Life Here & There 
No Comments Major Contrast in Education Part I
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In this entry into Life Here & There, this topic of education could not be more of a contrast than the difference between the hot and humid December in the Philippines and the frigid and snowy December in Wisconsin. The basic structure of the public education systems could not be more different.
In the Philippines at the school system I was in, popularity and success was determined by your intelligence and your performance. The school system was broken into 1-11 (or less) sections for each grade. Inside each section, the students were organized by their test results and placed into the proper section. There was no hiding who was in what section as we were also taught to be competitive and respectful. The goal was simple. Get into section 1. That is the section where the smart kids were. If you were truly exemplary, you would be elevated to a different grade if your test scores said you were working at that level.
Why weren’t the sports guys and the cheerleader girls the popular ones? Well, you had to be in competitive both academically and in sports. The rationale was simple. Those who performed and stayed in the upper sections showed they could handle more extracurricular things like sports etc. So you had to be smart in order to be a sports person- ahh common sense diba?
Did we focus on the self-esteem or developing the self-worth of the individual student? Did the system set up those in the lower sections to be picked on? The answers are no and no. Life taught everyone in school to be thankful for what you have and work your butt off to succeed and have a better chance in life. You worked to show your parents they were correct in making the sacrifices they did for your benefit. Did we pick on those in the lower sections? No, because if we got focused on hobbies or anything other than our studies, we could easily be in those sections after the next test session. (Gusto ko lagi nasa section 01!)
Comparing notes with my hubby and the experience with our daughter in schools here was shocking. The intelligent kids are often labeled the nerds or geeks. They are picked on and teased until they purposefully lower their own performance. Either that or they choose to be the “social outcast” and focus on their studies.
Who is popular? Those in sports and cheerleaders are the stereotypical ones. You know those “popular” things to be in school that have no meaning in the regular world.
Please scroll down or click here for part 2 (After the post taking a break to bring you these messages.)
Anah
