Disability by Amalyn and Adon

  In my opinion, I think that it is essential for children with disabilities to be integrated into our mainstream education system. Some people think that children with disabilities should be excluded because they are not able to keep up with the normal curriculum. With special schools, teachers would be able to focus on them and help them when they are in need. However, is this really necessary?
  By integrating special needs students into the mainstream education system, other students would be affected as well. With the addition of these students that are most likely slower in their thinking as compared to others, teachers would have to cater their time to help them to make sure that those students can cope , if not they would end up not knowing what to do. However, because of this, the other students will not be able to get the best studying environment, as the entire lesson is slowed down just to make sure everyone is as the same pace. In fact, is it right to expect a student that can learn faster to go at the same pace as those that cannot cope as well? In fact, over time, if this is the case, they might really end up having a lower standard of understanding then they should have. Some of these special needs students are also disruptive during lessons and they might disturb their classmates which would mean that they cannot pay attention in class and their learning is affected. This might result in the displeasure from other parents who might complain to the school of their ineffectiveness in teaching their kids, and the dislike towards special needs students might increase as parents, or even students find them a burden to their studies. This is why there are schools that are specially set up for these students in Singapore, such as Delta Senior School, where there are specially trained teachers that can teach and guide these students wholeheartedly without having to worry that other students will be affected by a slower pace of learning. In fact, these schools also teach students different types of skills which are useful for the service industry, if the students are really not suited for academics.

  Even so, we should consider their feelings and not exclude them from the 'normal' society. Imagine being a child who is disabled. Now not only do you look different, you are catogerised with others that are like you. You would feel very left out and unwanted. Excluding them from the mainstream education system means that you are preventing them from interacting with other people of their age. You are depriving them of the opportunities that mainstream education system provides. Does this mean that when they enter the workforce, they will also be excluded? That would not be possible. When disabled people enter the workforce, they are expected to be able to do the same amount of workload as the others. If this is so, why separate them from the normal education curriculum? There are around 3,000 teachers in MOE that are specially trained to help children with disabilities. They should be situated in each school, this way if the children with disabilities need special help, they can go to these teachers and get guidance.

Education news by Amalyn and Adon

Link: http://www.bbc.com/education-35927680

Summary:
  Sexist bullying can affect girl's subject choices and make it harder for them to believe they can achieve. Girls are faced with multiple pressures, such as being brainy, feminine, attractive, etc. In our increasingly image-obsessed society, it is not surprising that girls feel under pressure to maintain idealised personas but what they look like is only one very small part of who they are.

Opinion:
  I feel that it is morally wrong to prototype a girl to be feminine only when she is not brainy, or at least acts not to be one. There is nothing wrong for a girl to be smart and express her own opinions in class, as everyone deserves the freedom and right to speak up, whether in class, in their workplace or even in front of the entire world. Some boys might say that brainy girls are not feminine just so that those girls will try not to share their answers, and this allows the boys to have more opportunities than the girls to shine in class, by getting rid of some competition. However, this is very disrespectful towards the girls as it is saying all girls are not supposed to be smarter than boys, and that the boys are looking down on the girls. I feel the girls should not be affected by whatever those sexist boys say, and they should focus their attention on studying instead. They need not feel ashamed to share their views, and there is no need to be fazed by whatever the boys say. In fact currently all around the world, women are starting to have more power and say. They hare able to get better jobs and some of them even show their faces in the political stage, no longer just men. This proves that girls in school    should not feel inferior, as they everyone, no matter what gender, all have equal chances to be better.

Valentine's day : Adon and Amalyn

We both agree that young teenagers are unable to cope with the emotional turmoil of early relationships, therefore making it not suitable for them to start relationships at an early age. Having a relationship requires time, sacrifices, commitments and they must be able to handle the ups and downs. In our opinion, a teenager is not mature enough to understand the commitments that come with having a relationship, much lest keep their commitments. Should they suddenly break up during a relationship, they may not be able to cope with the stress either and this could lead to serious depression, something that is definitely not good for a young teenager.

We also think that teenagers should focus more on academics rather than relationships. At such a young age, relationships are very hard to maintain, so there is no point having one. These relationships may also affect your academics, blocking your pathway to success.

2015 news: Adon and Amalyn

Link : www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29052144

Summary:
The Islamic State, consisting of a group of terrorits, was formed in june 2014. They wanted to establish a caliphate governed by islamic law. One of their most recent attacks include the Paris bombing.

Opinion:
I think that this article should be on the headline news as we must raise awareness to this important issue. This regards the safety of every person. All governments should work together in defending the countries from this group. The more people that know about this issue, the more awareness it can raise, keeping them alert and safe.

Self introduction- Amalyn and Adon

Amalyn:
My name is Amalyn Leong. I was originally from an all girls primary school (CHIJ). For the first two years in primary school I was in ballet, the next two I was in girl guides, the last two I was in a tennis school team. In secondary one, I joined choir as I was never given a chance to sing in Primary School. An interesting fact about me is that I was an Av Monitor for 6 years (primary 3- secondary 2). However, I have decided to become a treasurer this year instead as I wanted to try something new.

Adon: Well, to start a simple introduction of myself, I am Adon Yap and I was from 2I last year. I am better at my mathematics and sciences than my languages and humanities. I definitely also hope that I will become more vocal and open with people I do not know well. My hobbies are swimming and cycling, or anything related to sports, and I enjoy gaming too. I might be a bit forgetful occasionally about homework and end up leaving a sour impression on my teachers, which is something I try very hard not to. I hope that in time to come, I will be able to do better in my languages and humanities, excelling in my maths and science at the same time.