As she finished speaking, Celeste could not help but feel angry at herself.
She had prepared everything carefully, yet the question caught her off guard, leading her to give an answer that missed the mark.
She knew she had to recover quickly. If not, she risked losing badly.
"Okay, I want to ask another thing," Andre said.
"You ntioned earlier that removing K to 12 would give us a chance to start fresh. But what would that fresh system actually look like?"
Andre asked his question without thinking too deeply about it.
He was just curious, and honestly, he did not even know if what he said was good or not.
All he cared about was getting through the minutes so he could finally rest.
If he knew the question he asked was actually sharp and effective, he would have been shocked, and probably proud of himself.
He might have even bragged about it later, but right now he had no clue what was going on.
"Hmm, I’m starting to think Andre really has a talent for asking questions. This guy might actually have so natural skill when it cos to this," Jeff thought inwardly.
Even though it was an open-ended question, it sounds simple. But Jeff could see the weight behind it.
This one would force Celeste to give a specific vision, sothing she might not have prepared for.
What Jeff saw in Andre was not strategy, but sothing even better.
It was raw instinct sothing that is called genuine curiosity mixed with perfect timing.
Even though Andre did not phrase his questions perfectly, he had the intuition to ask the right thing at the right mont.
And in debates, that was rare. Thinking about this, Jeff could not help but smile.
Their good foundation at the start had already taken a big leap forward.
Celeste blinked, surprised at the follow-up question, since she though that this idiot will have to take so ti to ask another question.
Her hand fidgeted slightly as she tried to gather her thoughts.
"I—I an, sothing more accessible. Maybe we could bring back the old curriculum but revise it, like um, shorten it but still include important parts, or have a bridging program that focuses more on skills than just, you know more years"
"The point from what I am trying to say, is that we can co up with sothing better than—"
Because she’s still ntally juggling her previous point, she now has to improvise on the spot, causing her response to co out jumbled and incomplete as the tir runs out.
"Ti’s up. That’s the end of questioning from the boys’ team," the moderator, Teacher Annie, said with a smile.
Hearing those words, Andre sighed in relief. But it did not end there. Now it was his turn to be questioned.
"Removal side, you are now given two minutes to ask your questions. You may also ask follow-up questions based on the responses," she announced firmly.
Celeste, seeing that it was finally her turn, had a fire in her eyes.
She was ready, and the questions she had prepared were not going to be easy.
She wanted payback after humiliating her in front of the class.
Her eyes briefly t Andre’s, and in that mont, he knew she was coming for him.
But he wasn’t scared one bit, it’s not like he was going to die if he can’t answer.
"You said earlier that the system still gives opportunities," she began
"But let ask you this, if K to 12 really works, can you explain why thousands of senior high graduates still end up in minimum wage jobs, often in fields that have nothing to do with their track? And how exactly is that a ’working’ system?"
The classroom fell quiet as Andre blinked for a mont, completely unsure of how to respond.
It was the kind of question that demanded data, structure, and maybe even a two-page essay.
But he did not have that, since why would he waste his ti doing that?
After ten seconds of silence, Celeste smiled, thinking she had won. But then she noticed Andre casually scratch the back of his neck and shrug.
"Well, I an, not everyone’s gonna land their dream job right away. That’s kinda how life works, right?" he said with a confused smile.
"But I think it’s better to have so training and a chance than none at all. At least now, students have options. And not all of them end up in minimum wage jobs. So go to college better prepared, so start small businesses. So yeah. Maybe it’s not perfect, but I don’t think that makes it useless either."
It was not a textbook answer. It was not even close to what Celeste had probably expected.
But sohow, his laid-back honesty did not weaken his team’s stand.
Instead, it reminded everyone that real life is ssy, and not everything can be solved with a perfect chart or theory.
"Yep, this guy is a talent. How co I haven’t noticed it at all?" Jeff said as he watched the scene unfold.
The other team mbers were ecstatic, greatly relieved that Andre not only answered but did so without saying anything wrong.
Hearing her question get answered so smoothly made Celeste lose a bit of her composure.
With that she pressed further, unwilling to back down.
"Alright then, if you’re saying K to 12 gives ’options,’ let ask you this!" she said sharply, pointing straight at him.
"What good are options if most public schools don’t have the proper equipnt or teachers for those tracks? How can a student train for sothing that isn’t even properly provided?" she asked totally confident about this.
But she did not expect that after another round of thinking and about eight seconds, Andre began again.
He gave a small whistle and raised both eyebrows, as if an idea had just clicked.
"That’s a good point," he said casually, earning a few chuckles and a sigh from the boys.
The girls, seeing that he admitted it, were already preparing to cheer. Because that simple answer will most likely shake their foundation.
But after three seconds of silence, his next words made them freeze.
"I won’t lie so yeah, a lot of schools are lacking. That’s sothing the governnt needs to work on. But just because the tools are missing doesn’t an the idea is bad. It ans we’re not investing enough in it. I think the system has potential and just needs actual support to work."
Seeing that he answered her question again made Celeste mind collapsed, wondering what kind of drugs did this guy eat?
""Let ask you this then," she said, with a look of grievance.
"If K to 12 is ant to help students succeed, then why do so many of them still choose to leave the country for work or end up underemployed? Doesn’t that prove the system isn’t giving them a future here and that we need sothing completely different?"
She placed her hands on her hips, trying to add pressure with a sharp and nacing stare.
The question she had given was not just about data. It demanded sothing deeper and that is a philosophical stance.
A system ant to give opportunity, yet failing to hold onto the dreams it was supposed to nurture within the country.
All eyes turned to Andre, waiting for another one of his unexpected answers.
Andre looked down at the floor, then back up. His face grew serious as he searched his mory for sothing.
Then it hit him.
"Honestly? That’s a tough one," he said quietly.
"You’re right. A lot of people still go abroad, and so jobs here aren’t what we hoped for."
He paused for a mont, then continued, "But I don’t think that’s just K to 12’s fault. That’s decades of economic problems, corruption, and lack of local industries all piling up in our country."
He then looked at Celeste with an all-knowing smile, "So that’s why I believe that if we remove K to 12 just because people are still leaving, then what do we replace it with? If we don’t fix the real problems like wages, job quality, the system behind the system, then we’re still going to be stuck."
He said it so professionally, with confidence in every word. But in truth, it was just a bunch of nonsense he had rembered from soone else.
"So that is why K to 12 isn’t perfect. But maybe it’s one step in a bigger climb. And giving up on it might be giving up too early."
"Thi... Thiss..." Celeste stuttered, her pupils shifting slightly.
She was still determined to press him further, but just as she opened her mouth, a voice interrupted.
"Ti’s up. That’s the end of questioning from the girls’ team," the moderator, Teacher Annie, announced with a satisfied look.
She could not help but be shocked. For once, this student of hers actually showed he could be good not just good but really good.
Teacher Annie felt that if he ever decided to focus on sothing he can a genius.
Mark and Lester watching this on their seats were left speechless. They never expected Andre to answer questions they themselves barely understood.
"Is he going to get smarter and beco like Jeff?" Mark asked, glancing at Lester.
"Why are you asking , and why does it even matter?" Lester replied with a raised brow.
"Well, if he really does beco smart, doesn’t that an in this group of friends, the two of us are the dumb ones? It was supposed to be three, but I think the number needs to change," Mark said with a serious expression.
Lester’s face twitched as a few black lines ford in his mind. The problem was a lot more serious than he had thought.
...
1st: Special thanks to ’Essos👑’ – the GOAT of the month, for both the rewarding gifts and golden tickets! Much love, brotha!
2nd: Big thanks to ’Pat_funding👑’ for the unwavering support since the very start of my journey and for the golden tickets and gifts!
3rd: Special shoutout to ’Devon1234👑’ – The sa GOAT of this month, for all the amazing gifts! You’re absolutely RAD!
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