Friday, September 10, 2004
From: "denise goh" To: dustytop@hotmail.comDate: Thu, 09 Sep 2004 02:56:26 -0500
I found this link advertised in several blogs and I have a few concerns about the way this forum is run.
For instance, although the intention to protect the rights of the students is evident, it is inappropriate to be giving advice to others without fully understanding the situation.There would be obvious biasedness and subjectiveness as you will not have a balanced opinion as to what the situation really is. To be freely giving out advicesuggests that you have some authority over the situation and that is not the case. Furthermore, there is a reason why there is a prefectorial board set up and thecouncillors. They are there to bridge the gap between students and teachers. If students have a problem that requires the attention of authorities, I would assume thatthey would have the decency to go to a teacher, form teachers, discipline mistresses, etc. instead of a blog run by anonymous students. Teachers are there to help,contrary to popular belief.
You also mentioned that us ij students should grow up to be independent women and stop the male domination in the world. I admire the sense of feminism but it mustbe realised that men and women are quintessentially different. We're completely seperate entities from men and while we each have our short comings and our talents,you will have to be rather disillusioned if you believe you can do everything men can. The opposite is also true, men can't do everything we can. That is why we aredifferent. As cliched as this may sound, God made us that way. We are made to compliment each other and that is the way we function. You might also like to clarify whatthis has to do with standing up for the rights of students. I would warn against attempting to influence students into fighting for feminism. Most of them would have no ideawhat feminism completely means and once again, contrary to popular belief, there is more to it than bra burning.
While the intention is good, i don't think this is an appropriate way to get your views across. If this is going to turn into a finger pointing, name calling forum, i suggest youdon't waste your time.
Regards,Denise GohIJ Alumni, Class of 2002--
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dusty toppers:
thank you denise, for opening up and telling us about how you feel about this. we may seem like a one-sided thing but we would always bare in mind that we have to maintain a level of maturity if any student'd like to ask for our opinions. we wouldn't just go around saying negative things about teachers. no, its not the point at all.
you mentioned that 'they would have the decency to go to a teacher, form teachers, discipline mistresses, etc.' yes. that is very true, but would they even DARE to do so? we're here to give encouragement and extra support to students who are at lost of what action to take. and, our advise would most probably be to go to who-ever for help. that is our aim. to be heard.
i hope that you would understand we're not trying to have 'authority over the situation' but we're just trying to say that we could be approached as a friend who gives help and support. we're not trying to rule the school in any form.
'I would warn against attempting to influence students into fighting for feminism.' well, we're really sad to hear this from an ex-ij girl. denise, you sound really intelligent. but it is people like you who have low confidence in women. and have you ever wondered why there are so little polititans who are females?
and no, we never said that women can do whatever men can do.
we do not think we are wasting our time. if this blog was not set up, who is going to help the students to speak up?! most of them just keep quiet it their little holes and if their mentality were like yours, theyd grow up being housewives and they might even jolly well end up living in a hole.
@ 1:47 AM
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
corinne
our first email came from a girl who brought up afew important points and we're glad we recieved your mail, corinne. with much pleasure, we replied.
she said: Corinne here, you left a link on my blog, www.dancingupastorm.blogspot.com and i just thought that you need to leave more details on your blog because now, i don't even know who is organising this. are you parents or students or even teachers? The whole thing seems very vague and well..it seems like a hoax as well.
we replied: well, its not a hoax. definatly. i mean, what would we get out of this? we're just trying to help students who do not have confidence in themselves. and this is just a 'help line'. the school itself has many teachers who are really unreasonable and biased. we take every case seriously and we would go as far as pettitions etc for the students who have been badly mistreated. especially ,miss teojinleng. do you know how much force she uses to nudge girls? and its not only ONCE. its many times. and someone has to do something about it, right? shes not even supposed to touch us? and no. not using any personal grudges here. just an example we have witnessed before.and we'd like to keep ourselves anonymous for our own personal reasons. we're a group of girls from a certain class who's dead serious about this blog.
learning about the women of the past who stand up for their own rights have inspired us. i hope that in a way, we're also an inspiration to girls in the school. to grow up as independent women and may the male-domination in the world be stoped and there is equality in men and women. if we start young by knowing where we stand in the school, we will graduate as fine, opinionated young adults.
thanks for email-ing us. every email is important to us and it may help us improve ourselves.
-dusty topers
@ 11:21 PM
students' rights
here, we give you the advice you need on what you should do in a classroom where you feel as if you are being mistreated by your teacher. this is a place where you can voice your opinions on certain things you really cannot tolerate about certain teaching methods your teachers use. or maybe if your teacher is puting you down by calling you names you dislike being called, and you do not know what to do, here is where you can express yourself. not only you can get advise from us, but your opinions would actually be heard as this blog is being 'advertised' to teachers. we're not teachers ourseleves. just normal students who think we should be given a chance to say how we really feel towards the education system, the ways we are so-called 'respected' by our teachers and what-not. freely email us at dustytop@hotmail.com. dont worry. your names/email adresseds would not be revealed as your privacy is very important to us.
we will do our best to give you good advice and let what ever that is troubling you actually be heard to teachers.
may the ij spirit stay strong and united as we stand up for our rights as students here.
this place is not for putting teachers down or rebuking them. but for them to know our real feelings towards what they do. and that by what they say and their actions, they make an impact to our lives. (:
@ 7:40 PM