School

[Wondrer]

You know, I don't hate it's concept. Having a place for education is 100% necessary, unless we want to wind up being as smart as cavemen. But I can't stand the way it's done.

Think about it: You stay up to 6 hours a day in that damn building with teachers spewing out the most boring shit known to mankind (Somehow even P.E. is boring), then they throw you a bunch of homework which all combined is probably up to 4 hours (More or less), then you have to make your brain somehow remember all the information you wrote in your notebook and the funniest part is that 70% of it (More or less) is completely useless.

Another big problem is that kids and teens have lots of energy, therefore listening to the teachers for 6 whole hours non-stop (Except for the breaks) while sitting in a bench is not gonna happen.

School sucks.

[velvetfog]

If you don't like school, and are not getting anything out of it, then quit.
But you should also keep in mind what quitting school will cost you over the long term.

[SkinnyP]

School is amazing, and important, and IMHO should be mandatory. Up until around 16 years of age or so, which is what I think it is most places anyhow, that have laws about it.

I think that is one of the few things that a government should provide; an education, and yes, force it upon them (the impressionable children!) even. Not a North Korean type 'force' with misinformation and propaganda, but a more 'balanced' education, though you could argue that any nation's schools teach propoganda if you really felt like it. Not my point though.

All that being said, I thought school sucked.

Everyone, I think, hated or hates school for different reasons. I won't get into mine.

But, it is no fun for anyone, for the most part. There are some exceptions, but most people weren't one of those exceptions. That's why they call it an exception.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_%28philosophy%29

^ That is the link that wikipedia gave me when I searched for 'exception', while I was trying to be a smartass. You can look at it if you want. I didn't. I'm sure there is something about exceptions in there somewhere.

I digress.

School!

An unpleasant, but, I think necessary, and very useful part of life. Deal with it! It doesn't get any easier.

If I had any advice for someone still in school, it would be; Forget about everyone around you, because they don't matter. You won't be seeing most, if any, of them ever again anyhow. Just try to learn as much as you can, and don't become, or get anyone pregnant.


This post is dedicated to spork.

[land_stander]

As a teacher myself, I have to mostly agree with Wondrer and Skinny P. But despite evidence to the contrary, teachers are not required by policy to be boring.

And "The School" as you describe it is not the only kind in place. (And I don't mean home-schooling.)
I'm thinking of Montessori schools for example.

When we people-lings are born, we can not protect ourselves from cold, heat or any predator, If we fall down we can easily break our egg shell and we could drown in a cup of water. We can't walk, can hardly see, can't control our feces or urine, can't grasp anything and can't feed ourselves. We are born with few to no animal instincts.

There is only one thing we are born being able to do well - and that is to learn. However, what should be life's most natural and thrilling fascinating experience has been institutionalized mainly into something droll and dull.

(This post was last modified: 10-29-2013, 08:20 PM by land_stander.)

[SkinnyP]

When we people-lings are born, we can not protect ourselves from cold, heat or any predator, If we fall down we can easily break our egg shell and we could drown in a cup of water. We can't walk, can hardly see, can't control our feces or urine, can't grasp anything and can't feed ourselves. We are born with few to no instincts.

^ fabulous paragraph!! Seriously!

A+, teacher! My egg shell broke too early, I think. lol.

There is only one thing we are born being able to do well - and that is learning. However, what should be life's most natural and thrilling fascinating experience has been institutionalized mainly into something droll and dull.

I absolutely agree with that. And, I don't have a solution for that, other than ignore everyone, like I said above. I think maybe the greatest problem is class size. It causes every teacher to teach to the 'average' student. While most, obviously, will be either below or above that average, so will be bored or lost.

I guess the solution would have to be more teachers, but that can be expensive. Or less students. We could institute testing at around age 4, to see if the children are worthy, else we could euthanize them. That may be frowned upon by some. I wouldn't actually recommend that.

teachers are not required by policy to be boring

I never meant to imply that they were. Most are though, policy or not. Most people, in general, are not interesting, and teachers are no exception. Teacher's can be some of the most fascinating people on the planet, but most of them are still boring. No offense.

(This post was last modified: 10-29-2013, 08:55 PM by SkinnyP.)

[land_stander]

I do think our drive is to learn. But that doesn't mean we know how to teach.

Here is something that fascinates me; Baby Sign Language

I think it demonstrates the enormous capacity the human brain has.

Love to chat more but I gotta run and go teach...

[srijantje]

In Germany you have something called Waldorf schools grounded by Rudolf Steiner,I know several people who have gone to these schools and I think they came out pretty good and all told me they really liked going there.
have a read

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_education

[Wondrer]

If you don't like school, and are not getting anything out of it, then quit.
But you should also keep in mind what quitting school will cost you over the long term.

I never said one should QUIT school.

[land_stander]

There is a well known educational theory about something called Multiple Intelligences.
The theory says that people have a stronger sensory preference and that influences how they prefer or are able to learn new things. I usually see 8 listed but I'm sure there must be others;
Visual
Auditory
Musical
Kinesthetic (movement)
analytical
interpersonal
intrapersonal

ok - check wiki for better detail.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences

If you are a student you should know that if your preferred sense is not included in the lesson then
you will have greater difficulty making sense of the material and remembering it.
The teacher (unconsciously) focuses heavily on their own preferred sense and needs to pay
more attention to the variety within the students and have a variety of sensory approaches.

(This post was last modified: 10-30-2013, 06:07 AM by land_stander.)