<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>April 26, 2009
YOUR LETTERS
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Why not other school stereotypes?
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I refer to the articles, 'Playing with stereotypes' (April12), and last Sunday's 'What's your type?'.
Any stereotype cannot continue to persist if it does not have at least some truth in it.
To me, two things contribute to school stereotypes - school culture and image. Both are inseparable.
I went to a neighbourhood primary school, and later to St Margaret's Secondary School.
The teachers at St Margaret's took great pride in the fact that the school had always turned out girls with a good command of English.
I remember our principal would correct every sentence we spoke, and even the way we pronounced certain words in songs we performed.
St Margaret's girls were also known to be bold (it takes guts to wear green polka-dotted uniforms) and adventurous, especially in the early stages of our performing arts.
This was largely a result of the school culture. Today, that culture remains. We may not be an elite school, but the school identity still holds.
The influence of one's school culture and image can be seen even years after one has left school. Take the students from
Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road), for instance. When I was a teenager, I used to admire ACS boys because they were seen as athletic and charming.
I found that image of them to be true too when I later mixed with these ACS alumni in junior college and university.
Some school stereotypes - such as analytical girls from Raffles Girls' School and smart boys from Raffles Institution - are based on grades as well.
But why do we go on about stereotypes of students only from elite schools? It is like churning milk over and over again. After a while, it turns sour.
Why not also create stereotypes of students from neighbourhood schools?
For instance, I find Evergeen Secondary students to be extremely polite and neat.
Whenever someone mentions the name Evergreen Secondary, the image of something green and clean comes to mind.
Mention the name Kranji Secondary and I think of future engineers because the students there seem to be analytical and are good in physics and mathematics.
Lingehswari Eisvran
YOUR LETTERS
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Why not other school stereotypes?
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I refer to the articles, 'Playing with stereotypes' (April12), and last Sunday's 'What's your type?'.
Any stereotype cannot continue to persist if it does not have at least some truth in it.
To me, two things contribute to school stereotypes - school culture and image. Both are inseparable.
I went to a neighbourhood primary school, and later to St Margaret's Secondary School.
The teachers at St Margaret's took great pride in the fact that the school had always turned out girls with a good command of English.
I remember our principal would correct every sentence we spoke, and even the way we pronounced certain words in songs we performed.
St Margaret's girls were also known to be bold (it takes guts to wear green polka-dotted uniforms) and adventurous, especially in the early stages of our performing arts.
This was largely a result of the school culture. Today, that culture remains. We may not be an elite school, but the school identity still holds.
The influence of one's school culture and image can be seen even years after one has left school. Take the students from
Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road), for instance. When I was a teenager, I used to admire ACS boys because they were seen as athletic and charming.
I found that image of them to be true too when I later mixed with these ACS alumni in junior college and university.
Some school stereotypes - such as analytical girls from Raffles Girls' School and smart boys from Raffles Institution - are based on grades as well.
But why do we go on about stereotypes of students only from elite schools? It is like churning milk over and over again. After a while, it turns sour.
Why not also create stereotypes of students from neighbourhood schools?
For instance, I find Evergeen Secondary students to be extremely polite and neat.
Whenever someone mentions the name Evergreen Secondary, the image of something green and clean comes to mind.
Mention the name Kranji Secondary and I think of future engineers because the students there seem to be analytical and are good in physics and mathematics.
Lingehswari Eisvran
