Zainab's Writings

At school I was always the high-achiever ; although I seldom worked hard at my studies. There were occasions when I wouldn't feel like doing the work I was supposed to do, did it half-heartedly, and still received a 'Well done!’ comment from the teacher. One such incident from kindergarten is still fresh in my mind. The class was doing a Picture Composition - a  writing activity which required us to write and draw about a picture of a seal performing in a circus; taped to the blackboard. I happened to be in a bad mood, and purposely gave my worst to the task; making sure I coloured outside the lines in the picture I drew. However, to the teacher it was quite satisfactory, and I got a smiley-face for it. This was one of the first impressions the school gave me: you had to satisfy the teacher, your own standards of satisfaction were irrelevant and unimportant. Although I was mostly a very obedient student, bitter experiences happened to me as well, some of which still stick...

What do schools teach kids? A typical answer would be; science, math, languages, history, etc… I don’t quite agree. With my limited experience of schooling, here’s what I think schools teach kids :       1.       How to be mean to themselves When a child enters the school building for the first time, he has a strong sense of self worth – he respects himself and demands to be respected by others as well. But by the time he reaches primary school, he no longer has any self-respect left in him.  He listens to people humiliating him, reprimanding him, blaming him for things he never did, scolding him for being too intelligent, that he stops standing up for himself. In fact, now he’s part of the gang who is insulting him and telling him he’s worthless. He curses himself all the time; for speaking up in class, for being too cheeky, for being himself.          2.       How to be mean ...

Okay, so here's the story excerpt I promised! I started writing this story back in 2016, I think. Back then I typed only a couple of initial paragraphs and then got stuck. Then after several months I opened the word document and read what I had written. I realized that it was quite good and added more to it. So here's an excerpt:(even though this is all I have written yet, I am calling this an excerpt because this I intend to add more to it). ___________________________________________________________________ THE ART LESSON The tap-tap sound of the teacher’s heels announced that she was approaching. Hira’s hands trembled as she sharpened her pencil. The classroom door swung open, and the tap-tap sound grew louder. A sudden gust of wind bought the smell of strong feminine perfume to Hira’s nostrils. The tap-tap sound finally stopped by the teacher’s desk in the front. “Class! Today we will be drawing a basket of apples,” the teacher’s shrill voice sounded as she p...

A great topic, really- I am tired out of studying and it was fun to compose this, I had so many points in my head! Studying may be an important part of a youngster’s life but it is incorrect to say that it is the most important aspect of a young person’s life. It is important, but its significance is yet to be understood. I won’t be wrong in saying that they are aspects which need to be given more importance. Firstly, the purpose of life is not to study, study, and only study. There are things prior to studying, and thus they deserve more time and attention. These things need to be sorted out, and priorities should be made. For this a student should have a flexible routine. Studying should be included, and a reasonable time should be allotted for the activity. But some freedom should be given, and strict limitations need to be eased. A youngster gets bored and tired out of only studying, and this should be kept in mind. There are certain important things in a young person...

Homeschooling in Pakistan is not very common as people think that homeschoolers cannot study and educational institutes are the only place where people can learn. Homeschooling can be a very difficult decision for parents to make especially if you’re living in Pakistan.  First of all, people make all sorts of comments like “You’re not going to send your kids to School???? I can’t believe it!” and then there’s that ever so common “How will they learn?”!  People believe that learning is some rocket science that only schools can assist kids to do and nobody can learn without it. In the olden days, there was nothing such as school  and  parents would teach their kids whatever was considered important. They told their children the ways and rules of living, their manners; they taught them skills, like farming and knitting. There was no way parents would agree to send their kids to someone else who would teach them  their ways and punish them in any way they like ...

A limerick is a five-lined-poem. They are very simple and easy to write, the only rules are: the first, second and fifth line, and the third and fourth line should rhyme and have  an equal number of syllables. Also, a limerick is supposed to be funny. Here is my third limerick, (my first and second are also shared on this blog, but they aren't much good.)about school and schooling. Place of education: They call it a School, A place where you're supposed to act like a fool, It's purely stupidity, oh yes, that's true, Where they are heading for; I don't have a clue, And they have great ideas, if you break a rule. Note: Remember, limerick's are supposed to be funny. Please suggest ways I could improve mine in the comments because I think advice is really important, especially when you need to get better at something. Oh, and I think it doesn't rhyme on the tone of limericks. I can't understand why....

In the 21st century, handwriting is given almost as much importance as writing. If schools are preparing kids for the future,  well, then, in the future, there will be no such thing as writing on paper. Handwriting is useless. There's no point in spending precious hours of time writing letters in neat, small,handwriting. It is said that writing should be done for yourself, not others.Well, then handwriting is done for others, not yourself!!Handwriting should be understandable, that's all. If Parents, Schools, and Teachers keep telling kids how their handwriting should be, and what they've done wrong, then kids will start focusing on their handwriting, too, and forget about writing, which matters more. For example, If  kids who have good writing, but not so good handwriting, are badgered so much about their handwriting, then he'll start focusing on handwriting, not writing. If you ask a group of people, to write a single letter of the alphabet on a piece of paper, an...

I would make sure that every child is happy and contented. Teachers would be friendly and well-trained. The children would chose by themselves what they want to do. Field trips would take place twice a month. If the classwork is too easy or challenging for the child, he/she can be moved to the class according to his/her mental level. There would be limited rules and regulations so the children can work freely. Sports period would be fun and lively. Older children can have activities of cooking/baking, if they want. There would be an enormous garden where children could go and observe nature. Students of Class 2 and above would be allowed to do experiments and inventions. Twice an year, the kids would plan and put on a play by themselves. This is my plan of a Dream School!

  ...........and so it's true..........

"In school you learn from a textbook. When Homeschooling,you learn from  Everything"                   -Zainab Salman

As I am going through homeschooling,I believe that it is pretty beneficial. Why? I have  reasons,that's why. Homeschooling is easier than schooling. You just need room where you can study. If you have a good handle on your routine,things are easy. You work at your own pace,and give extra time to the subjects you're interested in. There are no rules as in school,and life and education seem a lot more easier. Especially if you have problems in school,homeschooling is just the thing for you. Here's a list of advantages: -You can work at your own pace. -No exams/checking -You can study more than school and whenever you wish. -You can spend more time with family and friends. -You can have extra activities and family outings. -You can get yourself registered in different courses/workshops. But as this article is  supposed to be about advantages AND disadvantages of homeschooling,I should also warn you about the few and only disadvantages. When I left school,(I used ...