Zoey Lin

Why Do We Study?

Many people say that the purpose of learning is to get into a good university and secure a better job. However, I don't agree with this perspective. For me, studying is about exploring new and different things to understand what I truly like and dislike. It's about transforming the things I enjoy into unique skills and then aligning those skills with future trends. Hello! I'm Zoey, an ordinary junior high school student, born in the bustling city of Taipei. This year marks my third year at this school. In our daily learning, we engage in courses that differ from those in traditional schools, such as programming, project presentations, and photography. In this essay, I will discuss what I have learned in experimental education, my plans for the future, and my areas of interest.

Surprisingly, I have already spent three years studying at this school. In every class, we are required to experiment, research, and discover on our own. Moreover, each lesson is closely related to our lives and future. Take programming, which we have been learning for three years, for example. Many people claim that AI will replace many workers, including programmers. Although they may be partially replaced, they cannot be entirely replaced. While AI can assist programmers, it does not possess the creativity and logical thinking of humans. Understanding programming is an essential skill, but I have found it challenging during these three years. In the process of coding, a single error can render the program inoperable. Furthermore, identifying mistakes within lengthy lines of code requires a significant amount of time and effort. Patience is crucial when writing code; otherwise, one may easily become overwhelmed.

Apart from programming, we have also learned how to solder, as well as merging the realms of programming and science. This semester, one of our projects involved measuring ultraviolet radiation. In our science class, we learned a great deal about UV rays, such as their nature, their impact on the human body, and how to measure them. Subsequently, we used our recently acquired soldering skills to construct a UV radiation sensor. Since the sensor required data calculation through a computer, we wrote a program specifically for calculating the UV index. Upon completing the UV radiation sensor, we embarked on an extensive testing phase. Every day, we measured the UV index and compared it with data available online to ensure the accuracy of our readings. Each step of the building process was challenging, but the sense of accomplishment upon completing the final product was overwhelming.

I have been interested in drawing since I was young, having pursued it for almost eight years since the age of seven. Whenever there is a surface available, such as a sheet of math paper, my computer, a water bottle, or even the desks and table mats at school, I indulge in drawing. During idle moments, I enjoy creating cute illustrations inspired by events in my life or the people around me. Sometimes, I depict my friends in humorous ways, but it is still clear who each person is. Although I have a great passion for drawing, I do not wish to confine it solely to paper because that would become tedious. I aspire to integrate drawing with other elements in the future, though I haven't yet decided what those elements will be. I think I have the possibility of developing further in this direction.

At this stage, I want to explore as many new fields as possible, ones I haven't tried or even considered before, to discover more interests within myself. Currently, there are limited opportunities to explore in school, and the resources provided are also limited. Throughout these three years, although I have constantly learned new things at school, they have all roughly been within the same domains. Consequently, I find it somewhat unexciting, especially considering that what I have learned so far does not exactly align with my interests. In my future plans, I hope to encounter more subjects that genuinely capture my interest while I continue my education. If possible, I would love to combine these newfound interests with my passion for drawing. Given the opportunity, I would like to travel more (perhaps abroad) and explore a world different from Taiwan, discovering more exciting and captivating things along the way.