It's starting soon (school)

[Searif]

I DON"T WANT TO GOT TO SCHOOL!!!! it flat out sucks!!

woa there rover, its only for a couple of mounths

[WereDog]

I'am here to complain of how little summer I've had i got off in late May and go back tomarow

short summer

you got an increadible long summer vacation, ive never had one that long in all my life.

[Renorei]

you'll just be screwing yourself without lubrication.

Nice phrase, vrik.

[Hamster]

you'll just be screwing yourself without lubrication.

Nice phrase, vrik.

What about this:

"This is the most fun I had without lubrication."

[Scott Gardener]

Ah, public school. There's a special place in the Abyss for the parties responsible for the American education system.

Those of you on the rest of the planet, please tell me your education systems are better?

Our system is more interested in social assimilation than teaching meaningful concepts. Home-schooling has been demonstrated repeatedly to generate superior results. I genuinely think people are born intelligent and taught stupidity. (It starts from their parents, but an underfunded education system that's more interested in football and obsessive-compulsive rules and attendance policies than actual learning doesn't help.)

And, there's a scene in my novel dedicated to my psychopathic eighth grade English teacher. My character is being mind-probed by an extraterrestrial consciousness. Note that it's pretty graphic; if you're under eighteen, you might want to skip this part...

-----

"We're disappointed in you, Scott." Scott’s father and mother sat across from him in a dimly lit classroom next to a younger lady with a stern, dour expression. His parents had never until now had any doubt in his academic abilities. However, for all the faith they professed having in Scott, they were sooner to trust this English teacher’s word against his; they would only later come forward and admit that she had serious dysfunctional elements that she chose to play out by undermining the creative efforts of others.

"I'll go back and redo the assignments..." the young Scott started to say. "But..." He looked around and patted his face. "I'm not really in Ms. Tesswater’s classroom. I'm still on the alien ship. God, I hate this particular memory."

"Jonathan Scott Gardener, pay attention!" Ms. Tesswater answered, "Yes, you’ll have to redo the assignments—all of them. You can do them during the lunch break."

"Of course," Scott answered, looking up. "Just one thing."

"What is it, Scott?"

"I've always wanted to do this." Scott stood up from his chair and ripped off his shirt, shifting into his hybrid wolf form, bellowing out a roaring howl. As his parents watched, stunned, Scott lunged at his English teacher, throwing her back and biting into her neck. Blood spurted out across the room as Scott ripped his claws into the now limp body of what was once the likeness of Ms. Tesswater. He grabbed its head and twisted it off of its body, overcoming the resistance of her spinal cord with a forceful crack. He held up her bloody head and roared....

[Kzinistzerg]

fun!

I think our school sucks simply because i can't learn much. i read soo much and want to learn alot but ti seems like my school system (which is supposed to be really good) is still school-for-the-IQ-impared. It makes you wonder, it really does. I'm ahead in a couple of my classes but i get the feeling that everyone else could be doing what i am if we'd had good development...

[Anubis]

Y'know... he asked this morning for people to stop making fun of his spelling. Yet since then I have actually seen an increase in the rate at which people are doing it. Please stop antagonizing him, everyone. Okay?

(There is no need to respond to this)

-- Vilkacis

I feel the need to respond because I noticed everyone else was just kidding around.

JK means Just kidding, Anubis.

yea but i don't think it is funny. not one bit!!!!! so even your kidding please stop.

[Renorei]

Who else is in favor of ability grouping?

I am. If ability grouping were put into place, the dumb kids could go at their snail-crawl pace without being behind or dragging others behind, and the smart kids could go at their blazing fast pace, continue to be challenged, utilize more of their potential, and also not get bored. The average kids could be put in an average class, somewhere between the two.

I know that sounds harsh, but I think it would be better for all individuals involved. If not for all individuals, then most certainly the country as a whole, considering our intellectual elite would be that much eliter (yah I know that's not a word).

I would love if a system like this were put into place in Louisiana, although the bleeding hearts would probably be opposed to it. If my school had had a system like this when I was younger, I wouldn't be like I am today (chronicly lazy, when it comes to academics).

I didn't notice any problems at first. In elementary, jr. high, and high school, I always did way better in everything than the rest of my class (for the most part). Studying was something I never did. I never needed to. What I considered 'studying' at the time, was in fact 'looking over the material'. I never spent more than 30 minutes or so on studying per night. Homework might take more time, but studying itself was barely any time at all. Everything came easy to me. I remember frequently doing a little pre-class cramming before tests, taking the tests, and setting the curve. I graduated valedictorian, etc.

Then comes college. Needless to say, college is way harder than high school. I could easily excel at college as well, with some effort. However, 'effort' is a word that I know little of. Never having to study in high school and hardly every really trying, creates bad results for a college student. I can't study. I don't know how. I have never had to focus on anything for more than 30 minutes, so now anytime I try to study I get distracted after about half and hour and get nothing accomplished. It's a disaster. I'm still making good grades in college, but not nearly as good as I could be making.

So there's my story. I'm not telling you this for sympathy; I don't really care who sympathizes. That's just my own personal reason for supporting ability grouping. If intelligent kids are CHALLENGED often at a young age, they won't end up like me.

I often imagine what I would be like now if I had been challenged at a young age. I could accomplish so much! Not challenging people like me is a waste.

[Black Shuck]

You're pre-college years sound like me. I don't study a lot because I don't need to. I either remember what I learned or knew already, which is why I hate US history. I love learning, but we never learn a lot that's interesting to me. When do we cover something I like, I already know all of it. There's one girl in my school who works her butt off to get straight A's. We're friends, so we sit next to each other in class. On one side, she's stressing over everything, trying her d*mnedest. On the other, I'm sitting back, doing whatever with my work. I was completely dissatisfied with my first paper last year. I wrote it, shortened it up, ran out of time, but didn't care- it fit the requirements. I looked at it as an anecdote about nothing. A whole piece of paper covered with words about a few minutes in the car while driving through Idaho. I got the second highest grade in the class because of some comma rule I'd never heard of before. But I got way a way higher grade than my friend who worked like crazy on that paper, having her mom proof read, making me proof read it, asking the teacher 50 questions a class period.

I think the fact that I don't know what trying hard is is one of the reasons I don't do well at math. I exceed in every subject except that. I try, but not hard enough. College classes this year should prove interesting

[Renorei]

I think the fact that I don't know what trying hard is is one of the reasons I don't do well at math. I exceed in every subject except that. I try, but not hard enough. College classes this year should prove interesting

Math is a bastard for me. I know exactly how you feel. Word of advice: when you get to college, math professors won't make you turn in your homework, but they'll assign it anyway. Even though it's not for a grade, do it anyway, or at least some of it.

I don't know what your high school teachers are like, but mine always made us turn in our homework. Therefore, I usually always did it. But in college, they don't make you do it, but it's to your advantage anyway. At least do a couple of problems so you'll know how to do it, come test time. If I had done that, I would've done a lot better in college math.

If you're like me, however, no amount of advice will do you any good. You'll have to learn the hard way. Advice never helped me, and I'm still in the progress of learning the hard way.

[Black Shuck]

We have to turn our homework, which is the only thing that saves me from totally bombing that class. It's weird, I do alright on my homework, but I totally f-up my tests. That's good advice though. I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

[Vilkacis]

I didn't notice any problems at first. In elementary, jr. high, and high school, I always did way better in everything than the rest of my class (for the most part). Studying was something I never did. I never needed to. What I considered 'studying' at the time, was in fact 'looking over the material'. I never spent more than 30 minutes or so on studying per night. Homework might take more time, but studying itself was barely any time at all. Everything came easy to me. I remember frequently doing a little pre-class cramming before tests, taking the tests, and setting the curve. I graduated valedictorian, etc.

Then comes college. Needless to say, college is way harder than high school. I could easily excel at college as well, with some effort. However, 'effort' is a word that I know little of. Never having to study in high school and hardly every really trying, creates bad results for a college student. I can't study. I don't know how. I have never had to focus on anything for more than 30 minutes, so now anytime I try to study I get distracted after about half and hour and get nothing accomplished. It's a disaster. I'm still making good grades in college, but not nearly as good as I could be making.

So there's my story. I'm not telling you this for sympathy; I don't really care who sympathizes. That's just my own personal reason for supporting ability grouping. If intelligent kids are CHALLENGED often at a young age, they won't end up like me.

I often imagine what I would be like now if I had been challenged at a young age. I could accomplish so much! Not challenging people like me is a waste.

That story is very familiar to me. I was home-schooled from the second grade to the seventh grade, and Jr. High and High School posed no challenge at all. I never got anything but an 'A' in any of my classes, and I put in almost no effort at all. I was never challenged, and I never learned what true study was. I did my homework, and that was always enough. The only time I ever did anything even close to studying was on the day right before a final (or the occasional midterm), and then: never more than a half-hour review, plus a few minutes right before the test. The idea of studying at any other time during the quarter was ridiculous.

College killed me.

I still made excellent grades by most standards, but not by my standards. For me, getting a B was horrifying, and I was horrified many times. I ended up with a 3.69 GPA when I got my degrees. Because of how the Running Start program worked, that dragged down my High School GPA, preventing me from becoming valedictorian (so we differ in that regard). That doesn't really bother me, though. Every award I received in High School was a pointless honor. I didn't even bother going to my High School or College graduation ceremonies (why should I bother when they are such insignificant achievements?).

It took me a long time to overcome the disadvantages that developed through lack of challenge. To this day, I still don't study effectively (mostly a discipline issue, I think -- I've been spoiled), but I've learned to cope in other ways.

I don't study well, so instead I find more effective ways of remembering things. I can't remember to take out the trash, but it only took me 30 seconds to learn all the information on my debit card, which I still remember to this day, three years later (it's all about recognizing relationships, patterns and significance -- whatever stands out).

Instead of memorizing things like formulas and various facts, I learn and understand the 'why?' behind them, so that I can derive these facts myself (this is why I hate history and other social sciences, in which the 'why' is hidden and all that is left is monotonous trivia, and why I love science and math).

Also, now that I'm at the University level, I am taking classes that I actually enjoy in subjects I love. It's much easier to do well when you're interested in the material. It makes all the difference in the world. I went from that 3.69 at the College level to a 3.96 at the University level.

-- Vilkacis

[Kzinistzerg]

Yes, exactly- you need to be challenged to grow. while my studying consists of reading my textbooks, i htink the reason i do so well in science and math is the reason vilkacis stated: i can derive everything i need to and what i can't i memorise.

[Fenrir]

I'am here to complain of how little summer I've had i got off in late May and go back tomarow

short summer

you got an increadible long summer vacation, ive never had one that long in all my life.

how long is yours?

[Vilkacis]

Ah, public school. There's a special place in the Abyss for the parties responsible for the American education system.

Those of you on the rest of the planet, please tell me your education systems are better?

Our system is more interested in social assimilation than teaching meaningful concepts. Home-schooling has been demonstrated repeatedly to generate superior results. I genuinely think people are born intelligent and taught stupidity. (It starts from their parents, but an underfunded education system that's more interested in football and obsessive-compulsive rules and attendance policies than actual learning doesn't help.)

Now, I say I love school, but it's really the College and University I'm talking about. I have very little good to say about my experiences at the Jr. High and High School level -- I got out of there as soon as possible! The classes were ridiculously easy, and yet students all around me were failing left and right. And I began to sympathize with them as I learned more about this public school that I had been thrown into; that these people had experienced their entire lives.

The education system left a lot to be desired. Most classes were boring; textbooks even more so. Learning was unpleasant. If a student had a question, the teachers were often unhelpful and uncaring (not all of them, of course). Few enough awards were given to recognize academic achievement; although, there were always plenty to be given for athletic excellence. There were few penalties for doing poorly, so long as you passed the class. Thus, students had no reason to do well, and no reason not to slack off, as long as they passed. Of course they took the easy route! They didn't come to school to learn, they came to socialize.

The academic ambition of the students around me was getting a 'C' so they could pass. They didn't care to learn anything, so they didn't, if they could avoid it. That 'C' became harder and harder to get as they missed more and more important concepts. Higher level classes were dumbed down so that an appropriate ratio of students passed -- that just made things worse! Soon they started telling themselves they couldn't do any better, and maybe it was true, but only because they were ignorant -- not stupid.

Yes, I am very thankful that I was homeschooled in those early years and didn't have the love of learning burned out of me by the public school system.

-- Vilkacis

[Black Shuck]

That reminds me of my school. People fail classes when there's no reason to fail them *coughdramacough* and a lot of kids don't care as long they pass. Everybody in sports is recognised, and no one really cares about academics. They hand out a few awards at the end of the year, but hardly anyone goes to awards because who cares? The awards I've gotten in high school don't mean a whole lot to me because I got one from the University of Denver because I got a 24 on my college ACT and I was a high school freshman. My drama teacher was prooud because she got to give it to me, but it was during drama class. None of my teachers knew about it and I wasn't recognised for doing so well. But all the kids that do sports get to go up on stage and have people clap for them. I can't remember if the Honor Society kids get to or not, but the only reason they didn't invite me to be a part of Honor Society was because I didn't raise my hand in class. I didn't care though because I was accepted as a Student Ambassador and that meant to me anyways.

[Shadow Wulf]

SUMMER LASTED TOO SHORT THANKS TO MY FREAKIN JOB!!!

AND YOU GUYS. BUT IN A GOOD WAY.

[Terastas]

Here's a switch: I'm pissed because I might actually not be returning to school in September. I must have ranted about it enough that everybody knows, but in case you missed one of my (insert Terastas post # divided by 2) rants, the long story short: My brother dupped me into being his roommate for the year by promising to split the bills equally for an off-campus apartment, hasn't payed so much as a dime towards the place's upkeep (we temporarilly lost our power because, even though I'd just payed $900.00 in rent/cable, he couldn't be bothered to pay a $27.50 electric bill), so now the college fund I'd been saving up the entire year prior is gone.

May his bloodline be forever cursed with uncontrolled flatulence and male-pattern baldness.

[Fenrir]

Um arent you technically in your brothers blood line
like

---------------------------Your parents

-----------------------Him-------------------you
----------------His descendants-------Your descendants

Your like bloodline neighbors or something

sorry for the lines the chart wouldn't work without um

And agreed your brother is evil,

[Scott Gardener]

Definitely a world of difference with college. Believe me, high school graduation was great. I was deathly ill that day, but I still thought it was great--in a just-released-from-prison kind of way. Not that I've ever been to prison, but NHS and TJR both did a good job emulating it in a 16 bit environment.

[Terastas]

Um arent you technically in your brothers blood line
like

---------------------------Your parents

-----------------------Him-------------------you
----------------His descendants-------Your descendants

Your like bloodline neighbors or something

sorry for the lines the chart wouldn't work without um

And agreed your brother is evil,

Not really. We share our parents blood, but his line is different from mine. And yeah, that's the most ill-will I'll ever wish upon anyone, but right now, I don't care what happens to him. He could run off to Vegas and leave me with all the bills like he's been threatened to, but how would that be financially different from my current situation? I'd still be paying full rent but I'd save on cable and have a spare room.

Definitely a world of difference with college. Believe me, high school graduation was great. I was deathly ill that day, but I still thought it was great--in a just-released-from-prison kind of way. Not that I've ever been to prison, but NHS and TJR both did a good job emulating it in a 16 bit environment.

Agreed. The big difference is that you can pick your classes, so you're no longer in that 9:00-3:00 cram and you can finally take only courses that you want to take (say goodbye to busy work). Also, everyone in college is there because they want to be, so there's much fewer bullies and/or retards in college (and the only two or three jerks I've met thus far are members of the faculty).

The only problem is how to pay for it. Unfortunately, Bridgewater is pretty much just a small town built around the campus (the only other noteworthy landmark is a state correctional facility), so "Help wanted" signs aren't up for very long.

So I'm not thinking "one month left" as an unfortunate inevitable. I'm thinking of it as a deadline.

[vrikasatma]

I'd still be paying full rent but I'd save on cable and have a spare room.

Next time he threatens to run off to Vegas, counter by saying if he's the only one watching the cable he can bloody well pay for it himself. Refuse to pay for his entertainment.

Be ready for a fight, if he's anything like my ex was.

[Terastas]

I'd still be paying full rent but I'd save on cable and have a spare room.

Next time he threatens to run off to Vegas, counter by saying if he's the only one watching the cable he can bloody well pay for it himself. Refuse to pay for his entertainment.

Be ready for a fight, if he's anything like my ex was.

I'm way ahead of you; the bill came yesterday.

And as for being ready to fight if, well... The spirit is willing, but have you ever seen War of the Roses?

[Renorei]

Few enough awards were given to recognize academic achievement; although, there were always plenty to be given for athletic excellence.
-- Vilkacis

I know exactly how you feel!!!

[Scott Gardener]

Terastas:

The big difference is that you can pick your classes, so you're no longer in that 9:00-3:00 cram and you can finally take only courses that you want to take (say goodbye to busy work). Also, everyone in college is there because they want to be, so there's much fewer bullies and/or retards in college ...

One of the best things about college was that the very things that motivated people in high school to be such pests towards me made them want to be my best friend in college--intellect, eccentricity, and our adamant refusal to conform to dysfunctional mainstream thinking. In the eighties, people made fun of my nerdiness. Now, they've come to realize after seeing Bill Gates pledge billions of dollars of spare change towards world improvement causes, while the high school thugs who made fun of us are now dependent on welfare checks, that we nerds run the world.

And yes, making your own schedule is nice. You don't have to be a morning person. You can get adequate sleep.

Granted, in college, you still have course requirements to apply towards your degree; I had to take a ton of English courses, even though my writing is pretty proficient. (I use words like "proficient," for example.) That meant that I had to continue suffering through more literature courses. I wouldn't have minded if it had been interesting literature, but instead I got more civil war stuff and late 1800s America. I can honor and respect Mark Twain, but for the love of Lord and Lady, there's other authors out there! (One more reason to consider being British while getting your education--more centuries of history makes for less redundancy.)