"Hey man, have you done course selection yet?", my friend asks.
"Yeah, I'm taking Business Management Monday afternoon and this class called Creative Thinking Wednesday afternoon. What about you?" I responded.
"No-oooo dude! You need to take this law class Tuesday afternoon about national law. People say it's a really chill and an easy A!"
"Nah, I want to take classes that I'm interested in, not classes that I can screw around and get an easy A.", I replied.
"Alright man, whatever floats your boat."
Many of my peers and classmates here at National Taiwan University have the same mindset about course selection and education. They believe education is an obligation that they have to fulfill because their parents told them to or their teachers in high school told them to, or even because all of their peers are doing it, so they are just hopping on the bandwagon. This is not to say that Taiwanese students aren't good at school and don't get good grades. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of brilliant minds and talented students in Taiwan. My point here is to re-address the issue of parents and teachers putting too much emphasis on grades and tests, which mislead students into thinking that those are the most important things in their academic career. As a result, many students lose interest or never develop an interest in the subjects they learn. They merely choose their paths based on their parents' "decision", what their peers are choosing, and what the news say about the majors that have good pay upon graduation. There is no part in this process where the individual is intrinsically motivated by his interest and chooses a path that will lead him to working and doing what he loves.
Lets now take a look at places other than Taiwan.
There was a news report a while ago about the Harvard library full of students studying 4 o'clock in the morning. Some say this report is false, but regardless of its accuracy, students from Harvard and other top ranked schools have the tendency of working hard is not a myth, it is true.
My father had the opportunity to study at Stanford as a Research Fellow. One of the most memorable things he remembered was the diligence of Stanford students. He recalls one class he took where the professor required students to finish a certain amount of reading material each week. However, before the first week ended, there were numerous students approaching the professor to ask for more books to read. Not only are Stanford student on top of their game, they exceed the expectations to achieve as much as they can.
Similar to the two articles above, we can observe that students from the top ranked schools in Europe and America have a different attitude towards learning and education. They see it as an opportunity to satisfied their needs but also to expand their knowledge. They love what they learn and do not need to be motivated by tests and grades to study.
The point I want to make is why aren't students from top ranked schools in Taiwan doing the same thing? They are probably just as smart, if not smarter. But why are Taiwanese students less competitive? I believe it lies in the attitude of the students, which was developed in their junior and senior high school years. This phenomenon is not completely the student's fault because the teachers and parents are the root of the problem.
So to discuss whether college students have the right to burn their report cards it completely irrelevant. Why? Because tests and grades should not matter to a student. What's important is that students in Taiwan understand the importance of education and not debate over their rights as a student. If you truly love what you are studying, then you should not have any problem with classes, thus you should not have any problems with your grades.
I strongly suggests the current college students of Taiwan to read more about what's happening outside Taiwan and learn from them. Turn off the Anime and log out of those online games, it's time for Taiwan to rise up and show the world what we got.
"Yeah, I'm taking Business Management Monday afternoon and this class called Creative Thinking Wednesday afternoon. What about you?" I responded.
"No-oooo dude! You need to take this law class Tuesday afternoon about national law. People say it's a really chill and an easy A!"
"Nah, I want to take classes that I'm interested in, not classes that I can screw around and get an easy A.", I replied.
"Alright man, whatever floats your boat."
Many of my peers and classmates here at National Taiwan University have the same mindset about course selection and education. They believe education is an obligation that they have to fulfill because their parents told them to or their teachers in high school told them to, or even because all of their peers are doing it, so they are just hopping on the bandwagon. This is not to say that Taiwanese students aren't good at school and don't get good grades. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of brilliant minds and talented students in Taiwan. My point here is to re-address the issue of parents and teachers putting too much emphasis on grades and tests, which mislead students into thinking that those are the most important things in their academic career. As a result, many students lose interest or never develop an interest in the subjects they learn. They merely choose their paths based on their parents' "decision", what their peers are choosing, and what the news say about the majors that have good pay upon graduation. There is no part in this process where the individual is intrinsically motivated by his interest and chooses a path that will lead him to working and doing what he loves.
Lets now take a look at places other than Taiwan.
There was a news report a while ago about the Harvard library full of students studying 4 o'clock in the morning. Some say this report is false, but regardless of its accuracy, students from Harvard and other top ranked schools have the tendency of working hard is not a myth, it is true.
My father had the opportunity to study at Stanford as a Research Fellow. One of the most memorable things he remembered was the diligence of Stanford students. He recalls one class he took where the professor required students to finish a certain amount of reading material each week. However, before the first week ended, there were numerous students approaching the professor to ask for more books to read. Not only are Stanford student on top of their game, they exceed the expectations to achieve as much as they can.
Similar to the two articles above, we can observe that students from the top ranked schools in Europe and America have a different attitude towards learning and education. They see it as an opportunity to satisfied their needs but also to expand their knowledge. They love what they learn and do not need to be motivated by tests and grades to study.
The point I want to make is why aren't students from top ranked schools in Taiwan doing the same thing? They are probably just as smart, if not smarter. But why are Taiwanese students less competitive? I believe it lies in the attitude of the students, which was developed in their junior and senior high school years. This phenomenon is not completely the student's fault because the teachers and parents are the root of the problem.
So to discuss whether college students have the right to burn their report cards it completely irrelevant. Why? Because tests and grades should not matter to a student. What's important is that students in Taiwan understand the importance of education and not debate over their rights as a student. If you truly love what you are studying, then you should not have any problem with classes, thus you should not have any problems with your grades.
I strongly suggests the current college students of Taiwan to read more about what's happening outside Taiwan and learn from them. Turn off the Anime and log out of those online games, it's time for Taiwan to rise up and show the world what we got.
I definitely agree with your arguments, but I think the fundamental problems lie in the over-pursuit of "egalitarianism" in Taiwanese society. Think about the current issues on college tuition. People arguing for fair wages or tuition tend to forget how much they have contributed or worked. Everyone presumes that higher "degree" guarantees their wages yet neglects the "quality" of the education. In fact, there are tons of grad students who either "don't want" or "lack the capability" to start their careers so they stay in school. This definitely drives down the quality since not only the number increases but also the capability decreases. I guess I have veered off too much from your article but there are tons problems that I think could be considered.
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