subject, when in fact the course itself had done nothing to me. Yet, I understandably associated the subject with the teacher, and thus to a negative feeling. After that, whenever I encountered the same subject, the associated negative feeling would surface. We all make these associations everyday, but very few of us ever wonder if the association makes any logical sense. Children are especially prone to this effect, and consequently students often associate their feelings about learning with how they feel about school. For every bad teacher, there are hundreds or even thousands of children who will end up hating some subject. This is happening everyday to our children but nobody seems to talk about it. In fact, this phenomenon is so common, you the reader can probably name a teacher in your own experience who made you dislike a subject. For me, it was that day sitting in my chemistry class that made me realize how much impact a teacher can have on a student. It was also on that day that I began my ten-year journey writing the essays you are about to read. |