First of all, I hate exam-oriented education, which forces me to spend the most creative, passionate, and wonderful youth in a meaningless competition. Until I entered university, everything was just to categorize all the college entrance examination candidates into different levels, quantifying students' abilities and ranks with exam scores.
However, I do not want to attribute all the shortcomings to the failure of this exam-oriented education. What I want is to continuously reflect on and observe what everything I have experienced has brought me, to better understand and transform myself. It has been six years since the college entrance examination, with 12 years of exam-oriented education, 4 years of undergraduate studies, three attempts at graduate entrance exams, and currently pursuing a master's degree. I cannot help but think about what such learning experiences have brought me, reflecting on a small phenomenon to address a painful point of educational failure.
Starting from a Small Matter#
Recently, during the military training for undergraduates, many people uploaded videos of their talent performances, including dancing, singing, and performing wota skills. In the comment section, besides praise, some people posted derogatory comments like "Tang" and others. Here, I won't delve into the cruelty of insulting people with diseases, but rather reflect on the behavior of demeaning those who perform in front of others.
It is evident that their derogation is an irrational and meaningless belittlement. Negative evaluations of something need to have a target and be specific, pointing out with reason where others' performances are lacking; this is meaningful criticism. In contrast, evaluations like "Tang" and "clown" are merely emotional outbursts. Moreover, the criticism of the performers does not stem from their singing being poor or their wota skills being unappreciated; this negative evaluation can be traced back to the ridicule of performers during school.
The Ridicule of Performers by Classmates and Groups#
During the compulsory education phase, most classmates develop a habit of ridiculing those who perform, whether it's giving a speech or reading a text with expression; there are always some who habitually chuckle from the audience. However, the appearance of the performer is not necessarily worse than that of the mockers; their courage to present themselves far exceeds that of the sneering onlookers. Yet even as I write about this, I unconsciously use the word "courage." Indeed, why does performing in public require courage, or is considered a brave act?
I think it may be because in our culture, humility is regarded as a moral high ground. People tend to express their abilities as only 60 or even 40 points when they actually have 80 points, otherwise, it is seen as boasting and overestimating oneself. Even more exaggerated is that our culture tends to promote progress through criticism and pressure, leading every individual to grow up amidst critical voices, believing that even if they have 80 points of ability, they only have a level of 60 points. This is a serious problem.
Humility, Confidence, and Honesty#
True humility is knowing that one has an ability of 80 points, not exaggerating it to 100 points, and only stating it as 60 or 80 points. However, students who grow up under the criticism and pressure of exam-oriented education often fail to recognize their own abilities, believing through repeated criticism that they only have a level of 60 points.
This is neither self-confident nor honest. One must have a clear understanding of their abilities, knowing what they can and cannot do, being able to discern whether others' criticisms are reasonable, and being able to accurately present their ability level to outsiders; this is true confidence and honesty.
In contrast, growing up in such an educational environment, people naturally believe they only have a level of 60 points, usually accepting others' criticisms, and often feeling ashamed when introducing themselves. Performing their abilities and skills on stage is even defined as a brave act. Naturally, they harbor an unconscious resentment towards other performers, venting their fear of not daring to perform through ridicule and slander.
Conclusion#
Writing these words and generating these reflections is not to complain about exam-oriented education but to recognize my own cognitive limitations, so that I can do better in the future.
When facing performers, we should appreciate, encourage, or specifically point out their shortcomings, rather than letting the act of performing itself become something that "requires courage." When we need to showcase ourselves, we should not pay attention to those cunning little people whispering in the audience; we should simply present our true abilities to everyone, making the act of introducing, promoting, and showcasing ourselves a commonplace occurrence, without any sense of shame about it.
Perhaps this is something that requires time to get used to and adapt to.
Wishing all readers well.