ABNKKBSNPLAko?!

2 ideas

1. One Filipino student's uneven school years

   Writing under a pen name, Bob Ong recounts his path from kindergarten through elementary, high school, and a college computer course into his first jobs, including a stint as a teacher. He shows himself as a mixed student: he copies homework, fears teachers, and breaks rules, yet also places in the NCEE top ten and wins quiz medals. The title, read aloud as 'Aba, nakakabasa na pala ako?!' ('Wow, I can actually read now?!'), captures a child's surprise at discovering he can read.

2. Schools train passing, not understanding

   Schooling built on memorization, grades, honor rolls, and rankings teaches students to perform for the evaluation rather than to understand the material. Students learn to cram, copy, and anticipate what the teacher wants, and the knowledge is gone soon after the test. The system then rewards compliance and certificates as if they were learning.

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