A subject you did not like when you were at school but now you find interesting
You should say:
– What was the subject
– Why you did not like it then
– Why do you find it interesting now
– Why you became interested in it?
MODEL ANSWER:
I studied many subjects at school such as Punjabi, Hindi, English, physics, chemistry, biology, maths, history, geography and environmental science. I was good at all of these, but I was not much fond of studying EVS, that is environmental science. I remember it was added in our school curriculum when I was in 5th. I always took it as an extra burden and never liked to study it Perhaps, I was not aware of the importance of environment at that time. Moreover, as it was a new subject, our teachers also didn’t take much interest in teaching us in a way that ignited our interest. However, now I realise that the environment is deteriorating very fast and we all need to put in our bit to prevent further damage as far as possible. Many programs on TV stress the importance of our environment. Once I was watching Ted Talks India – Nayi Soch, a show hosted by the king of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, in which he calls different people to talk about various things. One such person he called was Shubhendu Sharma, who talked about the method of growing a tiny forest of 300 trees in a small area. Ever since that time I got interested in the environment. Governments around the world are taking steps to save the environment. But what most people fail to see is that their small steps at individual level can also cumulatively lead to massive results. For example, if every person planted a tree and nurtured it for the first few months, in a few years we would have more than a hundred crore fully grown trees. If each one of us started saying no to plastics, it would make a huge difference. So, EVS was the subject I didn’t like at school, but like now.
Part 3 Follow Up Questions
1. What is your opinion of modem education (in schools)?
I think that modern day education has changed for the better. The schools today have smart classes and technology has been incorporated really well in the classroom. Also, the focus now is also shifting from an exam-based approach to a more learner friendly approach that leads to a better understanding of concepts and various subjects.
2. What school subjects do you think are most important (in primary school or high school)? Why are they important?
I think that all the subjects currently a part of school curriculums are essential for the holistic development of a child. These subjects range from sciences, languages, literature, history, social science, moral science, etc.
3. What subject or subjects do you think will be the most important in the future?
I think all the subjects are important, however, it is becoming increasingly important that all the schools incorporate technology and have computer science and applications as an important part of the school curriculums. There are many schools in India and many other developing and under-developed countries, where the students still don’t have the access to technology.
4. What school subject do you think will be the most useful in adult life? (or most useful for society?)
I believe that all the subjects that we are taught in the school time help lay the foundation of a good citizen. Through mathematics we learn to do everyday calculations, through history we stay connected to our roots, through social sciences we get to know about society, laws, rules and so on.
5. Which subjects do you think should be optional and which should be compulsory?
Subjects like mathematics, history, the sciences – like biology, physics, chemistry, computers, social, etc., languages, literature, etc. should be compulsory. Besides these, sports should be a part of the school curriculum, as a compulsory subject. However, the students should have an option to choose from different sports. Arts & crafts should be included as well, and the type of art and craft can be an option for the students. Studying of any foreign language can be an optional subject.
6. What are the advantages of studying computing in high school?
Studying computing is very advantageous. We need computing in our everyday life- when we shop, pay bills, and so on. When we set deadlines we calculate the days and time we have, we need to compute taxes, interests when saving money, and it is needed in so many other everyday things.
7. In the west, (upper) high school students are allowed to choose many of the subjects they study. Do you think it would be a good idea in India?
I think in India, all the subjects should be taught till high school and like it happens now, students have an option to choose the subjects they want to study in the senior secondary education. I think we have a good
education system and it builds a strong foundation, which is evident from the fact that many Indians are working in the western countries and are in great demand there, especially in the IT and finance sectors.
8. Do you think learning many subjects at one time is better or learning one subject is better?
At school level, there should be basic information of many subjects. However, at university the student can have a choice of learning one subject of his interest.
9. Do you think learning many subjects is beneficial for work?
Definitely. Learning many subjects makes a person an all rounder. He can always apply certain things learnt from various subjects at work. For example, a music composer needs some knowledge of maths to make his compositions better.
10. What subjects are more practical to learn nowadays?
All subjects have their own importance. Sciences, computers, environment and even languages are needed in today’s times.
11. Do you think all teachers should have entertaining teaching styles?
To some extent, yes. If teachers have an interesting way to teach, they would be able to hold the attention of students. However, the entertainment factor should not be that overpowering that the education value gets lost.