Every school day around *thinks* 10:30am? I have English class. Now it's a 12th grade Higher Learning English class, which means it's nearly a college level course for a high school credit. It's tough. I love it though. There are no real tests or quizzes. Just writing assignments and reading assignments. We're expected to read at least 50 pages of whatever book we were reading, or more if we're behind in our reading. And we're expected to write at least 5 pages a day of... whatever we want.
For me? The above is all simple. Why wouldn't it be? I love writing. I am a writer. I love to read as well, so I guess I'm a reader. We've been in this class for about one month. With snow days in between however, we've really been there for the equivalent of 10 days. And I'm way ahead with the book reading as I finished Beowulf the day I got it, finished Slaughter-House Five over a weekend, and finished Grendel the day I got it. Most of the class is starting Grendel just as of Thursday.
Anyway, the teacher is very college professor like. He has no problem failing anybody. If you don't do what he says to do then, you fail. That's simple and as he stated in the beginning, not his fault. He doesn't care about consequences much either. Because if you're a moron, he doesn't care about this politically correct bullshit, and neither does he care about your feelings. If you're a damn moron, he'll tell you you're a damn moron.
There are three students in my class that I cannot stand. Ryan, Ross and Tim. Three of the biggest idiots I'll ever see in my life, I'm sure. Our assignment one day was to write our morning pages. If you don't know, morning pages are 3 pages of "brain drain." A way to get the creative mind flowing. Almost like a journal, only, not. There's no way to write them wrong, and you just write what's on your mind.
I guess there isn't anything on their minds because all they did was talk and distract my train of thought for a whole period. The teacher put them in their place and called them out on being morons. It's mindless to do morning pages and they just weren't doing them. "This is stupid." Was their excuse.
'Well,' I wrote in my pages 'Maybe the problem is that you are stupid... not the idea of creativity and thought.... meta cognition, boys. Just focus and think about thinking.'
I can't believe, as a senior in high school, in a class you need to graduate, you just wouldn't do the work because "it's stupid." It's a class they NEED for graduation. I for one, would rather look stupid than not graduate. Because if I'm graduating, I must be doing something intelligent, right? What moron doesn't just do the work? SIMPLE work.
And then when he told them to read? They kept talking to each other. So he kicked them out. And changed their seats for when they came back. He basically ended up telling them later, that they were too stupid for his class and that he was making sure they were switched into a cc class. A lower level one, that they could perhaps handle. They were like "whatev man this is gay."
Yes, because "this is gay" sounds just so intelligent.
I don't know, maybe this was more me complaining? But has anyone else noticed the lack of intelligence in the world as of late?
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Haha! I love it! I've known people like that my whole school life! Yup there are plenty of stupid people out there. Of course, I've been one of those people who someone else might have considered stupid in art class. I've always hated critiqueing artwork. The teacher will give out an assignment like, "go to some art museum or gallery and write this and that about a certain number of art works." Then she'll ask what I thought the artist created the work for. Well most of the time I would just say, "because he/she liked the scene or landscape..." and I would get terrible grades on the work. Well, seriously though, that was my opinion. Just because my opinion didn't line up with the teacher's doesn't mean that I was wrong. I was working off of common sense. When I write something, it's because I have a story or something on my mind that I have to get on paper. Not because I have some deep hidden message to unfold. Same with art. When I draw something(you know, little stick figures attacking something... no jk! =P) I don't draw it because I want to express some hidden message. I just draw it cuz I feel like it.
The teacher thinks that she's being all artistic and meaningful but, to other people, she's operating off of flawed thinking, not facts...
For instance, who says that your proffessor's view on a piece of literature or how it should be interpretted is correct? I thought you were supposed to be learning how to think critically, not think how someone tells you to think. It's like someone asking you, "have you stopped beating your wife yet?" Well, basically, either way you answer you are agreeing with what the person told you that you are doing. Not very critical is it?
Now I know that there are genuine idiots who don't even think about reading or writing, but you also have to look from the perspective of someone who isn't a great writer and doesn't find what your class is teaching to be productive... I don't know... just some thoughts...
-Cheez Out-
Art criticism assignments, I take it that you never thought to look at what school/movement the artist belonged to and what they may have been reacting for/against?
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"We cannot redeem evil, we must combat it." -- Jean Paul Sartre
Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. And co-incidentally, it's also in my English class. I don't know about you, but whenever I hear someone go "that's so gay" I want to pull out a dictionary and show them - "gay" means happy or homosexual. There's nothing wrong with either of those things!
Yes, my rant is over.
Point well made! Hope you do well in your class, I'm sure you will.
"Who gets to determine when the old ends and the new begins? It's not a day on a calendar, not a birthday, not a new year. It's an event. Big or small. Something that changes us. Ideally, it gives us hope. Letting go of old habits. Old memories. What's important is that we never stop believing we can have a new beginning."
my roomate is always complaining about her classes, how they are dumb and she is not learning anything..but then again they are those simple assignments that are just there to open your mind alittle. if anything you do the work, you get an easy grade and yes you graduate lol. get over it. : )
What seems simple to you may not seem simple to others And why is it necessary for you to trash their character on a blog? Doesn't that make you look as "stupid" as them?
I think I was misunderstood.
Certainly it's not difficult for anyone to write what they have on their mind. If the didn't have anything to write about the teacher said "Write "i don't know what to write" until you think of something then. It doesn't matter." Something so simple as writing down what someone tells you to? I think would be considered an easy A, don't you? No matter how stupid you might think the assignment is, why not just do it, get the easy grade, and move on with life. Instead of arguing to make yourself look more awesome than the subject you're attempting to pass.
I've grown up with these kids. I've known them forever and know very well how highly they hold themselves above others.
All I mean to say is, if they have a problem doing an assignment that was basically done for them and all they have to do is write down... basically what they feel or think? What will they do in college? Or when the have a job? When someone tells them to do something, will they shrug it off and say "well that's gay, I'm not doin' that." I just mean, they just won't go very far in life.
"My Shoes Are On The Ground, But My Feet Are In The Air."
-Katt Martin.... whenever... who the crap knows what this girl is talking about anyway?
It just easier for some people to learn than others, no reason to hate anyone. No reason to get mad at some one for talking about it on their blog either. I mean, there are a lot of factors that are in a class that can change how well you learn the subject. Maybe the environments just not right in the class.
I just want to make clear, that I'm understanding of all these responses.
This was just meant as an outlet for frustration and to see what others thought, so I am thankful for all the feedback.
And, I see where you are coming from. I agree it's easier for some people to learn than for others. But I don't think this was a matter of how easy it is to learn. The assignment was simply to "write." If they liked a song and had it stuck in their head? They could've written that down. Whatever they wanted to say to each other? They could've written that down. You see what I'm getting at? It's not a matter of learning material. Just a matter of writing. That was all the assignment was. Move your hand with a pencil in it. Draw smileys. Anything. And they chose to goof off instead.
For them, perhaps the environment is wrong. It's opinion and the way a person feels, so that very well could be. Personally, for me it's fine, but I understand that for others it's not the right learning environment. The class is pretty layed back and there's a lot of just discussion on anything and everything. But for some people, that's just not their thing. Which I get.
But to not do this particular assignment is all that I was confused and frustrated about. Because... it wasn't hard to do. You could tell an 10 year old to pick up a pencil and paper and just write whatever they wanted to, and (if they have a long enough attention span) they would.
I know that I kind of slammed those three boys, but I don't hate them. They just frustrate me so much every day, and blogs are blogs. I know this is supposed to be about some kind of issue, but I believe it is an issue in teens. That they either don't have the attention span to just not talk for an hour. Or they're just "too cool" for school, as it were.
Sorry if I was sounding like a complete jerk myself, I just felt I should clarify.
"My Shoes Are On The Ground, But My Feet Are In The Air."
-Katt Martin.... whenever... who the crap knows what this girl is talking about anyway?
Ahh, I love college professors in a high school who don't bs!
My teacher, Mr. Bell is awesome. It's a duel credit class and he doesn't take nothing from anybody. The guys like 65 and taught some of the teachers. He loves scaring the crap out of everybody with his stories, but when it comes down to homework, if you don't do it, your screwed for the class.
Its a College Class, he always says. There's no high school excuses. If you don't have a paper done when you walk in the door to class, you don't get the points.
<<< KAT >>>
Well at least they aren't in the class anymore. I love using these blogs to vent... I love using any form of writing to vent really. But try not to get too aggravated with those around you who refuse to "embrace their learning experience". They clearly don't enjoy that class as much as you, but maybe english just isn't their subject. Try to be patient...and in the mean time put it all into your writing :)