Ultimately, pull factors always trump push factors...
My grades improved once I saw why I should be good and study.
And once I saw something I liked studying, it gave me more
motivation to learn more.
In contrast, under pressure from my parents, I took higher
chinese, flunked it, only to find out I had probably wasted a lot
of time on useless memorisation (there's no way you can si bei
chinese anyway), when the normal route was so much easier and less
stressful.
I wasn't interested in biology, not in the least bit. Yet I was
under constant pressure to take it up, which I was extremely
unhappy about. Thankfully, my lousy grades ensured that I couldn't
have taken biology in sec sch even if I had really wanted.
I took economics in JC, and was informed that it was 'probably a
wrong choice' and like a repeat of last time, again pressured to
try for biology again. Finally, I figured I had enough of this
nonsense after being humiliated by some teacher to whom I appealed
to.
The last time I had such a run-in, was my application to uni to
do economics. Again, I was question and badgered on why I shouldnt
be doing "accounting" "chem engineering" etc etc when my grades
could have allowed me to do all these. Why was I going to a
'dumping ground'?
I stood my ground this time and I can say, at least for now, I
immensely like what I'm doing.
For those who believe they should be there to guide kids with
titanium hand, I think they should be in the kids' shoes and
understand what it feels like having to do things they don't like.
And in all likelihood, those who claim to be under such domineering
parents, and actually liked it, are those who just happened to have
their interests aligned. That's all.
Why cause undue stress on the kids? Its unhealthy.
And no. I don't buy the "self-esteem" theory. And I would smack
my kids when required. But if they express their intentions, we
should listen and not try to manhandle them towards things they may
not even like.
PS: Biology = elite. I dont know how the fark this kinda warped
thinking can come about, probably thanks to the education system I
guess. In the same vein, what's so fantastic about the piano and
violin? Is stuff like jazz, rythem and blues something
inferior?
