This Is What Inequality Looks Like by Teo You Yenn (Part 1)
This contains Chapters 1 to 4
STORYBOOK TAKEAWAYJOURNALLING & LIFE STUFF
10/8/20262 min read
One sentence summary:
The first four chapters of this book invite readers to look beyond the usual success story in Singapore and understand the everyday experiences of lower-income families.
Some key ideas:
1. There is more than one way to understand success.
Chapter 1 discusses how meritocracy, with examinations as a key measure, shapes how we see ability and achievement. The author encourages us to listen to more than one narrative, so that we may notice perspectives we might otherwise miss.
2. Families make thoughtful choices within real constraints.
Chapters 2 and 3 describe families who manage with limited time and resources, often relying on community support and on teachers to understand how their children are doing. Things many of us take for granted, like flexible work hours, are not equally available to everyone.
3. Resilience deserves recognition, and so do the challenges behind it.
Chapter 4 highlights the care these parents put into raising their children, such as creating happy family memories despite their circumstances. The author suggests that understanding a problem well comes before finding good solutions.
My thoughts:
"We will all grow old in societies populated by other people's children."
These words brought me back to a time where one principal used to share with me before I began my journey as an educator, reminding me to be mindful of the lives I am going to have a chance to impact.
It also brought me back to the time when I was volunteering as a befriender at a neighbourhood of rental flats as a student. Some of the scenes described, were really vivid and accurate, and it really reminded me of what some of my students are actually facing when they come into my lessons. These students, though they come in not the best academically, they do have their own talents and interests, waiting for someone to discover and celebrate with. This rekindled a spark in me, to think about alternative ways of measuring success in schools beyond just the grades, so that every child has a moment to shine.
These chapters also reminded me how much weight my words carried as a teacher. Through my interactions with parents, I noticed how much parents actually came to me for opinions and are willing to support me, for example in encouraging their child to book consultations or come for supplementary classes for the benefit of their child.
Lastly, these chapters also showed me that many people, like myself are facing real personal issues in one way or another. This taught me that even when someone seems to be coping well, it is still worth asking how they are doing, and how we can better support each other, whether they are students, families or fellow teachers.
Disclaimer: This blog post is a summary of my written takeaways with help from Claude, and the cover image is illustrated by Gemini.