Friday, March 13, 2009

I Can't Get No Satisfaction

'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try...

I really ain't gettin' no satisfaction.

Some o' ma' teachers are bein' real unreasonable, an' I can't do nothin' t' stop it.

Okay. Stop the accent.

Back to being serious.

I have found out the truth. Actually, I have known the truth since Form 1, I just thought it applied only to some teachers. But now I know it applies to all.

I have found out:

Teachers are sore losers.

They cover each other's backs.

The people who lose out are the students.



This happens during exam season. Or rather, after exam season.

Or, to put it precisely, when you ask teacher why question # is marked wrong.

Especially when it comes to the Science paper.

Allow me to explain.


When I was in Form 2, my Science teacher was Pn. Asma/Wan. She was new to teaching Science, which was a GREAT disadvantage to us (2 Batai-ans).

Firstly, she couldn't control the class. Even with Mike Rhophoan.
Secondly, she can't teach (at least not well).
Thirdly, she adheres so ridiculously to the suggested answers in the exam that she causes mass depression to the entire class when she marks their papers.

So, you can conclude she didn't win the Popular Teacher award that year.

Anyway, I had quite a serious disagreement with her about one of the subjective questions in the mid-year exam paper. And so, I told her about it.

And being the unsure self she is, Pn. Asma was reluctant to even consider my answer, since it wasn't in the marking guide. What a brilliant excuse.

So, in the end, I was directed here and there till I finally got to ask the opinion of Pn. Cheng, the Afternoon Head. And so, being quite confident in my answer, I politely ask her what was wrong with my answer, and whether I should get full marks.

Then she tells me: if I was in Ramin, and I needed the mark, she'd mark that question correct. But I'm in Batai, and I am not on the verge of failing, so she's going to leave it as wrong.

And so, I tell her that the marking is not synchronised, since Balau and some other classes are getting that question correct, while my class is getting it wrong.

Do you think she gave a damn? No. Of course not. Why would she?

That was a bit crude, I know, but it was how I felt at that moment in time.

And now, once again, there is another ambiguous question in the Form 3 first term test paper.

Air that has more water vapour also has more...
A. nitrogen. B. carbon dioxide. C. dust. D. micro-organism.

It can have 2 answers; it can have no answer.

They did not say inhaled or exhaled air, and it cannot therefore be limited to that.

Air that has more water vapour is humid air. Humid air DOESN'T have more CO2. Humid air can be from a tropical rainforest. I doubt there's more CO2 in there than in desert air (which is drier).

So, you see, it's a dilemma.

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