Hi Hi Hi! It's been a while, sorry, but I've been busier than a pack mule. Between school starting again this week and a bunch of work I have to do for extracurriculars and debate, I haven't been able to find much time to update this blog. From today on, though, I'll try to get back on my "update every day" schedule. It's the best thing for everyone, really; for me, because it keeps me honest, and for you guys, because it provides the most opportunities to have fun at my expense (isn't it great to know that you're better than at least one person?).
Here's a general #411: schoolwork, schoolwork, and schoolwork. That's pretty much all I've been doing for the last week, and even with this thorough dedication to my education I still feel as if I don't really "learn" anything in a school day. Any given Thursday looks something like this:
Precalculus - review things that I already learned over the summer, because I took the initiative of going over the course on Khan Academy in order to be fully prepared. I should try to figure out why I still make stupid errors, because arithmetic accounts for at least 2/3 of the points I've ever missed in math class. We took a test yesterday, and I'm hopelessly positive that it was a B, not because I didn't know a single thing that was being tested for, but because I can't fucking add consistently.
Spanish IV - I do actually learn things in this class, so I suppose it's the exception to the "school is a lesson in busy work" rule. However, for whatever reason I absolutely deplore the course and dread it day in and day out. The only reason I'm even pursuing the Spanish courses offered at my school is because I have an acute interest in the curriculum; that is, the Spanish language.
Chemistry - realistically, things are learned in Chemistry. My teacher is an awesome guy, both hilarious and in love with science, so I have fun in there, but the curriculum is so wide that the class feels forced, and understanding quickly becomes memorization. A better way to put it: we learn how to solve particular styles of problems, with particular sets of equations, and no greater understanding is ever fostered. It's no one's fault but College Board and the district, for pacing the course at such a breakneck level. Is there a better solution, though? If it wasn't so fast, than would AP Chemistry truly be the equivalent of College-level Chemistry?
US History - I also learn "things" here. The important thing to note about history class is that there is no distinction between INFORMATION and WISDOM. All we ever do is accumulate FACTS for the sake of TEST-TAKING, instead of looking at history CRITICALLY for the sake of INSIGHT. The teacher is a funny guy though, loves history, and I like him well enough. He also has a naughty - albeit adorable - child who attends class upon occasion (normally when he's bitten someone in his daycare, or something along those lines). We had a test today, and honestly, it was a clinic in information regurgitation. Disgusting. Also probably College Board's fault.
College Board, by the way, is a non-profit that adjudicates much of an individuals High School career in the US. Things from standardized testing, to receiving college credit for advanced course, to matching student to campus are all tasks organized and monitored by the organization. As such, it's the natural target of ginormous amounts of criticism, some of which is actually justified. I feel neutral towards the body; at heart, they seem to have popular education in mind, which is the best thing in the world for the world. I can't complain; I get to take "rigorous courses" and have a wealth of college-seeking information at my fingertips that no other generation has had, all because of the services offered by College Board. Anyways, sorry for the tangent; back to my day:
English - I don't learn a single thing! Since youth, I've considered myself and have been widely considered by my peers to be an exceptional writer (haughty as that may be), and yet I receive average grades in the course. Despite the frustration this has incurred, I've done my best to stay objective and seek out criticism from my peers and instructors to better myself and my literary offerings. Nothing, however, nothing has ever been conclusive, and any given piece of advice is either A. meaningless / too abstract to apply practically or B. contradictory to other advice I've received in the past. I'm so lost in English; the best thing I can do is to write endlessly, which is the Saturday-essay-writing-task I've self-inflicted.
Environmental Science - probably the easiest class I've ever taken in high school. I sleep through the whole period, and the material has gotten even easier as the year progresses. On the upside, the teacher is a hottie with fake jugs, so at least I get to enjoy the, ahem... lecture.
Physics - my favorite class, because I actually get to think critically and solve problems. It is unfathomably rewarding, after a day of information synthesis, to be able to put your mind to a problem and SOLVE IT. I'm actually pretty good at Physics, too, and have yet to score below 97 for any of the tests. Next year, AP Physics is definitely in the cards. Right now we're looking at work, power, and a general extension of 2D kinematics, which is one of the more rigorous units we've undertaken as of yet. Love it!
Anyways, I hope that serves well enough as an update for today. Tomorrow, after I actually go to the gym again (I've decided to switch to 24hr fitness, so this last week has been a transition [laziness] period) and collect my thoughts more accurately, I'll write a post that actually covers the goals that this blog was supposed to be about. This Saturday will be my first official SAT; wish me luck!
Love you all. No, really.
You should start writing again, it really helped. You seem like a cool guy, sad to see you've stopped.
ReplyDeleteFirst, you are a great writer - as long as we are talking about fiction or some sort of storytelling genre. However, when it comes to academics and writing, you have much too much voice in everything you write. This should entirely be a great thing to have, but it is frowned upon in the academic world where we are bred to be the best we can be within societal frameworkings. Let me put it this way, in all of your writing, you seem to be having a conversation with the reader. This is how most of the greats write, read any Vonnegut book and you will see him flowing with conversational writing. Read Douglas Adams, same thing, he writes pure entertainment and really feels like he is sucking the reader into his world through his convesational writing. When it comes to academic writing, there are two main rules to follow: 1. Keep it as short as possible without cutting out the details. For example, this: "Sarah, lazily, trudged across the living room to the dinner table, the hardwood floors echoing down the hallway." vs. : "Sarah walked to the dinner table." That's a poor example, but it illustrates the concept (that academia and especially test makers abhorrently ) of "most correct". For the English section of the ACT, if you answer the shortest answer 100% of the time, you will score on average about a 66%-75% (can't remember the exact number).
ReplyDeleteAlso, I read your last essay on the Post Office, but did not read all of the exceprts that went along with the question. The one complaint I had was that your thesis statement was that "the post office was making no effort to correct the problems with its business model". First, this is a blatant inference from the articles. Nowhere in the articles I "skimmed" did it mention that the post office was not taking steps. So this would be where a huge improvement could come in your essay. Do not write an inference as your thesis statement of your paper. By all means, infer away in the body of the paper and come to your own conclusions based on the citations; but, do make sure that you expressively state that it is an inference and not fact, using language like, "leading to the opinion that the post office maintains a stubborn stance against reform". ----I agree it is a formality, but it is important when writing to be entirely clear what is fact and what is inferred. This alone will make your writing 100% more relevant and believable and should be the goal of an english class. Gratefully, my english teachers in high school were incredible and even better in college. Take as many AP courses as you can in college (especially english). Since they expect students to perform better, you get better grades and you have amazing teachers/metnors for lifetime.