Stoopid School System

[Kryptonite]

I don't know, maybe im just scorned but im a sophmore in HS and i just gotta say the school system sucks! We stick to a pointless curriculum, any knowledge some of these idiots absorb leak out of their head the second the test paper is handed in and im wasting months outta my life learning math ill never use...how many people here take a scientific calculator to work? Then there are these classes that teach you to be indepent thinkers questioning the world but they themselves turn you into a mindless working drone. With all these faults you'd at least think they could teach a kid to read at his/her's age!! What i wanna know is if you people out there agree with me and if you have any suggestions that could help the faltering education system. How much school is enough? I wanna go on and live my life!!!

[nayaran]

I'm a junior in HS and I must agree with just about everything you said. Now, why can't we (the students) do anything about it?

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"Of course, that's just my opinion; I could be wrong."--Dennis Miller

[Satan]

Don't you kids have homework to do or something?

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Yer pal,
Satan

[Lynn Bodoni]

Oddly enough, you WILL learn things that are useful later in life, though the way you use these skills is probably not what you or your teachers envision.

For instance: I took algebra, hated it...until I started playing D&D. At last, I had a REASON for doing formulas. All of a sudden, algebra wasn't such a waste of time. Punching numbers into a calculater is all very well...as long as you know which numbers, and how the formula works.

English, particularly term papers...this taught me how to research things, and the relative value of sources. If I feel like answering a Mailbag question, I draw upon the skills pounded into me by various English teachers. I HATED English, and I despised term papers. Now I'm glad that I had it.

Typewriting, NOT keyboarding. When I took this, we were still mostly typing on MANUAL typewriters. My mother insisted that I learn to type. I now spend several hours a day on the computer, either in message boards or in a MUD (multiple user dungeon, an online game). My mother never dreamed that I would be able to do such a thing with this skill.

Science: I learned about significant data, and the necessity for reproducible results, among other things. OK, so I've never needed to dissect a frog since HS. I did learn that organs and squiggly bits are not all neatly labeled and easily recognizable in a body.

Finally, the teachers cannot teach you unless you are willing to learn. Put some effort into it, it only gets harder from here on.



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Lynn the Packrat

[ChrisCTP]

In addition to Lynn's post, and in regard to the OP's bit about teaching free thought, but expecting students to be drones:

They have rules and authority figures there because there are rules and authority figures everywhere. Even on this MB. Lynn, for example, is the moderator. By virtue of her experience and effort, she has rank.
The things you will learn in school about thought, debate, and presentation (more importantly, how you use what you've learned) determine whether or not Lynn snips your posts or kicks your ass off the board. Likewise, the information you obtain will determine whether or not another poster blows you out of the water in a debate.

This is the way life is. The curriculum is not pointless. It is not unreasonable to expect you to have an understanding of math, English, science, history and government before allowing you to graduate. If you leave school NOT knowing, it's logical to assume that either the faculty didn't do a good job of teaching, or (more likely) you didn't care enough to learn.

It's to your benefit to learn as much as you can about everything you can. You don't have to become an expert in areas that don't interest you, but you should at least have a basic understanding and be capable of comprehension.

There is no such thing as "enough" when it comes to learning. That's why people continue to read books, (gasp!) even after they've graduated!!

Do yourself a favour and allow yourself to become obsessed with learning.

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Veni, Vidi, Visa ... I came, I saw, I bought.

[moriah]

Kryp,

Your ability to use ironic misspellings such as 'stoopid school' and college level words such as 'curriculum' bode well for you. But until you master the basics of capitalization and apostrophizing, stay in high school.

Peace.

[Doctor Jackson]

I don't know, maybe im just scorned but im a sophmore in HS and i just gotta say the school system sucks!

Judging from your grammar, punctuation, and word usage, I gotta agree.

im wasting months outta my life learning math ill never use...how many people here take a scientific calculator to work?

Well, I have a very nice PC on my desk. It renders wonderful computations, but only after I input the correct formula(s).

With all these faults you'd at least think they could teach a kid to read at his/her's age!!

Since the subject of your rant is the school system, the word "they" in your statement would be correctly interpreted to mean "the school system". I think that you meant "they" to reference teachers working for the school system, but I cannot be sure. The reference to "his/her's" is not only grammatically incorrect, it is also ambiguous. Does the phrase reference the school system's age? The teacher's age? The kid's age?

What i wanna know is if you people out there agree with me and if you have any suggestions that could help the faltering education system.

Obviously, I do not agree with you. You get out of school no more than what you are willing to put into it. If a particular class seems too easy, ask the teacher to assign you some more difficult work, possibly for extra credit. Or study on your own. It's a concept known as personal responsibility.

How much school is enough?

You're not there yet.

I wanna go on and live my life!!!

Here is a "real world" lesson for you, Kryptonite. I hire the people who report to me. The ability to communicate clearly, both verbally and in writing, is one of the few skill sets on which I will not compromise. If a candidate does not demonstrate good communication skills, that candidate will not be hired. A resume written in the style of your post would be tossed in the trash without a second look, no matter what other skills you may possess.
First impressions are critical when applying for a job. I would not hire you based on my first impression.

[kellibelli]

A sophomore...what does that make you 15, 16?
Go live your life?
School is your life you moron!

Pick up a book and read it.
Maybe you will learn to write in a coherent manner.

Until then, you are lacking the basic writing skills and maturity level to properly discuss the educational system.

In 3rd grade I thought it was stupid to learn how to do cursive writing, I thought that printing would do just fine. I was 9.
I grew up, try it.

[UncleBeer]

Kryptonite, do you have enough advice yet, or shall I jump in too? Every poster, with the exception of nayaran, has given you valid reasons for the curriculum you study.

As for getting on with your life, finish school, go to college and damn it man, apply yourself. If you don't, you won't be "getting on with life," you'll be sitting and watching it go by.

I ain't gonna get any easier, deal with it.

And, yes, I do have a suggestion for the "faltering education system" - year long school terms.

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One complete set of morals for sale to highest bidder, new in box.

[Prairie Rose]

Hey!! *I* take a scientific calculator to work! (Well, I did before the downsizing, anyway.)

Get with the program. People who are technically literate (and that includes using math, little boy) and can communicate well are the only ones who will make a decent living later. Oh well....I suppose someone has to cook the french fries!

Prairie Rose

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If you're not part of the solution you're just scumming up the bottom of the beaker.

[kellibelli]

SSSSSSSSSSlam!

You nailed it Rosie, right on the head.

He might not really need a McEducation...

[andros]

I was going to be polite, Kryptonite. But then I remembered we're in the Pit. So . . .

You, sir or madam, are a prime example of why teacher deserve higher salaries. You clearly have not yet matured to the point of being able to learn anything. I despair of your ever doing so.

Maybe, just maybe, you'll eventually pull your head out of your rectum. After all, you're only a sophomore. But DO NOT criticize your teachers and your school system until and unless you are willing to make an effort to learn what they are trying to teach you. It's obvious you don't give a shit. Don't expect to be handed education on a platter--learning is NOT a passive process.

-andros-

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There's always a bigger fish.

[Persephone]

I wasn't all that crazy about school. I did well, but I didn't much care for it. I've had a few college courses here & there, and done well in those too, but I finally decided I just wasn't cut out for college.

I've got a pretty good life now, though. But I have been lucky. Had I chosen not to stay in high school (get out & live my life, as you said), I think I would have had a pretty sucky life. Learning the basics is critical to survival.

I have every intention of encouraging my children to do well in school, and go on to college. Just because I didn't doesn't mean they shouldn't. I even toy with the idea of going back myself. I may do that someday. I'm older than you, but one is never too old to stop learning (my 52-year-old mother just got her EMT certification, by the way).

[realm505]

I just graduated HS, and you probably won’t need all of it, true. But pay attention, it’s not that content you need to know, it’s the context. But enjoy the years, go have your fun, and don't bitch about life, HS life has too many pressures to make any of that shit worthwhile. You don’t have to worry about student loans, balancing a checkbook, making major choices that will affect the rest of your life, or maby just a little bit. Enjoy it!

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"Life goes by pretty fast, if you don’t look around once in awhile, you just might miss it" -- Ferris Beuler’s Day Off

[tracer]

kellibelli wrote:

In 3rd grade I thought it was stupid to learn how to do cursive writing, I thought that printing would do just fine. I was 9.

And now that I'm a successful professional at age 34, I can say with absolute certaintly that cursive handwriting was one of the most useless skills I've ever picked up. My block printing is neater, more legible, and above all faster to write than my cursive is, and nobody besides schoolteachers gives a flying rat's ass whether your writing is in block or cursive, so long as it's legible. Even college profs don't care -- if they want you to turn in something that looks "neat", they ask you to type it.

The only use I've had for the skill is in reading other people's cursive writing -- and I always wonder if this other person wouldn't be block-printing instead if he didn't think he "had" to write in cursive.

End of soapbox.

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I'm not flying fast, just orbiting low.

[Kryptonite]

First of all you people address me like im against learning or that im a complete idiot. It also seems like all you people can say (most not all) is that i went through it so you can/should too. First off im not an idiot. on all the standardized tests ive ever taken ive scored in the 99th percentile in everything except math. that might not mean much to you or me but its gotta mean something. i read tons of books on philosophy, religion and history. I'm hooked on history and one day hope to maybe become a teacher of history somewhere...yeah i can hear all you people saying how i cant become a teacher till i get teached, but thats just it! i havent been taught by my teachers. Anything i am learned in wasnt taught by a teacher but by books and myself. also, i know this is the pit but insulting my grammar and punctuation is just childish on your part. i am not handing in a report to you people, im just talking. i dont spend my time on these posts but just type as i think and double check nothing. i type to you as i would be talking to anyone of you on AIM or in a real time chat. i dont think any of you take the time to correct everything you say when you do that.

none of you know me, you don't know what a respectfull intelligent and well presented person i am. none of you have learned a thing in life if you think you can tell a book by its cover. why dont all of you use all the logic and deductive thinking you were taught (isnt that stupid in itself, you cant teach those things) and think to yourself this: if im capable enough to read a straight dope book, use a computer and post to a msg board im alreay ahead of about 50% of this country.
ill reply to anymore insults you can dish out, happily.

P.S. i will happily scan in my results of the standardized test for all those interested.

[Byzantine]

Scorned? Scorn is a feeling of contempt. Something scorned is an object of supreme contempt. You wrote, "maybe I'm just scorned" and I think that's what others would say to you or about you i.e. that they scorned you. I think you were trying to say that you scorn the school system. Not that it really matters I just found your wording rather odd. No great slam but I'm just wondering what you meant. Or hell, I could be wrong about this, it's been known to happen!

Since everyone else has already posted why school is so important I won't reiterate but tell me this (riddle me this, Batman): what do you mean by, "I wanna go on and live my life!!!"? Doing or being what? How is the process of schooling holding you back? What would you be doing all day if you were not in school?

I hated the structure of school but I love learning. I don't think anything you learn in school is a waste of time. Even PE has it's merits. You wouldn't be able to post to this board if it wasn't for math, chemistry, physics, yadda yadda yadda. If you are not feeling challenged in school do what I did and study on your own. You may surprise yourself and possibly your teachers as well!



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The moon looks on many flowers, the flowers on but one moon.

[Kryptonite]

scorn (skôrn) n. 1. a. Contempt or disdain felt toward a person or object considered despicable or unworthy. b. The expression of such an attitude in behavior or speech; derision. 2. One spoken of or treated with contempt. v. scorned scorn•ing scorns v. tr. 1. To consider or treat as contemptible or unworthy. 2. To reject or refuse with derision. See note at despise. v. intr. 1. To express contempt; scoff.


i think i used it in the proper context. this nitpicking of my originial post to show how i need school is really getting pretty damn pathetic. you go ahead and tell me why i need to go to Tennis - 1 5days a week. oh and if im absent 5times in a cycle i fail and i gotta do it again...whatever people if you like me wasting your tax dollars for nothing ill be glad to do it. personally id enjoy seeing the singles swirl down the toilet

[Persephone]

Kryptonite, you may not need tennis lessons themselves, but what a PE class teaches you is how to compete, and how to be sportsmanlike. Sportsmanship is important in all areas of life. You'll learn how to win honorably, and lose gracefully.

My hat is off to you for wanting to be a teacher. It is one of the most admirable professions I can think of. But you can't even get hired as a sub without a degree anymore. Sometimes, we've all got to bite the bullet & do stuff we don't like, to be able to reap the benefits this life has to offer. Just stay in school, keep up those great test scores, and you'll get whatever you want out of life.

[ChrisCTP]

Very good Byz...

To add to that, if you aren't feeling challenged, Kryp, then there ARE things you can do about it. Talk to your guidance counselour about taking college level courses or moving to the next grade. Get into the debate team. Study math. It will be something you'll use daily forever, even if only trivially. Find out what is required of you to be a part of the NHS.

Here's a thought. Why don't you talk to your teachers? Tell them you that you feel "ahead" of the class, and see if they'll recommend you to a class more suited to your level of knowledge.

I have to agree with UncleBeer on the year-long school sessions. It makes sense in so many ways. (BTW, Dr. J: I think it's "formulae") :)

On another note:
Your grammar and punctuation were attacked for two reasons. 1) We always do that. 2) They sucked.

The next incarnation of Albert Einstein you may be, but Dale Carnegie you ain't. There's power in presentation, sweets. It doesn't matter how intelligent you are, if you fail to convey your thoughts in a manner that is easily inferred, the entire lot of us will assume that you're dumb as a post.



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Veni, Vidi, Visa ... I came, I saw, I bought.

[Byzantine]

Kryptonite–calm down! Jesus! If you would re-read my post I was JUST wondering if you had used it correctly! God in short-shorts, take a breath before you start spewing all over!

And you didn't answer my question: WHAT would you be doing all day if you were not in school? Should I type slower? Man, you should go hook up with Brithael!

[andros]

(A quiet space amidst the Pit flames)

Thank you Chris! Appearances DO count. Kryptonite, you're right--we don't know you. All we have to judge you by are your posts. If your writing is filled with errors in grammar, punctuation, tense, and usage, this is how we must perforce view you.

It's not a very big jump to that conclusion. Especially in the Pit.

-andros-

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There's always a bigger fish.

[Byzantine]

I've just got to add this:

There is a big difference between someone occasionally making a mistake like an for is or some similar typo and keyboard drooling. Spelling doesn't become a major issue unless the words are so badly mangled we can't tell what you mean. Punctuation errors or eccentricity in your punctuation is pretty much forgiven. The slams you are getting are due to the fact that we are having difficultly understanding you.

No one out here jumps on every little error. What we jump on is when the errors are so plentiful that the post is almost impossible to decipher. We WANT to communicate with you; help us out!

Honestly, even though I'm the one who posted the bitch about this topic I don't run around and slam every error I see. And my own posts are sometimes filled with sentence fragments or other big no nos like starting a sentence with and. However, I've never had anyone write back that they didn't understand the point I was making.

Now, if you want to spew all over me go ahead. Just try to be coherent about it! :)

[Monty]

Krptonite wants to be a teacher? Good grief! I'm now quite pleased that my daughter is attending school in another country.

[Gilligan]

...but what a PE class teaches you is how to compete, and how to be sportsmanlike. Sportsmanship is important in all areas of life. You'll learn how to win honorably, and lose gracefully.
Clearly, we attended different high schools!

[ChrisCTP]

Yeah, gym sucks.

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Veni, Vidi, Visa ... I came, I saw, I bought.

[Persephone]

Yeah, gym does suck. It sucks a whole lot of big, hairy, dead things, and I avoided it until senior year. I guess I was trying to say, in the gentlest way possible, if it sucks, it builds character, so deal with it. ;)

[Byzantine]

Ahem, allow me to add: PE teaches you to care for your body by being active. Some classes exercise your brain (math, chem, English) other classes develop your creative side (art, photography) but PE works the body and I think it's just as important as all the rest.

Yeah, I hated PE in high school but now I'm quite the fitness buff and can really see why it was important. Of course, this is just IMHO.

[andros]

Good point Byzantine. I'm closer to the pro-exercise camp now that I used to be (I'm willing to get up to switch the channel if I can't find the remote).

Gym sucked in HS. I hated gym, I hated jocks.

But I could at least put together a coherent paragraph when I wanted to persuade someone to my point of view.

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There's always a bigger fish.

[ChrisCTP]

Maybe that's what most PE teachers are like. MY PE teacher, however, was a royal bitch who only cared about how the cheerleaders were taking care of their bodies.

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Veni, Vidi, Visa ... I came, I saw, I bought.

[Kryptonite]

sorry guys but i didnt think my posts were that incoherent. you people must be stoopid :)....anyways this entire topic didnt turn out the way it was supposed too....suppose i told you i went to school in Kansas? suddenly you'd agree with me ;)

oh and if i didnt go to school id get 8hours of sleep a night and id probably get a job. ya know the kind you people have? no one finds their niche in life in HS.

i learned about winning and losing and being graceful on both ends by playing with my friends. we arent allowed to compete in gym and i never have done enough to help tone my body. If anything PE has given me more stress and anxiety, even though im pretty good in sports and enjoy doing a little work out every now and then.

You people have spoken to me like im not experienced in life. I am, maybe not to the extent of my aging buds here but im not deaf, blind and stupid. i dunno, it seems weve gone to different schools in different lifetimes. next time i post something to the pit, shoot me.

Krypto

[Persephone]

If you told us you went to school in Kansas, we'd just encourage you to go buy your own science books, with the money you'd earn flipping burgers at McDonald's.

And pray tell, why can't you get eight hours of sleep while you're in high school? I'm married, raising children, and have a full- time job, and I can do it.

[Kryptonite]

LOL, if i dont flip your freakin burgers who will? maybe ill be like Bill Cosby and go on to own your ass. what do you know? some of the greatest people ever to live on this rock never went to school and did just damn fine.

i dont enjoy having some teachers determine my self worth by a bunch of numbers, it sickens me to think of the system we have now. why dont you criticize that instead of me?

maybe you don't know what homework is, but i get truckloads of it. not to mention stress and anxiety keeping me up and just wanting to be a teenager and to enjoy myself. We are on this planet for such a short time, i wanna learn what i wanna learn, pursue what i want to pursue and live and enjoy. i bet you'd wanna do the same. i question why things are and you ask why i ask.

for incoherent msgs this ones a topper!

[andros]

'Kay, Kryptonite. How about this:

Yes, school sucks.
Yes, the educational system in the US has its problems.
Yes, sometimes the grading system at your school is capricious and arbitrary.
But, you are young. That's not a bad thing. But it's true, and it means that there are a lot of things you haven't experienced yet. The past couple years you've been too busy with interpersonal relationships and hormones and school and parents to have had much of a chance to gain world experience and have fun with it.
It sucks. We've been there. But it gets better, eventually.

I don't mean to sound pedantic or condescending. Just calling 'em as I see 'em.

And it really WAS damn funny to see your very sloppy and poorly edited post complaining about school. Sorta like "hukkd awn fawnix werkd fer mee."

That WAS meant to sound pedantic. Sorry.

-andros-

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There's always a bigger fish.

[Persephone]

Kryptonite, settle down. Please, just settle down. Sure, you can flip burgers. It is a noble profession. I have an empty fry box on my computer table right now, and I am mighty grateful that someone was there to fill that box when I needed it.

I know what homework is, too. I have sooooooo been there, and sooooooo done that. I never said it was awesome and fun. If you'll read my first response to your post, you'll see that I didn't much care for school either, and I chose not to continue my education after high school.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I thought I knew everything too. Then I got out on my own, and realized in a great big hurry I didn't know shit, and I'd better learn how to take care of my own ass in a real damn hurry. The most important lesson I learned was that being out of school does NOT equal being free to do whatever I wanted to do. No way, no how. We all find that one out eventually. Someone, somewhere will demand something of you, and it will suck, but you'll have no choice but to do what they say.

Work at McDonald's until you finish school. Then you'll have enough of an education to tell your boss to kiss your ass...in Latin.

[Kryptonite]

i dont work in mcdonalds people! hehe you guys are funny. i never claimed to know it all, but ive been out there. i can survive out there, i know i can. this isnt some stupid kid saying it, i know i can.

i live in Brooklyn, NY. ive been mugged & attacked. I've opened up a fathers friend of mines store, and ran it multiple times this past year. The store is located on Church Avenue which is kinda like a Brooklyn harlem. i dont have a problem answering to the highers ups if im making a living, but i dont like answering to a teacher when im just wasting my time. this entire topic has been misunderstood from the beggining and any further discussion would be a waste of time.

[Felinecare]

The next incarnation of Albert Einstein you may be, but Dale Carnegie you ain't.

Nor e.e. cummings or bell hooks.

[Byzantine]

Kryptonite shared: next time i post something to the pit, shoot me.

Okay, no shoving, I've got the howitzer ready so line up behind me! :) Sorry, I just couldn't resist!

Kryptonite then shared: this entire topic has been misunderstood from the beggining and any further discussion would be a waste of time.

Okay, true enough. However, it was misunderstood because of you! So what can I say? I'm more than willing to discuss problems in the school system but if I can't understand you...

[Doobieous]

maybe you don't know what homework is, but i get truckloads of it.not to mention stress and anxiety keeping me up and just wanting to be a teenager and to enjoy myself.


You have no idea what homework is until you reach college. Trust me, the real world is a lot more stressful than HS is. Your life is easy.

Do you want a family? If so, don't be surprised when you don't get to live that free life you want right now. Do you plan to go to college? Again, you think HS is hard, wait untill you actually have to prove you know your shit to get your diploma.

I actually kind of wish I were in HS right now, then i wouldn't have the stress of worrying about tuition, money, those 12 page term papers and then final presentations, paying off my student loans when I graduate, and all the other stuff that goes with the lovely world of College (not that I hate college, I love it, but HS is much less stressful).

Oh and if you think you can be a teacher without further schooling (i believe you said earlier you wanted to), you can't be one unless you go to college.

[Byzantine]

I'm sorry, call me someone who just won't leave this poor bastard alone but:

Homework? You think homework is tough? Wow, I'm moved, deeply, like right in my bowels! Like all over you!

I agree with Doobieous, HS is a cake walk compared to college where they really do expect you to think for yourself. You have too much now? DON'T go to college then, you'll never sleep!

And what? You think us "older" folks (God, I'm saying this and I'm all of 33!) have some kind of joy ride all day where we do whatever the fuck we want? I'm one of the lucky ones, working at home, but even with that if I don't work I don't eat, have a home, yadda yadda yadda.

I live alone and run the entire household. This includes; mowing the lawn, taking out the trash, laundry, cleaning, shopping, cooking, yadda yadda yadda.

What is your bitch? That the school system sucks? That you think everyone else has it easy? God in short-shorts man! We all have problems, we all have things we "have" to do that we would rather not but that's what being an adult is all about.

I'd love to just run around naked on the beach, fuck anyone I see that turns me on, drink, smoke dope and party until my brain leaks out like goo from my ears. But I don't because I like having a nice home, good friends, meaningful relationships, and no hassle with the law. I'm an adult (most of the time!).

Okay, I'm done ranting and raving at you, you won't listen (read it) anyway. But hey, I feel better and that's really all I care about as far as you're concerned! :)

[Persephone]

Okay, I got my eight hours of sleep. Thank goodness it's Saturday. At least, I think it's Saturday. I've been on maternity leave for a couple of weeks now. I'm actually busier at home, and I lose track of where I am in space and time.

I was going to try & think of something nice to say, but I haven't had any coffee yet. But since this is the Pit, I'll say this--I think Kryptonite is a troll-in-training. Okay, now I'm going to go drink some coffee, make sure my child doesn't set my house on fire, and try & accomplish all the things grown-ups have to deal with.

[Monty]

Nah, Krptonite's not a troll=in=training; he/she/it/whatever is just stupid.

I use the word stupid based on two items of evidence:

1) First post in this thread, which contains numerous errors in spelling, context, grammar, and logical progression.

2) Statement from kryptonite that he/she/it/whatever can survive "out there" in the real world.

Let's address number 2). Okay, Kryp; exactly how did you survive? As a minor, you certainly weren't renting your own place on your own. As a minor, still in school, you certainly weren't holding a full-time job. At least not legally. Now if you were hanging out in a crack house and supplying your needs with some drug sales, then you might've been paying for stuff on your own; however, a life of crime is not "making it in the real world." It's "not making it." The most likely answer is that your parents or other guardians were supplying you with free room and board and that your concept of "making it in the real world" means that your part-time job paid for the little extra frills.

I await your Ben Abbattesque response.

[Kryptonite]

*Sigh*

Ok, I wouldn't be bitching about doing work if I were fucking making a living. I am not making a living, I am wasting my time right now. My posts might not have been crystal clear, but they were damn good enough for you to see that:
1. I am complaining that I am not learning the skills needed for life.
2. How the school system obviously isn’t working.
Instead, I’ve gotten this bunch of hogwash from all of you about my grammar. You’ve all negated from directing replies about the school system.

I cook and clean too. I could move out the day I turn 18 and move into the projects that are 10 blocks away. Lets see, free electricity and water. I’d pay about $200 a month, maybe even less. I can take public transportation to places I need to go (as opposed to the limo I’m driven in now) and since I’m a white clean cut male I could easily get an $8 an hour job. Thank god for bigots, because I would be the most likely to get promoted and pay raises Etc. I already have a CD account, with an ATM card too. Perhaps I’d get a Discover Card and get some cash back bonuses with my meager purchases.

The prior paragraph is not my dream in life, but it could happen. I am going to continue in school since I have to. This entire topic wasn’t about myself dropping out of high school!! Oh, and I get 15page reports and I’ve taken some college courses in school. I don’t anymore, since it’s a waste of my time.

Cristi/Doobeius - If I ever had a family, It would be because I chose to do so. I did not choose to go to school, so it isn’t the same even if raising children is a billion times harder...which I know it is.

Once again, if I ever post a topic in the pit fire the howitzer. I will give the coodrinates on request. This was supposed to be how I and others aren’t learning because the schools aren’t doing the right thing, but all have changed it to “Kryptonite Bashing 101”. Whatever....

[andros]

"Instead, I’ve gotten this bunch of hogwash from all of you about my grammar. You’ve all negated from directing replies about the school system."

Ummm . . . What the fuck?
(OK, I'm done with grammar-bashing. But it's so damn funny!)

Kryptonite, your points are that you aren't learning what you feel you need to know and that school isn't "working," right?

So what's the problem? What's keeping you from learning? Is it the fact that you don't like the structure? Or the presentation of information? Or do you simply feel that schools shouldn't teach the stuff you don't feel you should know (like math)?

I'm seriously curious abou this.

-andros-

------------------
There's always a bigger fish.

[Persephone]

Thanks, Krypto. That post was much easier to read & understand. I knew you could do it...it was just a question of when. :)

[Monty]

Kryptonine: your last post shows that evidently the school system in your district is working to an extent. You were able to post something which, although inane, was at least intelligible.

Now as to why I call it inane:

Being an 18 year old, White, Male is not all that's required to get AND KEEP a job.

I add your assertion that it is as number 3) to why I consider you to be stupid.

[ChrisCTP]

Kryp, your last posting was MUCH better.

About your little scenario: You've already said that "it isn't your dream life". Good. You don't like school, you don't agree with the system? IT ISN'T GOING TO CHANGE BECAUSE KRYPTONITE DOESN'T LIKE IT. Like I've suggested before, talk to your teachers and your guidance couselour about transferring to higher level classes or advancing to the next grade.

If you really want to be a teacher, concentrate on your own schooling first. After you've graduated college and become a teacher, you'll be in a better position to make changes. On that note, keep in mind our comments about grammar and presentation. Your students will pay you zero respect if you can't communicate with them clearly. For that matter, not many people will pay you any attention or respect, regardless what profession you enter.



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Veni, Vidi, Visa ... I came, I saw, I bought.

[pldennison]

I don't know what alternate realm Kryptonite spends his off-board time in, but in the one I'm in, Bill Cosby has a BA in Physical Education with a minor in Child Psychology, so there.

[Monty]

Kryptonite: I believe your statementI did not choose to go to school is not only the crux, but the sum, of your argument.

First: that comment from a child usually is interpreted as "Wah!" and only as "Wah!"

Second: Granted, you did not choose to go to school. Now that we have that out of the way, please answer the following questions, in order.

1) How do you plan on getting education?

2) Whatever that answer is, it probably entails expending some funds of your own, so how do you plan on earning that money yourself?

3) If your answer to number 2) was "with my CD account" then that's dismissed. After all, you owe your parents for the room and board. That is, unless you don't want to be "making it on your own."

4) Okay, let's move on to the next query. Since we've discounted the CD account (anyway, that'll dry up without an infusion of cash), what kind of job will you have without a high school diploma?

5) I'll take it on your word that you're not blind or deaf; what will you say to prove you're not stupid? So far, you're proving that you are.

[Monty]

Kryptonite (and others): In case you were wondering why I didn't say you owed the City, County, or State for the education they've already provided, I believe your first post has already shown the value of that education in your case.

[moriah]

Yo, Kryp. Yeah, I dissed your gram and punk, but I also lauded your irony and vocabulary. This isn't a case where you're only seeing what you want to see, is it?

For example, with school, sure, it has its faults for all the good it's supposed to be doing. You're not just focusing on the faults, now, are ya?

Yes, many aspects of school suck.

Yes, many teachers suck.

Yes, many requirements not only seem unnecessary, they will turn out to actually be unnecessary.

But...

Many aspects of schooling are necessary, and there are some good teachers.

A story: I hated phys. ed. with a passion. Yet, it taught me archery, tennis, golf, and other 'life sports' (as they called them). I never thought how useful these things were -- I took them for granted whenever I went golfing or played tennis. One day, I was on vacation and the hotel had a handball court. My friend and I got the equipment but there were no directions. We couldn't play because we didn't know how. That's when I said to myself, "Wish they made me play this in high school."

So, you just might find some of the inanities actually useful some day. Of couse, this doesn't take away your justified dissatisfaction with teachers who are just plain awful or with being treated like just another brick in the wall.

Now, here are three things to consider:

1. If you're that smart, you should have been put in advanced placement (aka 'gifted and talented') so that you're challenged. AP teachers are usually the better ones. If you're not in AP, ask for it.

2. If you're that smart, don't be bitchin' 'bout how school work is oppressin' you. As a certified curve-breaking, MENSA-candidate, poindexter geek myself, I know the dirty little secret that geniuses carry around, namely, school work is easy. I could do all of yesterday's homework on the bus ride to school that morning. Also, study time is practically nil for us. I always carried a full or more-than-full load of classes both in HS and college because out-of-class work was a breeze. Smart people complaining about the academic load are bullshit artists (unless they're actually doing something really advanced or really demanding, like studying to be a doctor).

3. Consider that your frustration with the reponses you're getting springs from the fact that we're not chiming in, "Oh, yes, you poor thing, school is horrible!" We, your fellow smarties of the world felt like you did when we went through it. Now that we're out, we realize its importance. We're not telling you it's good because we want you to bear the same pain we went through, we're telling you it's good because we've learned from it, and we want you to, too.

Peace.

[Prairie Rose]

Kryptonite said:

"....saying how i cant become a teacher till i get teached..."

Gracious, I'm glad you're intending to teach history and not, say, English. For someone in the "99th percentile" your lack of punctuation and grammar is atrocious. My nine year old niece can do better. If you do know these skills and merely choose not to use them, you come off as a total dumb-ass. (Review the other threads on this topic, I'm not the only ones who feel this way!)

Kryptonite also said:

"....sorry guys but i didnt think my post were that incoherent. you people must be stoopid.."

No, Kryptonite, *you* are the one who is stupid, and an ignorant little troll-bait to boot. Start applying to McDonald's now, because no college (or other non-menial job) will take someone with such poor communication skills.

I throw cow-pies in your general direction,
Prairie Rose

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If you're not part of the solution you're just scumming up the bottom of the beaker.

[matt_mcl]

I notice that all any of you can to is to excoriate the way Kryptonite says anything rather than to take issue with what he says. So I will say the following.

School in general and high school in particular is a good idea. But it is pathetically mismanaged. I went to a very prestigious high school and I hated it.

This includes the mind-numbing calculus class which I will never use as a librarian/writer/activist;

the excruciating physed class for which I had no use and failed to provide on a physical level in two years what I got in two months after starting to walk up the mountain to college;

the "nonsectarian school's" school hymn;

the "school which believes in diversity" and showed it by putting us in uniforms;

not taking a shower at school in two years because I was terrified of being gaybashed;

my grade 10 English teacher who said my essays were not long enough and my grade 11 English teacher who said they weren't long enough;

the clueless administration who failed to consider that maybe I was antisocial because most of the other students were terrifying jerks;

the prom to which I brought a clueless girl to maintain the pretense that I was heterosexual, which I left at midnight, and which continued for another 24 straight hours in a wild symphony of wretched excess, cigars, and teenage alcoholism;

and the chemistry teacher who tried to get me to drink dilute hydrochloric acid. (I am not making this up. Imagine 28 pubescent boys shouting at you in unison, led by the teacher, "DRINK - IT! DRINK - IT! DRINK - IT!)

There is a lot to hate in high school. Sure, I learned a lot, but I look back on it with no pleasure or pride, and in fact with a great deal of embarrassment.

In contrast to college and university, during which I garnered some of my finest academic moments, I hated high school from start to finish and I am damned glad to be rid of it. Why can't you recognize that Kryptonite has his (valid) reasons for saying the same, other than being "stoopid"?

[matt_mcl]

I dreamt I was back in uniform
And a candidate for examination
History - someone had blunder'd -
And a voice rapped, "Knuckle under!"
Living on the law just short of delusion,
When we fall in love there's confusion,
This must be the place I waited years to leave.
- Pet Shop Boys, "This must be the place I waited years to leave" (Very)

[matt_mcl]

my grade 10 English teacher who said my essays were not long enough and my grade 11 English teacher who said they weren't long enough;

My bad. I meant, of course, "and my grade 11 English teacher who said they were too long".

[ChrisCTP]

Matt, I truly am saddened to hear of your high school experiences, and I'm glad that you were able to cope with it without blowing up the gymnasium or committing suicide.

However, I don't think that these are problems that Kryptonite is having. He's only said that he's not feeling challenged enough, in effect, that he's somehow above school. By the nature of his posts, we've all disagreed and, in so many words, have told him that he needs to continue with school.
I'll thank you to scroll back and read my posts to Kryptonite, wherein I specifically suggested that take steps to advance to the next grade and/or involve himself with the National Honour Society (or as someone else mentioned the Talented and Gifted.)

He claims he's dissatisfied with the school system, yet he has no interest in trying to make changes, not even personal ones (as moving to a different class, etc.) His answer is to just chuck it all and move into "the projects that are 10 blocks away."

He further demonstrates his obvious "teenagerhood" by assuming the following:
Lets see, free electricity and water. I’d pay about $200 a month, maybe even less.

Clearly, he has no idea how much it costs to live. (FYI Kryp, even if those apartments do include the cost of utilities in the rent, you aren't going to get a rent break unless you are handicapped, on a fixed income (as in Social Security), or a single woman with children.)

Kryptonite is not looking for solutions to the sad state of the school system. He is looking for someone to reinforce his misguided belief that his teachers are stupid and that of all the kids who hate school, he's the one who doesn't actually need it.

You can go ahead and back him up if you want, but I won't. I've been through this too many times with other teenagers, all of whom were very intelligent, and all of whom have learned (too late) that they should have listened to the people they consulted for advice on this very matter.

Once again, Kryp, if you really think there are changes that need to be made within the school system, finish your schooling, do all you can to hone your presentation and debate skills, and finish college. If at that time you still decide to become a teacher, you'll be in a far better position to initiate the discussions that may lead to the changes you're looking for.

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Veni, Vidi, Visa ... I came, I saw, I bought.

[Brother Haus]

I'm back (like anyone cares).

Back in my high school days we had the option of taking certain courses, like English Honors and Algebra or Calculus. These courses were electives; not required.

IIRC, don't all school's have this same policy? You could either breeze through high school taking the required english, math science, and history classes (for your diploma) or you could further your education early on and elect to take honor courses for a headstart on college.

In other words, why would someone take a class they might not like?

------------------
Confusious Say:
-Man who stand on toilet,
Is high on pot-

[TVeblen]

Kryptonite, if it's any consolation, I loathed high school and life seemed to accelerate the moment I got out. And yes, I loathed PE with a passion that has never stopped. It took me years to discover that exercise and sports could be fun.

BUT while I was hating it I was still learning a lot that proved to be absolutely crucial to success and survival later. Some of the things that bothered me the most ended up being the most valuable. The point is that right now you just simply don't have enough grounding and background to tackle life and achieve the best you could. Nobody but you knows what form that achievement would take, but it is absolutely certain that without a solid educational background you're chances at WHAT YOU WANT will be cut to almost zero.

Some of the teachers and classes I had were awful. Some of any profession are bad. But most were dedicated folks who had a lot in their brains to pass onto me, even if their presentation style or whatever (like my dimness in the subject area) made it rough going at times. And I speak as someone who went on to earn two masters degrees.

Krypt, the thing that concerns me the most is your eagerness to get out threre and tackle life. If you think high school is full of pointless exercises, wasted time and absurdity, "real life" will drive you NUTS! It's a rare night that I don't bring a stack of work home, because the day was taken up dealing with forms, regulations. cranky people, more forms, complaints, pointless phone calls, and more paperwork. And all of it has to be patiently and respectfully. (I'm currently working on a grant application--at home!--and it's already over 150 pages long. And I don't have the full budget breakdowns done yet.)

The point has been made earlier and better, but the posters were right. I'm in charge of hiring and directing a workforce, and no, based on what you've presented so far, I wouldn't hire you, either.

The standard figure is that 80% (that is not a typo) of a manager's time is spent handling personel related issues. That sounds conservative to me. An employee who can work with others, doesn't complain constantly and actually TACKLES the job is gold, pure gold. A lot of it skill, but the attitude is crucial, too. If you find it hard to handle the frustrations and boredom of high school, the real world would eat you alive right now.

[Byzantine]

Folks, I hate to point this out but I don't think Kryptonite will post here again. He wanted us to echo back and we didn't. He won't listen to us, he doesn't want our advice, he wants our agreement. Obviously, he's not getting it so he moved on.

Last thoughts:

Take the GED and get out early if you're so fucking smart.

Go live in the projects and get shot by a drug dealer, that will help clean up the gene pool. One massive idiot down, millions to go. FTR I'm not saying everyone living in "the projects" is a drug dealer or deserves to die. I know many of those folks struggle for a better life but K WANTS to go there...

Teacher? You couldn't teach my dog to fart or my cats to eat vomit.

Think for yourself? Yeah, you are doing that. Too bad you can't think with some common sense thrown in. Bummer! You'll be another one of those people that I end up supporting with my tax dollars by the time you are 18.

I thought Brithael was bad, but Christ in a side car, you are far worse! I've actually gotten over my fight with Brithael and reached an understanding. With you? Nope. You STILL don't get it and probably never will.

Anyway, good luck (you'll need it) and I hope to god you don't reproduce.

[tracer]

Byzantine wrote:

Teacher? You couldn't teach my dog to fart or my cats to eat vomit.

Heck, you can't teach cats to do ANYTHING. They're about as easy to train as a steel brick with an attitude problem.

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I'm not flying fast, just orbiting low.

[Lucky]

Byzantine;

"Christ in a side car"????

ROTFLMAO!!!

[Lynn Bodoni]

{Byzantine wrote:

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Teacher? You couldn't teach my dog to fart or my cats to eat vomit.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heck, you can't teach cats to do ANYTHING. They're about as easy to train as a steel brick with an attitude problem.}Tracer

Actually, you can teach cats to do things. The problem is that most cats won't perform on cue, as it interferes with their already busy schedule. SOMEONE has to kill the shower curtain, you know. And those piles of laundry need to be pressed by a cat sleeping on them, which also adds the finishing touch that every garment needs, the cat hair.


------------------
Lynn the Packrat

[Doobieous]

I know kryptie is probably not reading this but:

Ok, I wouldn't be bitching about doing work if I were fucking making a living. I am not making a living, I am wasting my time right now. My posts might not have been crystal clear, but they were damn good
enough for you to see that:

Hmm krypt, you say you want to become a teacher yet you consider highschool a waste of time. Let me tell you a little jewel of information *NO COLLEGE IS GOING TO ACCEPT YOU UNLESS YOU FINISH HIGHSCHOOL* Yes, you can go to JC (Junior College) but then you would say it's a waste of time because in JC you do pretty much the same stuff in highschool - general education to get your AA degree. Most state universities here require at least 2 years foreign language, 4 years of college prep level English (I think its been two years), math all the way to algebra 2 level (pre-calculus). Those are just the basic requirements. Yes, you may think you can live on 200 dollars where you are but in other places you can't (I assume you are in the midwest or the east coast). Most people who live in the projects want to get out. I dont know why you think its some little kryptonite paradise.

Where I live in California the cheapest you can find rent here is about 600 a month I believe for even the shittiest of apartments. My brother and his girlfriend pay 800 dollars a month to rent a not very big town house (two stories, 1 1/2 bath, 2 bedrooms, kitchen and living room, one car garage, and postage stamp size backyard). A house can cost $200,000 minimum here (And i live in a town with one of the lowest prices for houses in the area).

[ChrisCTP]

Agreed, DB. Like I said, Kryp OBVIOUSLY has zero clue about realworld finances.

I'm in Des Moines, Iowa and, though not as expensive as other large cities, to think that you're going to get a $200/month apartment here is a ridiculous underestimation. On average, a one-bedroom apartment here rents for $450/month. More often than not, they'll take care of the heat and water, but finding a place that will take care of the power bill is nigh on impossible, especially now that everyone in the free world owns a computer.

In the "better" parts of town, a one-bedroom will rent for a minimum of 525, if you're willing to accept less space than what you'd get in the other parts of town. If you want comparable size, you can expect to pay around $600. A two-bedroom in any part of town will cost between $550-$1000 dependant on location, amenities and square footage.

Median house price here is $100,000... way more for larger "elegant" homes in the historical neighborhoods or new construction. Heck, we live in a plain 1960's suburban split in dire need of updating (hasn't been redecorated since it was built), and it still appraised at 120K.

I heard a report that Iowa is among the states with the lowest costs of living. Another report stated that a single person with no dependants needs to make the $10/hour, forty hours per week (or equivalent) in order to live in relative comfort in any part of the country.

I don't know about other cities, but to make that as an entry-level starting wage here, you're either going to be working for a BIG construction company, or you have to have experience and be DAMN good at what you do.

------------------
Veni, Vidi, Visa ... I came, I saw, I bought.

[Ursula]

Krypto---I agree with you. The school system does suck. You, like probably everyone who replied to your post at one time or another, does not see the need for what you are required to learn for that diploma. I am a teacher ( certified for history/ social studies. } Ironically, my most detested subject in h.s. was. . . social studies. However, in college I had a tremendously talented and interesting professor who shared his love and excitement with his students. Hence, I became a history major. Many teachers have unfortunately lost their desire to excite young minds and simply have resigned themselves to collecting a paycheck every 2 weeks. The result is intellegent young people completely turned off of school. However, schooling is also not as much about what you learn book-wise but in the discipline of learning how to learn. I learned more in 1 semester of college french than I did in 4 years of h.s. french because I learned how to learn! (Plus my college french teacher was pretty fine, but that's another story. hee hee)

In reference towards the McDonald's employment opportunitiues-- what's so bad about working at Mickeydees? It is an honest living,and not everybody is destined to be Bill Gates. To quote Ted Knight in Caddyshack, "The world needs ditch diggers too."

I know someone ??Christi?? made a similar point, and I do love my fries at times too. Thanks fry cook! ;)

[The LION]

This is actually Lioness, my computer is acting wierd, what an I say.

Look Kryptonite, I'm not going to flame you, (well not much, maybe) and one thing you have said was correct. A lot of people have done well for themselves without an eduation.
But the world has changed alot. Yes school sometimes bites. But there are many programs today geared for people with a higher than "normal" IQ. Why not look into those ?

If you think being a teenager and having to go to school sucks, try having to support yourself and a family later. It is not easy. Especially when you can't make much over minium wage.

I am telling you this because you need to understand that life isn't always easy, and it doesn't always seem fair.

I am going to tell you something that embarasses me for people to know. But if you listen you may realize I know what I'm talking about here. I never even went to High School. I am not an ignorant person, I have learned a lot in my life.

But I don't have the education to get a really good job.
Oh, I've had jobs that were ok, I was an apartment manager for a long time. I was what is called a central station operator for an alarm company. I monitored and dispatched on alarms in homes and business'
But there is no way those jobs allowed me to be independant.

OK I have opened myself up,I know it. Everyone flame away if you wish.

Please Kryponite don't screw up like I did.

Lioness

[kellibelli]

At least you eduacted yourself lioness...look at your posts! You are obviously very literate...you should get your GED, then this could be a non-issue for you, sorry about the shit this must cause for you, my ex never finished HS, and that, coupled with the criminal record basically ruined his life.

Big cyberhug to you Lioness.
Kelli

[The LION]

Lioness again,

Thanks Kelli. I was so afraid of what had been posted after I posted, I had The LION come look for me.

I only posted that because I was hoping to get through to this KID.

I was just like that but I was in the 8th grade. But I knew more than anyone. And I wanted to be free to live my life. Sounds pretty familiar doesn't it.

I actually don't catch a lot of crap over it now. I try to wait until someone knows me before I tell them. Then they are shocked.

Thankfully I was ablr to avoid spending anytime in jail. Not that I didn't do anything. I just never got caught :).

But really, this kid is going to have a bad time if he or she as the case may be, quits school.

It is hard to go back, the older you get, the harder it is. And as I told her/him, todays world is very diffrent from the one I grew up in.


------------------
_________________________
Congratulations,
you have just been marked as territory.
signed,
The LION
_________________________

[sivancat]

I know this thread has pretty much run its course, but I can't resist adding this item.

When I was teaching middle school, there was a sarcastic little sign that said something like:

"Quick, leave school now while you still know it all"

I just thought it was kind of funny.