It's been quite a while since I blogged. I had it in my mind for some time to start blogging again.
While there a quite a few topics, I really feel strongly about like Politics, Philosophy and Current Affairs - I would start off with my Alma Matter SBOA School and Junior College
For outsiders, this school might indicate an institution of excellence - a strong foundation for a great future and last not but not the least the stepping stone to an Ivy league education.
Sadly, they do not know the truth. My school's impressive rankings along with its awesome alumni would convey a picture totally contrast to what I have seen during my time there.
For a school whose motto is to "Educate and Illuminate", they certainly do not want to grow the creativity and individuality in you. What they seek to create is an army of Zombies who would do no more that memorize the day to day lessons and spit them out during the exams.
It has been around 8 years since I graduated, so perhaps things have changed. May be I am wrong and things have become better. I would certainly hope so. But deep down, I am sure that the SBOA I knew back then would be the same now. Why? The management has not changed. On taking a look at the school's wikipedia entry (too bad can't own a fancy site on the web 2.0 times), it appears that pretty much the same people are in charge now.
Now you may wonder - what grudge might you carry about your school. The school which has provided you an education, a stepping stone for a better future. The biggest crime the school would have perpetrated on me would be to make me hate education. My faculty would publicly tell the class only to concentrate on passing the test not excelling it. They would never talk about how we should dream for a bright future, the opportunities which are out there and how to get to where we want.
I agree, we had a huge class strength - getting personal attention might be difficult, I get that. To make things worse, the faculty would force students to attend private tutoring to at least pass the test.
But what I do not get is that why they would not get people motivated to aim for bigger things in life. Fear, would be the main weapon for them to get things done. Its because of my school - I feared the faculty. We should not ask questions, we should not challenge them or we would be punished. We had these Parent Teachers meet where teachers would embarrass the poor parents by saying how pathetic their kids were - rather than how wonderful your child could be if he/she does so and so.
Perhaps my American education brought a new perspective on how kids can be taught. But still that does not justify the way teachers treated the students. There are horror stories of corporal punishment, verbal abuses and some of em border lining sexual harassment.
One thing I would give the school credit for - It made all of us a fighter. It made us realize that the world is not perfect and we need to fight to get ahead. In a country of more than a billion - that may the only way to get ahead.
Whatever the feelings I have of my school - it will be a long time for it to change. Only time can tell.
