20/11/09

I am a little frustrated because I feel like the kind of chemistry we are teaching the students is really on a need-to-know basis. Like, I'm going to teach you this rule, knowing that it doesn't apply here or to these elements, but we are just going to ignore the things that don't adhere to the rule because you won't need to know about them for a few more years. It frustrates me because I don't like that style of teaching but it is what makes the most sense right now and for the intellectual level our students are at. Or maybe this is how chemistry is always been taught and I just never knew any better. I found out yesterday that my 13 year old girl cousin failed her grade. It's frustrating to hear because secondary school is so hard to get into here (not in terms of academic standards, but because there simply isn't enough space for all the kids who want to go), and since she doesn't live with her own family and is in more of a maid's position, I didn't think her chances of going on to secondary school were very high to begin with. One of the factors taken into consideration for secondary school admission is age (they are more likely to admit the younger kids, i.e. The kids who have failed a grade fewer times). Failing a grade is actually pretty common here (a colleague Meagan's host brother was amazed to learn that she had never failed a grade in her life), but for someone like my cousin who is in a fairly precarious position, it could be the determining factor.