Primary school vs Secondary school

I remember thinking as a child, in primary school, that education was one of the best things in the world. I remember reading about arthropods, the solar system and the human anatomy. I remember the school library, the archive of all knowledge, and its many shelves of books and books, information ready to be digested (or incorrectly understood!). I remember myself asking questions, questioning the answers to those questions and ultimately annoying my mum and teachers. I was free to ask questions, read whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. The world was mine to understand and I was determined to understand as much of it as I could. Staying up at night reading my picture encyclopedia, my pocket encyclopedia and my ACTUAL encyclopedia. My options were limitless. I was free to choose what I wanted to learn and how I would approach my learning.

This is the type of learning that I miss, as a high school student attending a prestigious school. Upon first entering high school in year 7, I thought this trend of ‘learn what you want when you want to’ would stay relatively the same. I had accepted the fact that there would be more schoolwork, but I thought that my free time learning things that interest me would still be available. I was wrong.

Teachers wanted ‘this’ done, ‘this’ way. It was so constraining. No room for creativity or innovation. Instead, suffocating under the information that we are force-fed to be used in a test, only needed to be remembered rather than understood for a mere second. And the way that students are marked is even worse. In a world where all aspects of life are constantly shifting and changing, understanding should be valued over memorisation. I’ve seen many students who have been greatly demoralized because of a number percentage or letter grade on their paper; students who I knew had learnt the content properly and to a high standard. Students who had improved dramatically since the beginning of the unit; the ones who had put in the hard yards to keep up with everyone else. And yet, a number percentage or letter grade can feel like all that effort had been for nothing. Despite the understanding and applicational skills that that student had learnt, they still end up with the same mediocre mark.

I am not suggesting that the use of these marking systems should be completely abandoned, as they do show an approximate reflection of the student’s achievement in a subject, I just believe that teachers really need to emphasize on the interaction they have with the students. This could be being more friendly or approachable to students, being more engaging in lessons, or even (something I would value a lot) noticing improvements/declines in students’ work ethic and quality and appreciating that through their constructive feedback.

This world is one where things are better explained rather than shown. A number or a letter simply doesn’t reflect the behind the scenes that may or may not have happened on the student’s behalf. Teachers should notice not only the correct answer, but the thinking and comprehension that went into achieving that answer. And I know that this is already being rolled out, but the emphasis really needs to be there and accentuated over the years.

I had heard a lot of things about Melbourne High before sitting the entrance exam. It was supposed to be the most prestigious school in Melbourne, yielding high ATAR scores consistently every year. I passed the entrance exam (miraculously) and went into year 9 thinking that I wanted to have the best ATAR in my year by the time my MHS journey ended. I think that’s what everyone else wanted too. But now, as I enter my second year here at the ‘High’, I realised that not really what I wanted to gain from the education that I received from this school. Instead, I now want to go back to my primary school days (excluding the puberty). I want to learn as much as I can to the best of my ability, not just in academia but in all applicable everyday situations. By the end of my MHS journey, I want to walk out knowing that I got the most out of my education, learning the most I could, all in a fun and interactive environment.

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