Education

Okay let me start off by saying how I wanted to come up with this topic. I was on the car with my dad the other day, on the way home from tuition and he asked about one of my close friends. And while we were talking, I realised that sometimes it's not only about the hard work you put in but also the environment you're working or studying in.

I used to think otherwise, probably because the only friends I know (back in primary school) share the same teachers as me, the harder-working ones ended up in prestigious schools such as Nanyang Girls', Hwa Chong Institution so on so forth, the less hard working ones (me, for one) ended up in neighbourhood schools.

But as time went on, 4 years has passed, and through twitter I see how my friends have progressed. And I feel terribly upset because those who had the potential to go so far, are in a state of downfall, only because they are in the wrong environment. I've seen one of my friends work hard (harder than me, maybe), going to multiple tuitions, being filled to the brim with activities. However, sadly, she is still losing out.

For once I am thankful for my school, and the environment I study in. Though the pressure is on and expectations are high, I'm actually pushed to strive for more, to achieve more than what I have currently. The people around me are nervous and hard working, and somehow it influences me to be the same way.

And I have to say that teachers affect a lot of our results. The same friend has bad teachers, which teach in an unstructured manner and does not engage the students. Whereas my teachers have every minute and topic planned out for us. Although I'm not doing as well as I wish I would, I'm improving, and that's kinda all that matters to me right now.

I would tell everyone to work hard, but more importantly work smart. 

xo