Redpill quotes on schooling from Diggy

[TotallyHuman]

Having read the article, I feel like it has said a lot of things I felt but did not have the ability to articulate. Some delicious hot takes here. le article

I wake up at 7 and eat a hastily prepared breakfast. I dress up in my white button shirt and red tie, and leave. I enter the building, wait until the bell rings, and enter the classroom. For the next 45 minutes I will sit silently down at my designated spot (possibly near someone I hate) to write down things I don't care about. Finally, I am graciously allowed to leave for the 5-15 minute break. I enter a small corridor, with hundreds of other screaming people, running around. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a CCTV camera, watching my every move.


The bell rings again, and I find myself back in the classroom. The story repeats 6 to 8 times that day. Finally, I can go back home. I turn on my computer to play some games. But then, it dawns on me that I still have homework to do. Another two hours gone. Need to pack up my belongings for tomorrow. Maybe I still have some time for a round of Fortnite. Or I will just go to sleep, as I'm fucking tired. After all, I must be rested for the test tomorrow. A test where I will have to answer questions about things I don't care about. Okay, I've got a decent grade. At last, I can forget it all. After all, I need space in my brain for the next wave of trash.

School convinces you that education means sitting, writing down, answering questions on a test and forgetting. This is what's being engraved into your brain's circuits through 10 or more years of schooling. And with that conviction, why would anyone want to learn anything? It seems that school is designed to cause exactly this attitude towards learning. Even if a child survives the grind with his youthful curiosity still intact, they can begin actually learning skills only at age 16 (if they skip high school) or later. Regardless of this, education is impossible during the school ages, as there is just no time. At best you come back home at 14 or 15, and have to make your food, then solve homework. And your brain is fried anyway, so you just want to rest or play. Imagine if kids could instead learn what they are interested in without being distracted by things they don't care about. Without associating education with boredom or hurt. Every so often you hear about kids that taught themselves programming or drawing at young ages. But this is despite - not because of - schooling.

So don't blame them. Please realize that - for all the time the student is in school - the teacher has to be, as well. And they have to control 30 screaming kids at a time, for 8 or so hours a day, every day. This is very stressful and I've seen teachers have literal breakdowns. The teacher will have to compete for the attention of the student that is already bogged down with 10 other subjects they don't care about. And what they are supposed to "teach" is carefully controlled. They have to review the stupid tests, etc. So a teacher might be excited about a subject, but will still be consumed by the grind - same as the student. With this in mind, we see that the teacher's situation is even worse than the student's. At least the student has to focus only on writing things down - the teacher must take care of a bunch of children who want to be anywhere but in school.

 

[SailusGebel]

What?

 

[NotaNuffian]

So school bad? I thought we already establish that? Even CGPGrey the former teacher had stated that school is just daycare.

Also, schools' method of funneling students into batches is stupid, but since it is easy like tagging cattles, the higher-ups don't care.

 

[TotallyHuman]

So school bad? I thought we already establish that? Even CGPGrey the former teacher had stated that school is just daycare.

Also, schools' method of funneling students into batches is stupid, but since it is easy like tagging cattles, the higher-ups don't care.

It misses the point. That being, school is designed to make people tolerate abuse and scare the people into obedience. This is why it's so important to prevent the kids from standing, talking, or making any of their own decisions. Because this is the kind of populace the elites want

 

[LilRora]

Lemme give an example. When I was in primary school, I never wanted to learn any foreign language apart from English. Because we had to choose one language, I chose Russian, one of two available where I lived. Unfortunately tho, the school I was attending didn't have a Russian teacher, so I was forced to learn German for two years.

Then high school came, and I wanted to learn Russian since it was one of two languages available. Unfortunately, since I didn't know Russian because I didn't have Russian in primary school, I was forced to learn German for another two years, till I was transferring schools.

When I was transfering to another high school, I wanted to learn Russian, because we had choice of Russian, German, Spanish, and French. Unfortunately they didn't organize lessons for people only beginning learning a language, and here I am on my sixth year of German.

Quick calculation reveals that the German lessons already took over 300 hours of my life (even putting aside what I was learning at home), stressed me as hell since I was trying not to have too bad grades, and to top it off will significantly lower my end of year score, which is important when getting into good university.

Oh, and if we're talking about programming, I had my first lesson about coding in C++ in 3rd year of high school (so when I was 16 years old). Pretty fucking late if I wanted to learn programming.

So... yeah. I can't disagree with anything you've said.

What I want to add is that schools extinguish kids' curiosity and drive to learn. Humans are supposed to learn for the sake of it and for their own gain, not for some numbers on paper.

 

[ArcadiaBlade]

My view of school is that its basically a prison but instead of giving a parole, it gives diplomas.

Teachers are just police officers that might have the authority to either beat you up or take good care of you.

Classmates are just prison inmates that either you can form a gang with or bully you depending on your popularity.

 

[K5Rakitan]

Diggy? Diggy Diggy Hole?

Actually, this is more appropriate:

Personally, I enjoyed school.
I have a lot more comments to make in regards to my plans for letting my son choose between school, homeschool, or an independent study program, but I need to go to bed now.

 

[Kaithar]

I have long since come to the conclusion that the purpose of school has nothing to do with most of what they teach you.

1. Native language courses (English in my case) devote a lot of time to analysing books and writing stories, but really they exist to teach you how to communicate and how to interpret what is said to you. In learning how to analyse and talk about books you gain an understanding of social and formal norms.
2. Math... If you're planning to enter a career involving math you will end up using a surprising amount of what they teach, but the real goal is to hammer in to you both the math you use in daily life and equip you with an understanding of how to approach complex problems. In a way, the biggest gain most people get from math class is the application of logic and the ability to break tasks down into sensible operations.
3. Science classes have two primary purposes. Firstly they need to have you remember important mechanics, like how salt lowers the freezing point of water, such that you can view the world as a rational set of processes instead of magic or the devil's work. Secondly it is hoped that you retain enough of the scientific method and basic science that you can solve problems you encounter.
4. History class is usually horribly mangled... it's supposed to show what the world used to be like so that you can appreciate the things that let us live comfortable lives and avoid the mistakes made by our ancestors. It's meant to expose us to our cultural heritage so that we can properly appreciate the kind of people our ancestors were and the things they did. It's meant to warn us of evils and the suffering it causes. Most history classes fail miserably at this task.
5. I would hope that the purpose of geography classes is obvious, but considering the proliferation of flat earthers and climate denial it's possible there's failings here too.

You get the idea... school isn't supposed to give you a bunch of useful finished products you can take home and never use, it's supposed to equip you with the tools and skills to make those useful products when you need them... school exists to teach you how to learn, adapt and improve... and it does a really terrible job of it these days.

 

[NotaNuffian]

It misses the point. That being, school is designed to make people tolerate abuse and scare the people into obedience. This is why it's so important to prevent the kids from standing, talking, or making any of their own decisions. Because this is the kind of populace the elites want

Yes, the fear of higher authority is real. But when would you rather be learning in? When the punishment is minor like getting a slap on the wrist (which feels major when we are kids) or when you have to face the gallows as an adult?

School is not perfect, it is designed as a place where children are funnelled into a rigid education system that ends up with the children as dried husks. But what is the alternative? From the article, it sounded like a superb idea to let kids explore their own niche, learn at their own pace and excel. Sounds fantastic on paper, like how the school system does.

The school is a prison designed not to fix the gifted, but rather to pull up the floor that is the standard of average citizens. It is designed to ensure that there are less illiterates roaming the streets. Before you say home-schooled, I have ires on the topic.

The alternative of cramming children into an institution to be branded like cattles is to be homebred and taught, which is what should already be happening when the kids scamper back to their homes, maybe proud of their new achievements in class or cry about something. One thing is for certain; not all families are the same. Financial, mental, physical aspects already makes the each student different from one another, while getting thrown into a school might not help, it is to me providing a common playing field for them all, like a mock-up society.

Lemme give an example. When I was in primary school, I never wanted to learn any foreign language apart from English. Because we had to choose one language, I chose Russian, one of two available where I lived. Unfortunately tho, the school I was attending didn't have a Russian teacher, so I was forced to learn German for two years.

Then high school came, and I wanted to learn Russian since it was one of two languages available. Unfortunately, since I didn't know Russian because I didn't have Russian in primary school, I was forced to learn German for another two years, till I was transferring schools.

When I was transfering to another high school, I wanted to learn Russian, because we had choice of Russian, German, Spanish, and French. Unfortunately they didn't organize lessons for people only beginning learning a language, and here I am on my sixth year of German.

Quick calculation reveals that the German lessons already took over 300 hours of my life (even putting aside what I was learning at home), stressed me as hell since I was trying not to have too bad grades, and to top it off will significantly lower my end of year score, which is important when getting into good university.

Oh, and if we're talking about programming, I had my first lesson about coding in C++ in 3rd year of high school (so when I was 16 years old). Pretty fucking late if I wanted to learn programming.

So... yeah. I can't disagree with anything you've said.

What I want to add is that schools extinguish kids' curiosity and drive to learn. Humans are supposed to learn for the sake of it and for their own gain, not for some numbers on paper.

At least you have a life goal whilst in school, it sucks that your needs are not met.

My view of school is that its basically a prison but instead of giving a parole, it gives diplomas.

Teachers are just police officers that might have the authority to either beat you up or take good care of you.

Classmates are just prison inmates that either you can form a gang with or bully you depending on your popularity.

... We live in a society? How is this different from a standard workspace, where you have to earn your boss' praises and mingle with your colleagues, even if you might not like them?

I have long since come to the conclusion that the purpose of school has nothing to do with most of what they teach you.

1. Native language courses (English in my case) devote a lot of time to analysing books and writing stories, but really they exist to teach you how to communicate and how to interpret what is said to you. In learning how to analyse and talk about books you gain an understanding of social and formal norms.
2. Math... If you're planning to enter a career involving math you will end up using a surprising amount of what they teach, but the real goal is to hammer in to you both the math you use in daily life and equip you with an understanding of how to approach complex problems. In a way, the biggest gain most people get from math class is the application of logic and the ability to break tasks down into sensible operations.
3. Science classes have two primary purposes. Firstly they need to have you remember important mechanics, like how salt lowers the freezing point of water, such that you can view the world as a rational set of processes instead of magic or the devil's work. Secondly it is hoped that you retain enough of the scientific method and basic science that you can solve problems you encounter.
4. History class is usually horribly mangled... it's supposed to show what the world used to be like so that you can appreciate the things that let us live comfortable lives and avoid the mistakes made by our ancestors. It's meant to expose us to our cultural heritage so that we can properly appreciate the kind of people our ancestors were and the things they did. It's meant to warn us of evils and the suffering it causes. Most history classes fail miserably at this task.
5. I would hope that the purpose of geography classes is obvious, but considering the proliferation of flat earthers and climate denial it's possible there's failings here too.

You get the idea... school isn't supposed to give you a bunch of useful finished products you can take home and never use, it's supposed to equip you with the tools and skills to make those useful products when you need them... school exists to teach you how to learn, adapt and improve... and it does a really terrible job of it these days.

I think the most important lessons my school taught me were moral studies and critical/ creative thinking.

The former had taught the importance of being human and learn the virtues (shame that I did not continue with religious studies) while the latter taught me to think, mostly for my own benefits at least.

 

[Kaithar]

I think the most important lessons my school taught me were moral studies and critical/ creative thinking.

The former had taught the importance of being human and learn the virtues (shame that I did not continue with religious studies) while the latter taught me to think, mostly for my own benefits at least.

Precisely... in that regard, school is intended to be a tutorial stage for life, practice for when you enter society and have to make moral and practical judgements for yourself without the benefit of someone there to catch you when you screw up.

 

[TotallyHuman]

Yes, the fear of higher authority is real. But when would you rather be learning in? When the punishment is minor like getting a slap on the wrist (which feels major when we are kids) or when you have to face the gallows as an adult?

Oh yes, because without school everybody would become a revolutionary or a serial killer. We totally need a suoer rigid 10 year prison-like program for that.

School is not perfect, it is designed as a place where children are funnelled into a rigid education system that ends up with the children as dried husks. But what is the alternative? From the article, it sounded like a superb idea to let kids explore their own niche, learn at their own pace and excel. Sounds fantastic on paper, like how the school system does.

School isn't perfect, but it isn't like it couldn't be better? Or is the way school is the only way it could be? Doing away with most of the program (which is largely useless anyway) and not having little humans stuck in small rooms for hours when they are at their most hyperactive for once sounds sound to me.

The school is a prison designed not to fix the gifted, but rather to pull up the floor that is the standard of average citizens. It is designed to ensure that there are less illiterates roaming the streets. Before you say home-schooled, I have ires on the topic.

The article tacles why school doesn't do a good job educating and it is pretty common knowledge that school educatiom has been making people dumber and dumber. Also, I have read before some article where it was said that people without an education could catch up with the rest in something two years. Can't be bothered to find it.

Financial, mental, physical aspects already makes the each student different from one another, while getting thrown into a school might not help, it is to me providing a common playing field for them all, like a mock-up society.

Except society is not equal. Points like elite education vs public and rampant school bullying aside, there will not be an "even playing field" just because you force little humans into a socially accepted concentration camp.

We live in a society? How is this different from a standard workspace, where you have to earn your boss' praises and mingle with your colleagues, even if you might not like them?

Ah, yes, even playing field. I would also kill myself if I had to work in a workplace as restrictive as school.

I think the most important lessons my school taught me were moral studies and critical/ creative thinking.

The former had taught the importance of being human and learn the virtues (shame that I did not continue with religious studies) while the latter taught me to think, mostly for my own benefits at least.

Things that most people I know learned on their own. I did at least

 

[NotaNuffian]

Oh yes, because without school everybody would become a revolutionary or a serial killer. We totally need a suoer rigid 10 year prison-like program for that.

School isn't perfect, but it isn't like it couldn't be better? Or is the way school is the only way it could be? Doing away with most of the program (which is largely useless anyway) and not having little humans stuck in small rooms for hours when they are at their most hyperactive for once sounds sound to me.

Sarcasm fron the first paragraph aside, you seem adamant about that school as a large compound to hold the bunch of children and try to educate them is an outdated idea and should be reformed, or at the very least, reduced in sentence.

But here is the question, are you planning to have classes conduct in the web, have the students to do their assignment own-time-own-target and select their own subjects by their own volition? For the record, asking six to seven yo to choose their own subjects for their remaining edication years sound like disastrous to me.

The article tacles why school doesn't do a good job educating and it is pretty common knowledge that school educatiom has been making people dumber and dumber. Also, I have read before some article where it was said that people without an education could catch up with the rest in something two years. Can't be bothered to find it.

As someone with proper education from schools and most some of you in this website, the school has provided me with the bare minimum to at least get up on my feet in understanding basic linguistics and arithmetics, something that can't be done without a form of school/ class.

Schools dumb people down by forcing them down rigid guidelines and systematic learning, I agree and have suffered from it as well. But what is the alternative, to have a teacher handling just you or a group less than ten? It can only happen when the government decides to pour money on education, and not just in renovating the school into a Counterstrike map.

Except society is not equal. Points like elite education vs public and rampant school bullying aside, there will not be an "even playing field" just because you force little humans into a socially accepted concentration camp.

Of course society is not equal, fairness is a lie and equity is just a pipedream. For the record, I view school as a path of equality, not equity because I am sure as hell that getting seated in class next to the teacher's pet pretty much meant that most of the teacher's focus was on his favorite, not me. Even more so when I was the slower one.

But here is my take; at the very least, I am still receiving a passable level of learning from the teacher because it is in his jobscope and having failing students in his class means that his year end bonus can go byebye.

Is it amoral to shove kids into a place where they don't like, forcing them to take a long list of courses with only so little to take away as essentials? Yes. But what is the alternative? Having the parents pull their socks up and teach their kids themselves? Have classes not set in small rooms and instead at the great outdoors?

Ah, yes, even playing field. I would also kill myself if I had to work in a workplace as restrictive as school.

Because by the time when you reach legal age, you are supposed to learn how to adult and act like professional, especially if you are working as a white collar worker.

And working as a white collar engineer myself, the workplace still has its own restrictions, it is just loosely held by bosses because they trust you to know how to act and work.

Things that most people I know learned on their own. I did at least

in any case, good. You at least know how to seek alternative path of education when the primary path was insufficient.

*Here is my takeaway after some back and forth with you and most people in this thread, what are the alternatives of school? I am hearing boos from the lot but not a single solution, other than abolishing the current regimental system and... that is it. It sounded like you have beef with the current solution that has been running obsolete but no solutions other than "let the children learn on their own".

it sounds awesome, but it is still unfeasible on a large scale for the current age.

Not talking about how some kids in Pakistan have their limited lessons from mobile schools, the notion that students to have absolute freedom in what they want to learn from a delicate young age sounds fun and maybe practical, since not all students are monkeys that excels in climbing trees. But here is the question, why did they choose climbing trees as a test in the first place?

While it might definitely be to make gears out of children and preparing them to be the stunted adults of the future, what is the alternative? Child labor?

For the record, I agree to lessen the years in school, maybe from ten years to four, just enough time for the students to learn language and math. But the idea to abolish the school totally is even more impractical than school itself and the utopia of each student learning and exceling at their own pace is still a castle in the sky, for now.

 

[K5Rakitan]

People have recognized that school sucks for a long time. Here are some oldies:

 

[K5Rakitan]

The thing is that learning is intrinsically enjoyable. However, schools ruin learning in so many ways, making students feel trapped. Grades are one of the big ways to ruin learning because grades are an expected reward. See this article on intrinsic enjoyment and expected rewards:

Intrinsic Motivation: The Best Motivational Technique - PsyBlog

Intrinsic motivation is doing something for the pure pleasure of it, rather than for some external reward, such as money.

www.spring.org.uk

Part of the reason I enjoyed school is that I didn't stress about my grades. One of my teachers in elementary school told us not to talk about our grades with other students, and I think that helped me in the long term.

In middle school, I started rushing through homework, my grades slipped, and my parents intervened to make me slow down and do things properly by checking my homework themselves and talking with me about the parts I got wrong. Parental involvement in education is essential. When parents show kids rather than telling them that their education is important, it makes an impact.

Some parents may use punishments for bad grades that are unrelated to learning and do not show support for a child. Grounding a kid or taking away privileges will simply make the kid feel mistreated and trapped in the system. My parents did things right, and I intend to follow their example as well as improve upon it by offering my son more choices when it comes to his education.

I internalized that grades were simply a way to determine if I needed more help in a particular subject. As I got older, I didn't want to have my parents breathing down my neck over my homework, so I made sure I always did my best. I embraced it and made it my own.

In high school, I was a straight A student, and I enrolled in as many honors and AP classes as I felt I could manage. I enjoyed the challenge. I glanced at my grades, but I didn't give them much thought.

In university, I barely looked at my grades. It was too much of a pain in the ass to navigate to the place in the university's system where I could view them online. I always showed up to classes and never stressed about midterms. I didn't even keep track of when midterms were. I just kept scantrons and bluebooks in my pannier bag at all times. My version of studying was simply reading the textbook and taking time to enjoy it. One time, a professor called me on the phone and said that I had a missing midterm. I told her that I must have taken it, and she agreed because she always saw me in class. She said she would put in a dummy grade the same as the average of my other test scores, which would give me a B+. Then, she went and checked the stack of scantrons again and found my test. It turned out that I had just bubbled in one number of my student ID wrong. She called me back and told me that it was still a B+ and gave me a light scolding for not checking my grades.

Looking back, I see that part of my problem in middle school was boredom. The pace was too slow for me to feel engaged. Repetition is good up to a certain point, but too much can be problematic. I encountered the same problem in my major classes towards the end of my university years. The material got repetitive since there was a lot of overlap between classes, and I zoned out.

Mass education often moves too fast or too slow for most individuals, and this causes problems on both ends. The extremely slow kids have to take remedial classes and don't get to play, so they feel trapped. The kids who are just a little slow cause the teacher to go through the material more slowly. The average kids and the smart kids both get bored and feel trapped.

I've been talking a lot with my aunt, who is a retired school librarian, and she keeps insisting that school is important for socialization. She also tells me that schools are doing things a lot differently than they did when I was in school. One way or another, I'm going to keep in touch with my son's needs and respond accordingly. He can go to school if he likes it, but he doesn't have to go every day if I talk with the administrators and set up an independent study program for him.

Unfortunately, many parents don't have the time, energy, financial resources, or understanding of how the system works to provide the best for their kids. Many can do better, but we will never live in a perfect world. I'm sure I will make several mistakes with my son as well, but I'm still going to do the best I can for him.

Here's an article that influenced my decision to homeschool for preschool:

A top researcher says it's time to rethink our entire approach to preschool

A long-term study of a statewide preschool program tracked students through the sixth grade and found those who attended prekindergarten falling behind.

www.npr.org

... We live in a society? How is this different from a standard workspace, where you have to earn your boss' praises and mingle with your colleagues, even if you might not like them?

Ah, yes, even playing field. I would also kill myself if I had to work in a workplace as restrictive as school.

I expect that there will be more opportunities to work from home in the future, and I've heard that some people have difficulty staying focused at home, so part of my goal is to give my son the opportunity to set his own schedule, set up his own work environment, and figure out what works best for him.

But here is the question, are you planning to have classes conduct in the web, have the students to do their assignment own-time-own-target and select their own subjects by their own volition? For the record, asking six to seven yo to choose their own subjects for their remaining edication years sound like disastrous to me.

That might not be as disastrous as it sounds to you. Adults need to introduce subjects, but kids are very motivated to learn. My son is 19 months old and can only say a few words, but he learned his colors not long ago, and he showed a lot of excitement over that. I started off by simply pointing out different colors on his toys while saying the colors and sometimes asking him to point them out to me. The first time he showed clear color recognition was over his xylophone. Over the next few weeks, he pointed to things and said, "Red," to ask what color they were. Then, he started squealing with delight when I asked him to point to something of a certain color and he was confident about his answer. Now, he attempts to say the colors when I ask what color something is.

I read to him a lot, and he points at things when he wants to know what they are. He's even pointed to numbers in some books. When I read a new book to him, I ask him to point to objects he has recognized in other books, and he's often very excited by those things. When I ask where the words are, he points to those as well. I've started pointing out simple words and sounding out the letters to him. It's difficult to tell how much he's picking up since he hasn't mastered his tongue yet, but if his proficiency with colors is any indication, it will all snap into place someday.

My son always gets excited when I give him new books. Aside from the times I present my son with a new book, he chooses what he wants me to read to him. He certainly has his favorites, but his favorites also change over time. This shows me that he's already capable of setting his own learning pace to a certain degree.

Again, many parents can't or don't know they are supposed to give their children the level of attention that I give to mine.

I've been messaging a friend who has a nephew who "didn't speak at all until a few months after three and he had a hard time speaking too . . . We thought [name redacted] was slow/retarded. We were simply never taught to talk to babies tbh."

 

[TotallyHuman]

the school has provided me with the bare minimum to at least get up on my feet in understanding basic linguistics and arithmetics, something that can't be done without a form of school/ class.

Arithmetics can be certainly learned outside of school. As for linguistics... Well, I am glad for you, but how many people need it? There is so much garbage in the school system that most nobody will ever need.

Because by the time when you reach legal age, you are supposed to learn how to adult and act like professional, especially if you are working as a white collar worker.

Leaving the question of whether schoo does a good job of teaching that of all things to people aside, are you sure that they can't be learned without it?

what are the alternatives of school? I am hearing boos from the lot but not a single solution, other than abolishing the current regimental system and... that is it. It sounded like you have beef with the current solution that has been running obsolete but no solutions other than "let the children learn on their own".

https://alternativestoschool.com/faqs/is-there-any-evidence-to-support-your-assertions-regarding-standard-schooling-vs-self-directed-learning-3/

 

[K5Rakitan]

A relative on my husband's side is an assistant principal. I've heard both her and my aunt complain recently that parents aren't teaching their children to respect authority anymore. Here's my answer to that: Respect has to go both ways. I've seen many teachers disrespect students by giving them unhelpful lectures on topics such as "teenagers think they know everything" that only make students resent sitting in class all the more.

In my personal experience teaching merit badges, I gave pencils to those who needed them and started teaching without much fuss. I rarely had problems with Scouts. When problems did occur, I told them that they were free to leave, but most didn't. I think I recall just one leaving over the course of two whole summers. Many of them were clearly being coerced by parents to be there, and reminding them that I wasn't the one holding them captive helped.

Spoiler: Off-topic rant with adult themes

I was teaching multiple merit badges, and by far the most behavior problems happened in the course that was required for Eagle. I totally get that parents want bragging rights about stuff like that, but good lord! I've dated at least three Eagle Scouts (over 18) and they were all forced into getting the award. They weren't proud of themselves for earning it, and they probably wouldn't have mentioned it at all if I hadn't mentioned my summer job. I had to show one how to tie a damn square knot when I requested some bondage. Of all things to forget! To his credit, he was my second sex partner and the first to find my g-spot and make me cum.

We were short-staffed, so an older lady came in to teach a few classes. I observed while filling out blue cards, and I couldn't help but notice how she spent a lot of time lecturing the students about respect before saying a single word about the material. Apparently, she didn't like students talking before class. The funny thing is that her method backfired, and she had far more disruptions during class than I did. She stopped to lecture more about respect every time she noticed them talking. She also ignored the cup full of sharpened Dollar Tree pencils that I made available for her class. I'll bet some of them were nervously whispering to each other about borrowing a pencil.

Looking back, I kinda wish I had the courage to say something to her, but thinking about how she completely disregarded the pencils I told her about and set out within view, I'm sure she had her head so far up her ass that she wouldn't have heard a word I said. After all, I was just some 19-year-old lazy millennial spoiled by participation trophies who had no idea . . . you get the idea.

I noticed the same pattern in my university courses. Most professors did not take attendance, and their classes were awesome. The professors who did take attendance had overflowing classrooms with lots of noise. One of them in particular paused a lot to lecture students about respect. That was supposed to be one of my elective courses, but it wasn't for many in the room. Also she didn't use clickers for attendance, so she passed around a sheet of paper to sign, which I found very annoying because it meant I had to stop taking notes to sign the stupid paper, and I didn't have control over which part of the lecture I might miss.

In the more in-depth discussion I had with my aunt, she said that some teachers bring their baggage into the classroom. That may be part of the problem, but it's no excuse for not respecting students. Of course, no teacher is going to express their disrespect bluntly. They're clever enough to do so in ways that sound beautiful on paper.

I'm going to talk to my son about these things. If the teacher is giving too many off-topic lectures that leave a knot in his stomach or make him want to stuff a dirty sock in the teacher's mouth, he's welcome to walk out of class and continue the course through independent study. He can even invite other students to walk out with him and take the same course of action. It shouldn't be over one or two isolated incidents, but if the teacher keeps repeating the pattern of behavior, he'll have time to talk to other students in the class to see if they are interested in independent study as well and perhaps set up a study group before he walks out. When he's ready, he can stand up, give a well-rehearsed rallying cry, and march out, perhaps with his study group in tow.

If someone wants to use that last part as a story idea, go for it! If it's good enough, I'll hang onto it and read it to my son or let him read it when he's old enough to read.

 

[Kaithar]

People have recognized that school sucks for a long time. Here are some oldies:

I'll see you and raise you a Harry:

 

[RavenRunes]

I went to school because they had a big library and the librarian let me hide round the back of the shelves reading and didn't report my truancy from lessons. Thanks, Mrs Brocklebank. I owe you one!

 

[K5Rakitan]

I haven't watched the whole thing, but the beginning is good. Someone recommended it after seeing my writing.com contest.

 

[Alfir]

The real problem is when the students start challenging the teacher's authority. Only if people know the horror these li'l wankers are capable of.

I am just saying, don't mess with teenage karens, overly paranoid kindergartens, chunni middle-schoolers, opioid-infused delinquents, bully quarterbacks, overly-compensating nerds that love to correct teachers, pervy geeks, and most of all the repeaters who don't give a fuck.

In summary, leave the cheerleaders, nerds, geeks, crackheads, and junkies alone.
The only student you can trust is yourself, and the most normal student next to you. Take it from me, someone who barely survived kinder, elementary, and high school... Now that college is breathing on my neck, it's not just the students I have to be wary of, but also the professors.

They were once students too so I can only imagine what kinds of horrors they weathered and might inflict on their students in the future.