Take off the shell "good student" (P1)

I was very proud of being an excellent student until I realized that there was a downside, which was difficulty expressing my opinions directly to my teachers. Throughout my school years, I endeavored to maintain a positive student image through excellent conduct and positions as a student leader. These actions brought me closer to my teachers and earned me more recognition than my average or rebellious classmates. Therefore, my fear of tarnishing my reputation prevented me from expressing my thoughts and feelings.

Regarding compliance with school regulations, I am still impressed by a classmate’s story in my secondary school. Every time I recall this story, I feel humiliated. At that time, our school had a rule that students had to wear a uniform of trousers and a shirt and were not allowed to wear tight-fitting pants (pants with a width of less than 18cm). One day during class, our physical education teacher, who was also in charge of the Communist Youth Union of the school, saw my classmate wearing pants that looked like tight-fitting pants. So she asked another student to bring scissors and cut off the pants legs of that student in front of many people. Our class laughed, and that poor classmate had to wear pants, one leg long and the other short, for the rest of the day. To this day, I still feel like it was a horrible experience, even though I was just a witness. My classmates must have experienced a state of teasing, laughter, and shame much more robust and persistent than I was. At that time, neither I nor that classmate had any response to the school or the teacher regarding the incident.

I had more experiences when I was in high school. Instead of remaining silent when I witnessed something inappropriate, I would inform my peers. I temporarily alleviated the discomfort of seeing something illogical by sharing it with my peers. Later, when I attended university, I encountered communities that strongly encouraged the expression of differing viewpoints. I felt acknowledged and valued to be able to discard the protective shell I built to avoid assaults from those around me before. In these environments, I felt secure expressing my opinions. I dared to express my opinion and learned to speak constructively for the community and team. When I reached out to groups outside of school, this lesson in self-expression was incredibly beneficial. 

Recently, I was part of a group working on a project related to the topic of good students. We want to dig deeper and change people's definition of “good". Because many think good students are well-behaved, this has become a standard constraining people. If good means obedience, not demanding, and not bothering others, at the same time, it is also limiting the self-expression of young people. Children need to express themselves but are suppressed and have to hide their true personalities. They are not recognized in the classroom for their opinions, emotional states, or personal stories. These kinds of things still prevail in many public schools.