Are children being stifled by ‘model answers’?

A netizen recently posed a question on whether schools are stifling the creativity of children with expected answers to open-ended questions.

On the worksheet was the story of a boy named Kong Rong.

Kong Rong had picked up a smaller fruit from a basket of pears so that his elder brother could have the larger one.

The pupils were asked what they thought the moral of this story was. “If you were Kong Rong, what would you do?”, the students were asked.

The boy who attempted the question answered: “I will not give up the pear.”

This was marked by the teacher as a wrong answer.

Wondering if there is really a ‘correct answer’ to the question, the boy’s father posted the worksheet onto the Internet.

“Did Kong Rong really have to give up the pear?” he asked.

“Are kids wrong if they don’t do the same?” he added.

These are just some of the questions raised in the wave of discussion sparked by the post.

Despite the apparent outrage, local primary school teachers all agree that they will similarly cross out the pupil’s answer as the wrong one.

Speaking to reporters, a primary school Chinese teacher, known only as Ms Zhuang, 27, said, “If the pupil had also explained and justified why he would not give up the pear, it could be seen as an expression of creativity. But if it’s not justified, the answer will be wrong.”

“We are looking for an answer that fits the moral conduct taught to pupils in the lesson. In the story, Kong Rong’s action exemplified the spirit of courtesy and consideration. The answer would only portray a selfish mindset in the pupil,” she added.

A primary school English teacher, known only as Mr Yang, 37, felt that whether the answer is accepted will depend on the model answers provided by the examiner.

The answer given by the boy here is, however, against traditional Chinese values and morals.

“If my student gave such an answer, I may feedback to his or her parents about their child’s mindset,” he said.

Shin Min Daily News also spoke to 15 primary school students to find out what they would do if they were Kong Rong.

At least one student offered a different solution.

“I would cut the pear in half and share it with my brother instead,” said the pupil.

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