Today is the first day of school throughout the NY tri-state area, and my commute will change drastically. There is a high school on the main drag near my workplace, and to avoid passing it, I would have to drive significantly out of my way. I live across the street from a school, so I have to contend with bus traffic if I don't leave my house considerably early. All said, the commute completely changes when school is in session, from a mildly annoying one to a much, much more exasperating drive.
Also on the topic of a return to academics, I had a somewhat depressing conversation with one of my upstairs neighbors last Friday. **REDACTED** is a very nice girl, but she's totally unenthusiastic about school. She's entering the tenth grade and she doesn't like any of her subjects. When I spoke to her, she hadn't finished her summer reading and she still had an essay to write. I'd try to get her on the topic of some subject that might be interesting to her, but she's not an enthusiastic student at all. She's a great girl- last winter, when I shoveled the neighbors' driveway, she joined me and cleaned off their front porch. She ultimately plans on attending the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and going into law enforcement, where her compassionate nature could serve her better than her academic achievements. Still, though, I think back on my love of school and I can't help but feel a little sad.
Hopefully, she'll find some subject to be more enthusiastic about.
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I also hated school. I hated having to get out of bed only to wait for a dreaded school bus. I hated the classes, the teachers, the extra-curricular activities...I hated everything about school, and would watch the clock in agony for the final bell.
This is very strange considering that I willingly attended university for 6 years. It must have been because college had better pot.
Looking back on my life under education, it's hard to imagine how and why I did what I did.
Basically, I busted my tail in H.S., classes-wise. For instance, we had 8 periods, one of which was supposed to be lunch. And there was a certain number of courses you needed to graduate, which meant that a lot of people only needed 5 periods or so by senior year...so they could spend extra time listening to Led Zeppelin IV (turned up to eleven, of course) while playing ping pong in the senior lounge.
Then I got to the fancy college. There were all these cool people to hang out with, including ladies!!!
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I hated school. I hated elementary school - I was socially awkward and, worse than being unpopular, I was invisible. Junior high school was the same but worse, and by high school I started to look up from books and music to motorcycles, drugs, booze and getting in trouble.
I placed very high on all the standardized tests and qualified for all the 'gifted' programs that were so popular in California public schools in the sixties. Everybody thought I was smart, but I was just a really fast reader with a natural gift for writing, along with a remarkable ability to retain what I read. So passing classes was easy, except for the homework, which I was too lazy to do and would procrastinate until it was due. I got As in class and Ds and Fs in homework and BARELY graduated with a C average (I flunked PE every semester because I wouldn't participate so I didn't actually have enough credits to graduate - the Dean signed a waiver because he knew I passed all the tests).
There was NO FUCKING WAY I was going to go to school one more minute after they handed me that diploma. And it's kind of odd, because I have a lifelong love of learning. But problematically, I only love learning about things I'm interested in - I can spend all day reading and watching YouTube lectures on Particle Physics and Cosmology, but start talking about some of the 'softer' sciences and I'll tune right out.
It's really a universal problem - school is a social process as much as it is an educational one, and very little is done to help support the socially challenged in order to see that they can have a good educational experience...
This is very strange considering that I willingly attended university for 6 years. It must have been because college had better pot.
Better pot, better sex, better everything!
Then I got to the fancy college. There were all these cool people to hang out with, including ladies!!!
And you could turn Led Zeppelin IV up to twelve!
Everybody thought I was smart, but I was just a really fast reader with a natural gift for writing, along with a remarkable ability to retain what I read.
In other words, smart!
But problematically, I only love learning about things I'm interested in - I can spend all day reading and watching YouTube lectures on Particle Physics and Cosmology, but start talking about some of the 'softer' sciences and I'll tune right out.
The beauty of college is you can largely take subjects you are interested in.
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