Whoosh! Ranting time (about myself and education)
Here is a steady flow from a source of interest: me. (Do not construe the last sentence in a vile way, please. I am a gentleman.)
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I am having issues dealing with myself. I want to get work done, and I have been doing a rather decent job getting back on track. I have outlines finished, ready to be followed and completed for my essays. My mind seems sharper and I am now thinking about the near future instead of just living in the moment as I normally do. However, this transition is painful and is not working out the way I want it to. I have distractions all over the place, and my work has suffered thusly. If I cannot focus, I cannot get work done. Even locking myself away from the rest of the world is not helping. It is as if I am subconsciously aware that I can just flee at a moment's notice from this self-imposed stress, literally and figuratively. Another side effect of living for the sake of living, I suppose.
This boils down to a problem with focus on many levels. I always have a distraction ready just in case I might have time to get back on track. A world of interesting ideas and other temptations lie on the Internet, trapping my mind in a never-ending cycle of procrastination. I have no motivation beyond that idea, and my work is behind mainly because of my recent workload and my self-wrought trauma. It is a rather vicious Catch-22. However, my only escape from my created issues comes through diversion. I cannot seem to shake the idea that I should just be focusing on my own enjoyment. I should learn for the sake of learning, and not because I have a grade on the line. I would rather just be asked about the subjects I have without the stress of pass/fail, and not have any proper "test-taking" or "homework" unless I see fit. Who knows how many tests I have taken in my life; honestly, do I need anymore written and oral assessment?
I think I do not. This view is not shared by the faculty and staff. I believe there are more interesting (and proactive) ways to look at a person's intelligences besides a test developed by people who have forgotten what education is about. Besides, a person's integrity and success comes from their ability to deal with society, not if they were valedictorian in high school. I truly believe that, and I cannot see a reason why the nation cannot see that as well. Because the focus has been placed on aptitude tests, this country will have a hard time coming to terms with an interesting fact: the system in place is creating unhappiness and stress for their children. Learning to take a test is a very damaging outlook to have on America's children. I see it placed on their shoulders everyday via observation, and it upsets me to the core. Children's lives are already filled with problems and perils, and creating a hostile society based on testing makes children even more susceptible to psychological damage. Here parents are, bent on protecting their offspring from lewd and violent stimuli that pour through television and the Internet. All the while, they ignore the rest of the physical environment. Society is cruel. Until it can be altered to be a more comfortable place for all to live, children and parents by proxy will be bombarded from all sides with this bleak existence.
How can this change? It is as simple as changing society's views to fit a better model: a model of improvement and growth based on the student. (I realize this easier said that done. It is sarcasm.) Progressivism has its name because society views the individual's growth as a progressive idea. Children learning and experiencing what they want to is beyond frightening to parents who want to protect their kids from other points of view and a society that must accept a black-and-white model or else it stops being convenient.
So that's the extent of my musings and ramblings for today. Feel free to comment.
~~~~~
I am having issues dealing with myself. I want to get work done, and I have been doing a rather decent job getting back on track. I have outlines finished, ready to be followed and completed for my essays. My mind seems sharper and I am now thinking about the near future instead of just living in the moment as I normally do. However, this transition is painful and is not working out the way I want it to. I have distractions all over the place, and my work has suffered thusly. If I cannot focus, I cannot get work done. Even locking myself away from the rest of the world is not helping. It is as if I am subconsciously aware that I can just flee at a moment's notice from this self-imposed stress, literally and figuratively. Another side effect of living for the sake of living, I suppose.
This boils down to a problem with focus on many levels. I always have a distraction ready just in case I might have time to get back on track. A world of interesting ideas and other temptations lie on the Internet, trapping my mind in a never-ending cycle of procrastination. I have no motivation beyond that idea, and my work is behind mainly because of my recent workload and my self-wrought trauma. It is a rather vicious Catch-22. However, my only escape from my created issues comes through diversion. I cannot seem to shake the idea that I should just be focusing on my own enjoyment. I should learn for the sake of learning, and not because I have a grade on the line. I would rather just be asked about the subjects I have without the stress of pass/fail, and not have any proper "test-taking" or "homework" unless I see fit. Who knows how many tests I have taken in my life; honestly, do I need anymore written and oral assessment?
I think I do not. This view is not shared by the faculty and staff. I believe there are more interesting (and proactive) ways to look at a person's intelligences besides a test developed by people who have forgotten what education is about. Besides, a person's integrity and success comes from their ability to deal with society, not if they were valedictorian in high school. I truly believe that, and I cannot see a reason why the nation cannot see that as well. Because the focus has been placed on aptitude tests, this country will have a hard time coming to terms with an interesting fact: the system in place is creating unhappiness and stress for their children. Learning to take a test is a very damaging outlook to have on America's children. I see it placed on their shoulders everyday via observation, and it upsets me to the core. Children's lives are already filled with problems and perils, and creating a hostile society based on testing makes children even more susceptible to psychological damage. Here parents are, bent on protecting their offspring from lewd and violent stimuli that pour through television and the Internet. All the while, they ignore the rest of the physical environment. Society is cruel. Until it can be altered to be a more comfortable place for all to live, children and parents by proxy will be bombarded from all sides with this bleak existence.
How can this change? It is as simple as changing society's views to fit a better model: a model of improvement and growth based on the student. (I realize this easier said that done. It is sarcasm.) Progressivism has its name because society views the individual's growth as a progressive idea. Children learning and experiencing what they want to is beyond frightening to parents who want to protect their kids from other points of view and a society that must accept a black-and-white model or else it stops being convenient.
So that's the extent of my musings and ramblings for today. Feel free to comment.