Okay, it's Halloween, haven't posted in like,
ages, and exams haven't ended yet.
It wasn't a hiatus, really. It was more of a "I feel like I'm dying and like my life is ebbing away and it's become so meaningless I have nothing to post about" thing.
Since our English paper is tomorrow (which consists of an hour's worth of essay writing), I'll launch into a full-scale practice essay for tomorrow.
I have one hour.
So let's start crapping.
As many concerned parents have made a point to constantly remind their children, whatever amount of effort they put into their education will be reflected in their future. In order for one to thrive in the fast-paced, dog-eat-dog society of today, one must prove one's worth beforehand. And one way to do so is to attain outstanding examination results. Consequently, the students of today are told to study, and when they do, to study harder. However, studying is not as easy a task as parents make it out to be.
Studying is defined by parents as simply sitting down, cracking open a textbook and reading, or practicing ironically countless calculations, in order to achieve As for examinations. It is, on the other hand, defined by students as a form of torture, where they are forced to suppress their desires to do more entertaining things and instead subject themselves to hours of being in a single place, struggling to remember and understand names, figures, and concepts. There are many reasons why students absolutely abhor studying, but only a few main reasons will be addressed in this essay.
Firstly, students rarely find what they are tested on easy. Even in the presence of sheer motivation, the most disciplined of students waver when they realise that they are unable to comprehend a single thing, or are getting all the answers for practice questions wrong. The process of studying then becomes more tedious as a result, what with consultations, additional research, and head-scratching. The subject they are supposed to be studying becomes horribly unappealing, and studying is reduced to a chore rather avoided. This causes students to become frustrated and lack the motivation and the self-confidence to reattempt certain questions or readdress the topic at hand.
Secondly, to a student with upcoming examinations, everything else suddenly seems intriguing and requiring attention. For example, a student might be sitting at his desk memorising the names of various granitic formations for his upcoming Geography examination, when the tapping of his pencil on the table becomes interestingly rhythmic, when the book becomes a comfortable resting place for his head, when his stomach becomes empty again, when the world outside seems like a much brighter place than indoors, and so forth. Distractions appear from out of thin air, which will inevitably lead to procrastination if not contained in time by discipline and the urge to pass said examination. It is unfair for parents to blame their children for such "time-wasting", as it is natural for their minds to automatically seek entertainment when bored. The human brain is constantly active, and its two responses to being bored are to either fall asleep, or to find alternative things to do. Additionally, things are made worse when a student feels guilty for not studying, so they wind up torn between studying and not studying. Perhaps if studying were made more entertaining, students would find it a more attractive activity to adopt.
The third reason why studying is not easy is the cause of studying itself: examinations. Exam papers are constantly shrouded in mystery until taken, rendering students unsure of themselves before entering the examination venue; insecure and agitated. Another reflex of the human mind is to simply avoid whatever an individual fears, loathes, or whatever makes the individual uneasy. In response to such a reflex, students shun studying, knowing it leads to exams, and knowing that they will never put in enough effort to achieve desired results in the end. A scenario to illustrate this point may go like this: A student invests much time and effort in a paper, but when results are released, he discovers with much disappointment that he is still unable to improve his score. His confidence wavers and his willingness to work harder dissipates into thin air. To sum it all up, the word "studying" becomes synonymous to the word "unhappy".
Although it is evident from this essay that studying is not the most elementary of tasks, it remains a necessity that helps students survive their future out of school, and also to live up to the expectations of their parents. It is crucial not to forget the importance of a positive school report. Only with good qualifications out of school, then can one find oneself in a favourable position to further one's education and hence climb higher up in society. If a student values momentary comfort and happiness by not making the effort to study over the long-term feeling of accomplishment when he or she looks back at a well-deserved high-paying income, for example, then he or she will certainly live to regret the decision. With this said, it can be concluded that sadly, studying, as difficult as it may be, still has to be done.
Okay, my hour is up.
And yeah, I really don't like studying, but we've got no choice and what's got to be done has to be done.
So bring it on, world. Bring it on.
Okay, better go now. It's bad enough I don't post for days without me coming up with a ridiculously long-winded post.
Adieu.
P.S. Mystery solved: Kurt Schneider
can sing. Made my day.
