Tomorrow -.-

[l1qu1d]

Okay, so I feel rather shitty as school is starting tomorrow. I simply cannot bear the thought of returning to that hell-hole, I hate mostly everyone outta my small circle of friends and the teachers drive me insane. School generally drains the life outta me. I get that education is important, of course it is - the learning experiences and whatnot but SCHOOL IS NOT HELPING. I am generally interested in learning, I love to learn and try to find any opportunities where I do get to learn, however, school is just not one of them and has somehow destroyed almost every interest I’ve had. For example, in Science lessons the stuff we’re learning is pretty cool, you know? Blacks holes and whatnot, however, we are not being taught these things to enjoy it, we are being taught it to pass some lousy test in the most boring way ; I recently purchased the amazing book, Cosmos by Carl Sagan and while reading that I was put in some kind of ecstasy, my feet didn’t touch the ground instead I was up there with the many stars and the many galaxies and I felt this unbelievable feeling of bliss and I cannot help but to wish I found this bliss in school.

This is also posted on my Tumblr page so if you come across the same rant, yanno...

[SoulRiser]

I know how you feel. School ruins learning... it can be hard, but try not to let it.

[Dunjen]

I'm the exact same way! i feel bad for people who haven't realized that learning is actually quite fun. being able to own a fact or idea is a great feeling. School never teaches us to enjoy learning, they mostly teach us to hate it.

To make school suck less my friend and I made a rulebook over the summer. The whole idea was to come up with ways to distract ourselves from the boredom and life sucking effect that school has. An example of one of the rules is to always have something fun planned for the immediate future. We figured out that having just one simple thing to look forward to makes the whole school day go by a lot faster! Every day I know exactly what i'm going to be doing after school, and during the week i plan what i'm going to do on the weekend.

I put the 10 rules on my website and to avoid typing them all again I'll just put a link (i hope that's okay?? i don't want to annoy anyone by placing links in my posts). Here it is http://whatisschoolgoodfor.com/tips-and-...-10-rules/ . you'll have to let me know if you have any ideas to add to them or ways that you cope with school. I love the idea of creating a whole book full of ideas to make high school better for students; we would have to make it since the adults don't seem to care so much.

[l1qu1d]

(08-29-2013 02:27 AM)Dunjen Wrote:  I'm the exact same way! i feel bad for people who haven't realized that learning is actually quite fun. being able to own a fact or idea is a great feeling. School never teaches us to enjoy learning, they mostly teach us to hate it.

To make school suck less my friend and I made a rulebook over the summer. The whole idea was to come up with ways to distract ourselves from the boredom and life sucking effect that school has. An example of one of the rules is to always have something fun planned for the immediate future. We figured out that having just one simple thing to look forward to makes the whole school day go by a lot faster! Every day I know exactly what i'm going to be doing after school, and during the week i plan what i'm going to do on the weekend.

I put the 10 rules on my website and to avoid typing them all again I'll just put a link (i hope that's okay?? i don't want to annoy anyone by placing links in my posts). Here it is http://whatisschoolgoodfor.com/tips-and-...-10-rules/ . you'll have to let me know if you have any ideas to add to them or ways that you cope with school. I love the idea of creating a whole book full of ideas to make high school better for students; we would have to make it since the adults don't seem to care so much.

Yes! I love all those ideas! You can add this one though: Keep a book with you, always, you get tired of the shit you're in - you simply get lost in another world and maybe you should post this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC7aud4b3dQ for some inspiration or something. It's awesome :3 Thank you for the reply

[l1qu1d]

(08-29-2013 01:58 AM)SoulRiser Wrote:  

I know how you feel. School ruins learning... it can be hard, but try not to let it.

Thank you for the support :3 Now that I've found this site I think I'm gonna be okay because of the many who have the same views as I do about school Really glad I've found this

[Just A Minor Threat]

Books can be amazing. I wish school would allow us to choose the books we want to read instead of giving the usually trite garbage. Anyways, I'm starting school in less than a week and I know exactly how you feel. That really bitter upset feeling. It sucks alot. Good luck!

[brainiac3397]

Books are great, but the ones chosen by teachers and schools are probably purposefully meant to bore your entire existence. To make it worse is when they choose based on their own personal political/religious/philosophical ideologies. I spent my 11th grade year with an English teacher who went on and on about existentialism, while in 12th grade my AP English teacher went on and on about transcendentalism or whatever.

Not that I have anything against these philosophies, but these are personal views that should be decided by each individual, so making a class read only that ideology for an entire year is just insane.

[Miab419]

And getting one thing the instructor pushes so hard to learn while another instructor focuses on something completely different. I've learned how to do things like write essays and create presentations at least 3 times, each time one method is denounced and another is praised

[brainiac3397]

We had 3 different teachers teaching us how to write essays and use the MLA format, and all 3 taught us contradictory things -_-

[James Comey]

Over the past few days I've been making a "School Survival Guide" myself and I may post it next week. Here are some basic things though:
*Know that as every day passes, you're one step closer to the finish line
*Don't think negatively all the time
*Remember to live your life, it doesn't matter if "the real world" doesn't start until adulthood and you should start preparing for it. Say "fuck that" and enjoy the rest of your youth.
*Find a hobby. If you focus too much on school, you'll find yourself very frustrated.
*Get as much sleep as you can. Seriously. It really helps if you don't feel tired from the start.
*Remember that your day won't suck, because you won't make it suck. Always try to make it positive. Remember that perception is reality. If you're having a bad day and your textbook drops, you might get angry. If you're happy though, you won't even care and probably will forget about it. It really helps.

Some basic reasons, just try to take note of this. It really helps.

[Dunjen]

(08-29-2013 12:26 PM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  Over the past few days I've been making a "School Survival Guide" myself and I may post it next week. Here are some basic things though:
*Know that as every day passes, you're one step closer to the finish line
*Don't think negatively all the time
*Remember to live your life, it doesn't matter if "the real world" doesn't start until adulthood and you should start preparing for it. Say "fuck that" and enjoy the rest of your youth.
*Find a hobby. If you focus too much on school, you'll find yourself very frustrated.
*Get as much sleep as you can. Seriously. It really helps if you don't feel tired from the start.
*Remember that your day won't suck, because you won't make it suck. Always try to make it positive. Remember that perception is reality. If you're having a bad day and your textbook drops, you might get angry. If you're happy though, you won't even care and probably will forget about it. It really helps.

Some basic reasons, just try to take note of this. It really helps.

great tips! simple and easy to implement. those are best kind.

[l1qu1d]

(08-29-2013 10:28 AM)Just A Minor Threat Wrote:  Books can be amazing. I wish school would allow us to choose the books we want to read instead of giving the usually trite garbage. Anyways, I'm starting school in less than a week and I know exactly how you feel. That really bitter upset feeling. It sucks alot. Good luck!

Thank you, I'll need the luck. I leave for school in about an hour, actually.... Shit XD

[l1qu1d]

(08-29-2013 11:41 AM)brainiac3397 Wrote:  Books are great, but the ones chosen by teachers and schools are probably purposefully meant to bore your entire existence. To make it worse is when they choose based on their own personal political/religious/philosophical ideologies. I spent my 11th grade year with an English teacher who went on and on about existentialism, while in 12th grade my AP English teacher went on and on about transcendentalism or whatever.

Not that I have anything against these philosophies, but these are personal views that should be decided by each individual, so making a class read only that ideology for an entire year is just insane.

Yes! I so understand that - they do not let us think independently yet they criticize us for the lack of knowledge -.-

[l1qu1d]

(08-29-2013 12:26 PM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  Over the past few days I've been making a "School Survival Guide" myself and I may post it next week. Here are some basic things though:
*Know that as every day passes, you're one step closer to the finish line
*Don't think negatively all the time
*Remember to live your life, it doesn't matter if "the real world" doesn't start until adulthood and you should start preparing for it. Say "fuck that" and enjoy the rest of your youth.
*Find a hobby. If you focus too much on school, you'll find yourself very frustrated.
*Get as much sleep as you can. Seriously. It really helps if you don't feel tired from the start.
*Remember that your day won't suck, because you won't make it suck. Always try to make it positive. Remember that perception is reality. If you're having a bad day and your textbook drops, you might get angry. If you're happy though, you won't even care and probably will forget about it. It really helps.

Some basic reasons, just try to take note of this. It really helps.

Thank you so much ^_^ Really :3

[Just A Minor Threat]

(08-29-2013 12:26 PM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  Over the past few days I've been making a "School Survival Guide" myself and I may post it next week. Here are some basic things though:
*Know that as every day passes, you're one step closer to the finish line
*Don't think negatively all the time
*Remember to live your life, it doesn't matter if "the real world" doesn't start until adulthood and you should start preparing for it. Say "fuck that" and enjoy the rest of your youth.
*Find a hobby. If you focus too much on school, you'll find yourself very frustrated.
*Get as much sleep as you can. Seriously. It really helps if you don't feel tired from the start.
*Remember that your day won't suck, because you won't make it suck. Always try to make it positive. Remember that perception is reality. If you're having a bad day and your textbook drops, you might get angry. If you're happy though, you won't even care and probably will forget about it. It really helps.

Some basic reasons, just try to take note of this. It really helps.

Mind if a make some suggestions?
How about:
- If something (a person or teacher) is bothering you, don't be afraid to speak out about it. Staying silent only makes you jail sentence worse and they'll win against you.
- Bring some sort of music device. Time passes by really fast when you're listening to your favorite songs (sometimes It's hard to do this. If you have a more relaxed or oblivious teacher, it shouldn't be that difficult)
- Try to have fun. Fuck with the teacher. Ask her/him stupid questions that take up time. Pull a few pranks while you're at it. A good laugh will always brighten your day.
- When you're supposed to take notes, DOODLE, DOODLE, DOODLE! If you let school destroy you creativity, you know they've won. It worked for Calvin, it could work for you.
- (Kind of an add on to the hobby idea) If you have a hobby, then remember, you have something really cool waiting for you after school (Hey, if you're musical, start a band or something. Perfect way to vent)

Feel free to add or remove stuff. I'm just posting some basic ideas I think are good.

[l1qu1d]

Mind if a make some suggestions?
How about:
- If something (a person or teacher) is bothering you, don't be afraid to speak out about it. Staying silent only makes you jail sentence worse and they'll win against you.
- Bring some sort of music device. Time passes by really fast when you're listening to your favorite songs (sometimes It's hard to do this. If you have a more relaxed or oblivious teacher, it shouldn't be that difficult)
- Try to have fun. Fuck with the teacher. Ask her/him stupid questions that take up time. Pull a few pranks while you're at it. A good laugh will always brighten your day.
- When you're supposed to take notes, DOODLE, DOODLE, DOODLE! If you let school destroy you creativity, you know they've won. It worked for Calvin, it could work for you.
- (Kind of an add on to the hobby idea) If you have a hobby, then remember, you have something really cool waiting for you after school (Hey, if you're musical, start a band or something. Perfect way to vent)

Feel free to add or remove stuff. I'm just posting some basic ideas I think are good.
[/quote]

This is really good advice :3

[Just A Minor Threat]

(09-02-2013 01:05 AM)l1qu1d Wrote:  This is really good advice :3

Thanks!

[xcriteria]

Great start with the ideas! I'm working on a guide, too... the more, the better!

For some context, check out Desu's post a book for teens by former teens from 2011... it has a big outline of things to consider in a guide to life.

The more you learn about what life can consist of, how to influence your mind, and how to step back from automatic reactions... the more you'll find yourself saying, "which option do I take?"

If you can recover your creativity and practice brainstorming and reframing situations, so many more options open up to you.

I would also add, create and pursue a Personal Learning Plan. Instead of just trying to pass the time, try to use it better. Think about how to do the whole process of "K-20" learning (all levels) faster than the spoon-fed approach would lead you to. This means more than just absorbing information, but making sense of it and doing something meaningful with it.

One way to do that is, think of yourself as a researcher or detective, making sense of the world. It doesn't happen all at once, but if you think like this, document your experiences, and reflect back on them, you can learn a lot more than you can just absorbing information from others.

Also... explore your interests... think about what you might want to do in the future, look for examples outside of your current reality, and spend some time thinking about how to pursue those goals, hopefully in enjoyable ways. The world is at most of our fingertips... more than at any other time in history.

[xcriteria]

On another point: "Try to have fun" is good advice, but I highly suggest NOT doing this by messing with teachers.

In many cases, they're struggling in their positions as well. Try to understand them. who they are, and what they're about. Even try to talk to them about how school depletes you, and see what they say. Ask them what school was like for them. Talk about what you're finding and learning outside of class. At least some teachers can relate to these things, and the more dialogue is opened up, the more likely it is change will happen.

It might even be possible to negotiate doing different things with your time in school, if you can find allies and show that you really are learning in other ways. It may be a long shot, but some schools are becoming a lot more flexible. It's no fun for teachers to be stuck "teaching" when they can see that students aren't learning. Something needs to change.

Consider this post: What's a Teacher to Do?"

Deliberately messing with teachers who are, in many cases, struggling to do the job they were trained and are paid to do, amounts to bullying. How would you feel if people messed with you like that?

I'd also suggest catching up on what educators are saying about education in their talks. Even share those with your teachers and parents. Many of them really do see the problem, but they're often stuck in the system as well. The more people share their stories, the more can be done to change "not learning" into actual learning.

For example:

"We all know there's a whole media history about bad high school... TV series, movies, books, about how we all hate high school" -- Chris Lehman, Science Leadership Academy Principal

"I challenge all of you to go to a high school, and try and sit next to a student for an entire day. As you go from your 42-minute class, to your 42-minute class, to your 42-minute class, to your 31-minute lunch, where you shove down the industrial food, to your next 42-minute class. And at the end of the day, what I ask you is not to even remember the content of your 1st-period class, just remember what subject it was... and here's the other funny thing, is that what you're told to do over, and over, and over again, you have no idea why, or if you will ever need it." -- Chris Lehman, Science Leadership Academy Principal

(His school actually has a very student-centric, real-world-based program. It is possible, even if not many students, educators, or parents know about these rare examples.)



Watch on YouTube

[xcriteria]

(09-01-2013 11:33 AM)Just A Minor Threat Wrote:  Mind if a make some suggestions?
How about:
- If something (a person or teacher) is bothering you, don't be afraid to speak out about it. Staying silent only makes you jail sentence worse and they'll win against you.

Yeah. If you don't speak out about it on the spot, at least write it up and share your story.

(09-01-2013 11:33 AM)Just A Minor Threat Wrote:  - Bring some sort of music device. Time passes by really fast when you're listening to your favorite songs (sometimes It's hard to do this. If you have a more relaxed or oblivious teacher, it shouldn't be that difficult)

If you can, definitely. I'd add though, think about where you might not just get the time pass faster, but actually make the most use of your time, whatever that means. If the rules are lax enough that you can listen to music in class, you can probably do a bunch of other things (listen to podcasts, read, draw, make origami, who knows!)

(09-01-2013 11:33 AM)Just A Minor Threat Wrote:  - Try to have fun. Fuck with the teacher. Ask her/him stupid questions that take up time. Pull a few pranks while you're at it. A good laugh will always brighten your day.

I just posted about this, but side from messing with teachers, look for the comedic aspects of life, and try to have some fun. That doesn't mean treating everything as a complete joke... just try to find some balance. (Sliding Scale of Silliness Versus Seriousness)

(09-01-2013 11:33 AM)Just A Minor Threat Wrote:  - When you're supposed to take notes, DOODLE, DOODLE, DOODLE! If you let school destroy you creativity, you know they've won. It worked for Calvin, it could work for you.

Yeah, doodle and find other ways to exercise your creativity. There are many articles on how doodling and daydreaming has benefits for the brain -- these are actually a form of learning.

For example: “I Draw Pictures All Day”

Find articles on these topics, print them out and discuss them with your teachers and other students.

(09-01-2013 11:33 AM)Just A Minor Threat Wrote:  - (Kind of an add on to the hobby idea) If you have a hobby, then remember, you have something really cool waiting for you after school (Hey, if you're musical, start a band or something. Perfect way to vent)

A hobby is good, but think beyond that to interests. Find, explore, and pursue interests... including ones that are just for fun and those that might be relevant to future work or other real-life situations. Hopefully, you can combine fun and learning when it comes to those things!
Feel free to add or remove stuff. I'm just posting some basic ideas I think are good.

Overall, great ideas... thanks for sharing.

[xcriteria]

(08-29-2013 12:26 PM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  Over the past few days I've been making a "School Survival Guide" myself and I may post it next week. Here are some basic things though:
*Know that as every day passes, you're one step closer to the finish line[/b]

That's one strategy, one that more than a few teachers use as well to make it through their factory-model days. Just don't forget to balance that with making the most of the days passing by.

[quote='Hansgrohe' pid='495144' dateline='1377743199']
*Don't think negatively all the time

Yeah. It's okay to have some negative thoughts, and realize negative things, but don't get stuck on that side of life. There's a whole form of therapy called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that's based on keeping track of your "automatic thoughts" and reflecting on them to see if they're really accurate. Often people get stuck in excessively-negative thinking, and it impacts their mood and quality of life, which in turn leads to more negative experiences. By observing what's happening in your mind and what's going on out in the world on over time, you can start to get a sense of the patterns. Journaling, blogging, or vlogging are some ways to do that.

(08-29-2013 12:26 PM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  *Remember to live your life, it doesn't matter if "the real world" doesn't start until adulthood and you should start preparing for it. Say "fuck that" and enjoy the rest of your youth.

Exactly. Everything on Earth and beyond is the "real world," and life starts by the time you're born. Both enjoy and make use of your time, whatever age you are. A lot more of it is in your hands (and mind) than it may seem, especially with all the resources the Internet provides.

(08-29-2013 12:26 PM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  *Find a hobby. If you focus too much on school, you'll find yourself very frustrated.

Yeah, explore your interests, maybe even find a job or do volunteer work. Find and do something meaningful.

(08-29-2013 12:26 PM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  *Get as much sleep as you can. Seriously. It really helps if you don't feel tired from the start.

Yeah, this is important. Diet and exercise can also make a big difference in how your mind works and how you experience life. This differs between people, and I'm hardly the best example there, but it's something to consider. Some people find diet, exercise, and/or sleep to make a *huge* difference in how their mind works, energy levels, and all that.

(08-29-2013 12:26 PM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  *Remember that your day won't suck, because you won't make it suck. Always try to make it positive. Remember that perception is reality. If you're having a bad day and your textbook drops, you might get angry. If you're happy though, you won't even care and probably will forget about it. It really helps.

Yeah, through sometimes things do suck, and it's worth noting those points. Just don't get stuck in it, and realize there are often many different ways to interpret one thing. Most days have a mix of events, they aren't just "horrible" if you look for the silver lining and all that.

It's also very empowering to realize you can learn to recognize and step back from your first emotional reactions. It may take some work, but the first step is just observing them. Notice how you respond to things and think about why... then think about other ways to respond. This is a good way to exercise creativity, too.

(08-29-2013 12:26 PM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  Some basic reasons, just try to take note of this. It really helps.

Take note, try some things, take notes on that, and look back and see what helped. Think of it as an experiment, and see what you find.

[l1qu1d]

@xcriteria Wow, dude, ROCK THE FUCK ON XD your sources and words are helpful, man XD Seriously, all the advice - it really helps ! I loved the Chris Lehman video, think I'm gonna try showing that to some teachers

[brainiac3397]

(09-02-2013 07:18 AM)l1qu1d Wrote:  @xcriteria Wow, dude, ROCK THE FUCK ON XD your sources and words are helpful, man XD Seriously, all the advice - it really helps ! I loved the Chris Lehman video, think I'm gonna try showing that to some teachers

xcrit tends to write walls of useful text now and then(mostly now though). This might be the longest, if you combine the multiple continuous posts

[l1qu1d]

(09-02-2013 08:05 AM)brainiac3397 Wrote:  

(09-02-2013 07:18 AM)l1qu1d Wrote:  @xcriteria Wow, dude, ROCK THE FUCK ON XD your sources and words are helpful, man XD Seriously, all the advice - it really helps ! I loved the Chris Lehman video, think I'm gonna try showing that to some teachers

xcrit tends to write walls of useful text now and then(mostly now though). This might be the longest, if you combine the multiple continuous posts

I think I should be honoured it was on one of my posts XD

[xcriteria]

I think the walls of text were even crazier at The Jeff Bliss Incident and Marty's most recent thread (especially on page 2.)

So, how do all these pieces fit together?

There must be a better way to introduce all these bits of content and links to people, without overdoing it. It can be tough guessing what will really "click" with any given person.

Plus, a lot of people have seen many of these videos and links already, while others haven't even had the option to click, or a given item just didn't seem interesting at the time.

Here's another video, from Ken Robinson (he has several very good talks) that breaks down some of the history of education and what it needs to change:



Watch on YouTube

It's like, step one is getting people up to speed on what people are already out there saying, and step two is to see if steps beyond "survival" are possible... like actually changing how things are done.

This one shows what's possible:



Watch on YouTube

Ahh, but the gap between how school is for so many people and what learning can be like... :(

Having some kind of vision for what's possible at least provides a point of discussion, though. What's a good way to put these pieces together in a way that isn't like "aaah! what's with this wall of content!?"

[Just A Minor Threat]

(09-02-2013 05:41 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  A hobby is good, but think beyond that to interests. Find, explore, and pursue interests... including ones that are just for fun and those that might be relevant to future work or other real-life situations. Hopefully, you can combine fun and learning when it comes to those things!

Overall, great ideas... thanks for sharing.

That's really good advice. Finding things that actually matter and can bring you somewhere (I think some good interests are that band idea, or hey, even doodling could work, too. You might become an artist or cartoonist)

No problem! Thanks for adding some good perspective on my ideas.

[Dunjen]

I love this kind of stuff!! there is hope woohoo!

[James Comey]

Another thing I've found to kill time in class:
During my last period today, there's always that "dead period" during class, where everyone's doing work, or the teacher is talking but no one is really listening and everyone is bored. During this time, don't be bored while time is slow. Write or draw. It helps kill time.

[Dunjen]

(09-04-2013 08:56 AM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  Another thing I've found to kill time in class:
During my last period today, there's always that "dead period" during class, where everyone's doing work, or the teacher is talking but no one is really listening and everyone is bored. During this time, don't be bored while time is slow. Write or draw. It helps kill time.

That's so funny I almost directly quote you on my website.