Essay topic: A week before examination

Sundays are generally a fixed routine determined by the TV programs. But the last Sunday before the examinations was completely different. Of all the subjects, English and Mathematics are the ones I fear most. I was determined not to waste the Sunday before the exam and to spend the day on revision.I set the alarm clock at 4:30 a.m. so that I can get up early and start my revision. But the alarm did not ring and I got up very late. So I had to choose between English and Mathematics. I started on the Mathematics problems for I was not worried about English. I was stuck on my seventh problem. I was still trying to solve the problem when I heard commotion at the front hall. My uncle has come with his family. My room door burst open and my cousins came barging in. They sat in the side of the bed and they started asking questions. My mother asked me to take my cousins to the market. I went out in anger. It was almost lunchtime when I started again.My cousins pestered me to take them around. I had no choice but to be obliged and completely wasted all my time until the evening. I had some spare time after dinner. I was still stuck with the seventh problem. In desperation, I threw away the book. The sound must have jolted everyone and my uncle came in, sensing my inability, he patiently explained the problem. I could not continue further due to shame and anger.Thus the whole Sunday was totally wasted. Instead I could have watched television and played with my cousins, I have lost both.

Essay topic: What would be to your mind an ideal education system?

A country is weak or powerful, which depends on its education system. Realizing the important role of education in life, Ho Chi Minh, in one of his speeches on education, said: “For the sake of ten years’ benefits, plant trees; for the sake of one hundred years’ benefits, educate people.”An ideal education system must try to carry out the following aims.First, training human personality both mentally and physically is important. It is said that a sound mind is in a healthy body. The morality and the quality of a man must be the main concern of the Department of Education.Second, schools must be connected closely with families and society. Schools must always encourage pupils’ families to cooperate in educating their children.Third, the practical side of education must be emphasized. An ideal education system must not be entirely theoretical; on the contrary, theory must be linked up with practice. Besides the cultivation of knowledge for young generations, ideal education must train them to have great capacity and skills so that they are ready to make steady progress in life.Fourth, society is more and more developed; therefore, textbooks and curriculums must be often supplemented in accordance with present and future needs.Fifth, training and tempering a passionate love for one’s country in every citizen’s heart, ready to serve their country in peacetime and to fight courageously to protect their fatherland in wartime. The examples of sacrifice of our heroes in the past as well as in the present must be introduced through textbooks in elementary schools.Sixth, training and forming educators, teachers and professors of good conduct and high quality, teaching and educating students and pupils to hold their teachers in the greatest veneration and respect. Furthering the traditions to respect teachers and esteem morality highly in every class of people.To sum up, an ideal education is the nucleus of an ideal society.

Topics: For students, purchasing or renting a home? Give your opinion.

Many find it advantageous to purchase a home, but others find renting more suited to their needs. While there are advantages for both options renting is generally the best choice for young students. Students often do not have money to buy a home and need to know that it will not be necessary to find a buyer for the home if they decide to transfer to another school or return home.Owning a home provides a number of benefits. For example, a home owner can make more noise than someone who lives in an apartment without having to worry that every small noise might disturb neighbors. Unlike apartment dwellers, homeowners can also put holes in walls and redecorate without being concerned about losing part or all of a security deposit.There are also benefits to renting. A renter is only tied down only by the terms of the rental agreement or lease. If a renter wants to move, it is not necessary to find a buyer. In addition, a renter does not have to provide a large down payment as does a home owner.A student who plans to return home after college or who wishes to transfer to another school often cannot be tied down to a house. Consequently, renting is the answer for most young students.At various times of their lives, people have different needs. While purchasing a home is often the best choice for somebody with an adequate income and roots in a community, for the reasons discussed, it is often not the most feasible choice for young students.

Essays topic: "It is essential to progress that each generation shall rebel against the ideas of the generation before it." Discuss.

It is essential to progress that each generation shall rebel against the ideas of the generation before it.Progress is the germination of ideas. Almost everything that people use today for their convenience originated from ideas conceived by some men in the past. It is the nature of men, however, to accept the social conventions of their time. The fear of ridicule restrains them from defying the existing customs and practices or from expressing their own ideas and beliefs on certain things. Yet, there have always appeared a few individuals in every generation who have expressed thoughts which were not entertained by the generality or the people. It is such men who act up to their convictions that are often responsible for progress in the world.It has been realized that until some men have the moral strength to oppose the views of a generation. For example, when the idea of a locomotive was conceived by George Stevenson, many ridiculed it as fantastic; but as soon as the idea was put into concrete shape; people realized the benefits that they could derive from the use of this invention, which revolutionized transport and affected the lives of the people tremendously. It helped to increase mobility, and soon much progress occurred in all sphere social life in England. Even those who were working hard to discover the causes and cure of diseases in the past were often described as eccentric; but there was sufficient faith and perseverance among these men to impel them to carry on with their work until success crowned their efforts.Similarly, many generations in England and France considered it almost sacrilegious to oppose the Monarchy in any form. As a result, there was practically no constitutional progress, and many of the citizens in these countries suffered political injustice. Then, however, a generation began to have different ideas about the Monarchy, and soon strong opposition to the prevailing system of government was expressed, which caused tremendous changes in the political life on the people in these two countries, though not at the same time. In France, the Monarchy was abolished in the end, and in England royal absolutism yielded to constitutional monarchy. People now began to enjoy more political freedom, with the result that there was much progress in all aspects of national life.Sometimes, however, it becomes disastrous for a generation to rebel against the ideas of the previous generation. In Germany and Japan, for example, there were several generations which viewed wars with abhorrence. Then a generation arose which could not hold the same ideas of peace. This generation began to concentrate on the production of war materials. The aggressive designs of these two countries caused other countries also to prepare for war. Thus, conflicts soon broke out, which developed into world wars, and millions of people of all races perished in the conflagration. Instead of progress there was destruction and sorrow.It is therefore hard to say with conviction that a rebellion of a generation against the ideas of the previous generation would inevitably lead to progress. Only the purpose of the rebellion could indicate whether there will be any progress.

Topic: Today there is some changes in the educational system. In your opinion, how should we change to raise the quality teaching?

Education is to draw the best in children and to develop their faculties. Education is a complicated affair as it is supposed to equip children for life. Since life styles are always changing, the contents of education must also be changed accordingly. The school is supposed to provide necessary experiences to the child. When a child leaves the school, he may lead a useful life.But in the traditional school, the child was supposed to learn mainly the 3 R’s. So the chalk bard and the text books were the main stay of the teacher who was to shape the character of the child. Rote memory was insisted upon and examinations were based on this learning technique. There was not much of a difference from year to year on the way children were tested. The examinations conducted did not test all the faculties of the child. So, it was necessary for those who got through examinations to be trained afterwards. In short, children were very rarely taught to learn for themselves. This had continued for so long and the practice had to be abolished.Once this was realized, many new methods of teaching were tired and many new aids had been used for a better education of children. Today the school is a very complicated organization; the teacher is no longer the sole arbiter. The children, instead of being passive listeners, have been made active participants. They are handling, feeling, planning, creating and learning with newer tools and aids. The subjectivity has give place to healthy objectivity.In order to make education relevant and meaningful, children are exposed to almost life like situations. They must know how to live as good citizens and honest members of society. They must know how to live as good citizens and honest members of society. The way the school creates situations with these ends in views is important.On the intellectual side, the library and the laboratory must play a vital role. They complement and supplement more and more, and the use of library and the laboratory must be encouraged through proper assignments. The playing field, various camps, many organizations like the Junior Red Cross, etc. have to be fully utilized to shape the character of the child. Beside the text books, there are other aids for learning. They much be judiciously used. In fact, there are hundreds of ways in which the audio-visual aids can be used with advantage.Examinations must not be used to show weakness but must be a yardstick for proving the all-round education of the student. The questions must be objective and reliable. The examinations must be welcomed by the students. In order to satisfy the diverse population, there must be diversity in programs, approaches, resources and aims and room for experiment. Examinations should be a challenge for students.The world is shrinking and nobody can feel parochial. So education must equip students for world understanding and world citizenery. Science and technology must find their places in any scheme of education. Any system of education must help turn out a fully developed and all-rounded personality.