An Open Letter of Education to My Little Sister

 

By Hu Wo (Cuckoo’s Song)

 

B ELIEVE it or not, I have been yearning for you since you last went back to school. I also hope that you are in a good heart there. And I expect that you will be as busy as a bee with a lot of your studies. Whatever you do I have always wanted you to take good care of your health. `Health is wealth´, as the saying goes. Only if you are sick can you do nothing for sure. I would like you to stay safe both at school and at the hostel as well. I am satisfied that you are studying flat out too.

 

Did you know there are three types of education, little sister? These education types are termed formal education, informal education and non-formal education, of course. Formal education is a type of education that is usually obtained at schools, colleges and universities. Informal education is often given through literary talks, discussions and something like these, but non-formal education by tuition, courses, or whatever. Though all the education types have their pros and cons, formal education can be said to be more systematic, more valid, more reliable, and more legitimate than the other two, I think. This formal education will, in addition, give students the essentials of higher education, believe me. So, you should study every subject taught at schools for the best whether you are interested in them or not. You are still on the route to formal education, right?

 

As far as I can remember, I want to tell you about how to study as study styles are the key to learning subjects for all students. Since the beginning of an academic year, you should have had a fixed study timetable for all subjects that you must learn. This timetable can drive you to study all of your subjects, at the very least. You may give 30-minute, 45-minute, or 50-minute take time off study per subject. But I suggest that you have to put a break time of at least 10 or 15 minutes between subjects for your restless brain. If not, maybe your brain will not absorb your studies anymore, even though you go on studying. Self-study time needs to be of regularity, quiet, very concentrated, ready, and with no housework to do.

 

You ought to start studying by far the weakest subject of yours because most students like to spend too much time on the subject which they enjoy learning most without being a little unaware of side effects on the other ones. What’s more, you need to look for a study place of your own, for example, on a small table, at the corner of a room or even in a single room for study. That place of study will be better for you if it is kept away from radios, cassettes, TVs, phones, and crowds. Otherwise, those previously described things could lead you to external motivations that will make you have less attention to subjects while you are studying.

 

Strange to say, your regular study place might arouse your strong sense of studying, that is, when you see your place of regular study at a glance, you would like to go and study there right now with your intrapersonal motivation. It would also be better if you are able to get enough light for you alone and good ventilation in any study place. I can accept that it depends whether or not you may change your own study area sometimes, yet you should not postpone nor waste your habitual time for study somehow or other.

 

Moreover, you had better study the subject matter that you have learned well again within 24 hours lest your comprehension of teachers’ instruction is getting lost. Your study time can possibly be just on weekdays, that is to say excluding Saturdays and Sundays. At weekends, perhaps you will be able to read other books on essays, letters or others apart from textbooks. During the weekend, you can yet practise essay and letter writing in turn only once a week, if you wish. Besides, you could even follow some useful leisure pursuits like knitting and sewing if you have got your spare time on a weekend. Effective and efficient study styles tend to require memory, repetition, and continuous learning, you know.

 

Additionally, I would like to tell you about how to digest reading. Reading is a living art among young and old alike until now. U Chan Tha Soe, one of my university English teachers, said that western foreigners like to read or go on a tour whenever they have free time. Certainly, people will have a certain purpose for reading — for instance, some read just for pleasure; others for a wide knowledge. Speaking as a brother, you should read for your whole life since reading is of the essence in confronting the ups and downs of life. A person who has read a lot might be far more privileged than the ones that have not in many cases such as applying for a scholarship and delivering an impromptu speech.

 

In general, there are two kinds of first-step reading strategy: 1) skimming, reading something quickly in order to find a particular point or the main points, and 2) scanning, looking quickly but not very carefully, according to Oxford. Of course, these two strategies should be done for their guessing abilities to read by young readers only if they do not have much time of reading. As we all know, there are also three sorts of reading styles: 1) reading like chewing betel, 2) reading like sucking sugar cane, and 3) reading like drinking milk. Chewing betel is an ancient Myanmar tradition in which both betel saliva and betel bolus must be spat out by betel users and likewise, good readers should read some books for a feeling of pure delight. In sucking sugar cane, its juicesucked stems are spat out by eaters too and similarly, clever readers can read many books for sheer knowledge, neglecting authors´ writing styles, choice of words and so on. As opposed to the above-mentioned two, drinking milk is having not only clotted cream but also skimmed milk. Bookworms, therefore, like reading a number of books for writings over and above reading material.

 

Unfortunately for readers, they might have met the difficulties of rare reading books and unavailable book resources. If so, any reader ought to pick up reading even from a few books close at hand. At the start of endless reading travel, real readers get to indulge in intensive and extensive reading after they have learnt to read pretty well.

 

The longer your reading age is, the better you can pick and choose a good read. It is said that anyone cannot decide whether a book is good or bad just by having a look at its cover. I agree with this to some extent. Nevertheless, a reading starter should begin to read any book with its content, foreword or preface, including writers’ thanks. From the contents, you can know easily what reading matter a book has described, how many chapters there are in the book, and even which part of the book you want to read most as soon as possible. Then, you may see the writer’s instructions on how to read his book and what should be applied through forewords or prefaces.

 

Let me stop my letter of sympathy just in here, Nama Ngel. Before the end of my letter, I still have something else to say to you about your education.

 

You ought to study your subjects in advance before class time, if at all possible, which makes you understand better more than usual. When you begin to study, you have already got your readiness to study with study materials. Try hard for the best and study regularly as well as enough for your exams. Don’t put off your study time for love or money. Remember that good learners have got their own learning styles, private study, practice, and revision of school lessons.

 

As to revision, you have to know yourself if you have a short-term or long-term memory. If you own short-term memory, you should do learning by as many repetitions as you could. And make sure that your lifelong ambition is the only one. Don’t forget to relax whenever possible, please. Still, don’t take a rest by reading, drawing, watching TV for the moment, and having a nap but walking here and there, going to the toilet, having snacks or drinks, and looking at distant views of green. If necessary, you can call me at home. May you be okay as always over there. Health first, my love. I am looking forward to your homecoming, actually. Have a nice day! Bye for now.