The Quest of Excellence

10As. 15As. 17As. 18As. 19As.

Huh?!

My question is, when will this end? When will we alter the perspective that excellence is not all about how many As you get in your exams?

Kids as early as 5 years old these days go to tuition. We sent out children to smart schools wanting them to receive the best education and achieve the best results.

Have children these days lost their childhood? Have they been groomed to be an adult too early too soon?

There is nothing wrong to give the best education to our kids. Hey, if you can afford the best, why not eh? In fact we look for the best food, the best car, the best neighbourhood, etc. So, why not the best learning system for our kids, right?

I was a high achiever in school. But I wasn't the best. Although the pressure was great to be the best, and although the disappointment was great for not being able to be the best, I came through unscathed. Thank God for that.

It is not a matter of not believing that the new generation will not be able to do that. But, it's sad to see that the perception of excellence is based on the number of As. Are our children getting smarter? Or the questions getting easier? Or the techniques to answer the questions has spread (read: how much you can remember)?

I asked around does the number of As have significant in real life? The answer that I got was yes and no. As do get you ahead a few distance, but after that you have to either quickly start bu**sh**ing or have excellent soft skills.

It's good to know that our children is working hard to get good results in their exams. That means they take education seriously. They see the importance.

My hope is that they also take time to smell the roses and to feel the soft caress of the breeze. To hear the birds chirping and notice how green the foliage is. To indulge in communication between peers on matters other than school. To feel the excitement of puppy love and see their reflection blushing in the mirror.

But then again, it's just me, eh?