Oct 27 2008
HSM 3: Senior Year – Wonders of the American Education System
Well, since i didn’t won the tickets to the gala premiere, the least i could do was to ensure that my love Nurul caught it on it’s opening day. WE caught the 425pm show at GV Marina. From the entrance, i could see the rows of young teens happily giggling (Many girls i say!) in gleeful expectation of catching High School Musical 3 : Senior Year. Honestly, i have never caught a single HSM show before thus i was with mixed reactions. The kids dampened my mood with their giggles and laughter. I was praying, please let not this movies be those type of kiddy movies! However, with our Halloween pumpkin popcorn in hand, I have to say that i LOVED THE SHOW!
Yeah, i know it’s a typical lovey dovey Disney musical. But i do love Disney musicals like Ella Enchanted & Hairspray. And it was certainly refreshing to first time catch an American coming of age movie to have not even any sex scenes or typical teenage behaviour of alcohol & booze. A clean lovable movie for all ages, with only a few kissing scenes between Vanessa Hudgens & Zac Efron. The girls were already screaming when they started it off with Zac Efron plastered on the screen. However, I really liked the show It’s about the HSM gang’s final year, en route to attaining their diplomas. Their trials and experiences faced. in this last fateful year. The wants of scholarships, to pressures of parents choices for university, to relationships in the brink of impending ending, to betrayals and finally what life is all about, the support of your family and friends and the choices you make to lead your life and be who you want to be.
Am not gonna spoil this movie for you guys. Go catch it cause it’s young, fresh and inspiring. I felt like a JC student again after catching the show. haha. I loved the storyline and the brilliant music. Original and heart warming. However, there are a few important things that i would like to bring up. It taught me how cool the American education is!
Frankly, HSM 3 taught me why America has so many brilliant scholars! IT is largely due to their education system. They allow their students to decide for themselves who they would like to be. Not being directed, not being told what subjects you are able to do, not being curtailed by schools or parents expectations. You are able to truly express yourself in any means possible. To achieve any dreams whether to be a chef, mechanic, lawyer, politician, astronaut, doctor or sportsmen. They have the ability to choose their classes from the beginning of the first year. As Zac Efron, you have the ability to choose both sports and drama to pursue your dreams. There were classes like professional drama, cooking, car mechanics and becoming a deejay. If you dislike your initial choice, not a problem, you are able to take other modules to suit your needs. They are treated as thinking adults with ability to follow their aims and aspirations in life. At the end of it all, they even attain diplomas and then head off to pursue their degrees in college.
IT certainly is different than what it is down here in Singapore. WE are trained here following our parents mentality to study hard, memorise everything. Concentrate on your TYS (Ten year series) and have tonnes of tuition’s & projects. WE are forced to take up ECA’s & are encouraged to be all-rounders. Do well at each hurdles starting with PSLE to Sec 2 streaming to N/O levels to A Levels/Poly/ITE and then finally to our degree’s in University. If you have any dreams, put it at one side. You can concentrate on it fully after you have attained your degree. IT’s deemed as a safety benchmark. However, once you have finally gotten your degree, it might be too late. You are afraid to enter the unknown, would you be willing to have an entire career change. These are the disadvantages. You are deemed by your grades. If your science marks are low, you can forget of ever being a scientist, engineer or doctor. The Singapore education system kills dreams and aspirations. It doesn’t build it up. Singaporean kids no longer know what they want to be when they grow up. Unlike Americans, who have show & tell from kindergarten to form dreams and aspirations.
Who would i like to be when i grow up? Who is an inspiration to my life?
Such questions are not being placed in kids minds nowadays. We are a nation that’s becoming more of a drone workforce. We live to just enjoy our lives, work hard to earn money and then look forward to our Chan Brothers overseas travel. Kids no longer have the bewilderment of knowledge. They are more interested in their PSP’s and computers.
Why?
Cause we do not follow our dreams. We are being directed from a young age.
We were first directed to be engineers. Now when the government has set it’s eye on Life sciences, kids in Sec 2 science are being directed to Biology. During my time, science was a majority of Physics & Chemistry. Nowadays, Sec 2 Science textbooks are majorly Biology & Chemistry. They are learning far intricate Biology knowledge that i had only learnt when i was in JC. How will a child that hates biology is going to pass for her Sec 2 streaming exam if he/she will be tested 6 chapters of Biology? We should have an even mix of Chemistry, Physics or Biology. If by the American education system, they will be able to choose which concentrations they would like to take.
SIngapore’s education system is a wonderful system. It has created an effcient and productive workforce. But we continue to lose that creative drive. That spark which is seen in Nobel prize winners. The desire to follow your dreams. Parents, do inculcate your child to have dreams and inspirations. Don’t choose for them. Many of my fellow undergraduates are gonna stray away from Life Sciences. Why? Cause their heart was never in it. They cannot see the wonderful aspects as to how God have created such wonders on this earth. From viruses, to immunes systems, to cloning & cell biology to genetics & the DNA of life. They just memorise, vomit for exams & await to get their degree. That’s why we are faced with high turnovers. Doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers & scientists. They only took their course as their parents told them it would give them a GOOD PAY! Once the going gets tough, or something else looks alluring or they heed their true calling, thus we lose these talents. I do hope fellow teachers & parents out there especially with students in primary schools! Please give your students INSPIRATION to follow their DREAMS and to Be SOMEBODY!
Sorry for the long lecture but I had to write it down cause it was inspired by HSM 3.
HSM 3 : Senior Year RATINGS
Storyline : 3.5/5 (Nice storyline with twists. However, i do wish certain sub-plots were developed further)
Effects : 3/5 ( Rich colours and contrast lightings.)
Music : 5/5 ( Brilliant original and catchy songs. I like most was when Troy’s decision btw sports or drama)
Overall : 4/5 (Everyone catch it! It’s a fun lovable movie. Also lots of lessons to learn from.)
Fai @ ilovelookinggood
hi your blog is great.
Thanks! Do keep on supporting on us!
i love this song with the joe bros!