Grades are for Idiots
So I didn't sleep last night. Decided to do an essay at the last minute. Story of my life. Everything at the last minute. I'm so bad. Really. How horrible is that for a teacher. Geez.
I forgot I had an exam today. Oh well. Done first, within 15 minutes. Hopefully I did well. It was on psychology and such, and I kick ass at that shit. Booyah.
Got a while till poli idealogies. Should be writing my conflict theory essay. Got it started, but I'm not sure where to take it.
On that subject, I have a bit of a conundrum. Conflict theory (at least as it applies to education) is basically applying Marxist materialist conception of history to schools. It's actually pretty intense. At least for me it is. Since schools reproduce society, at least on a smaller scale, conflict theory says that it is reproducing an essentially oppressive ideology. And that's bad right? I would think so. So that has big implications for school. Children spend more time at school than most institutions...and school is nearly as formative and influencing as the family (maybe even more for some kids). That's a big fucking deal. There's a lot of disturbing ass research about how depending on the school you go to, you are treated completely differently (ie: working class, middle management, executive). And teachers are the prime agents of this socialization process thru the medium known as the "hidden curriculum". Ooooo. Making sure poor kids can follow procedures, beating the rebellion and creativity out of middle class kids, and fostering the ingenuity and competition of upper class children. WTF MAN. The whole thing seems tremendously fucked and unjust to me. What's more, here am I, training to be a teacher, to take my hallowed position in putting kids in their "place". Wonder what ASU is...in terms of what kind of teacher it reproduces to oppress youth in AZ. Shit. I'm half-appalled that I am going to be participating in an essentially oppressive institution. Leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth and more than a bit of self-disgust. Oppressing kids and perpetuating and fucked form of class rule is the last thing I want to do. It's seriously been challenging my fundamental goal in teaching: to help, liberate, and enlighten.
But then...I started thinking about other jobs. Careers. Banker, doctor, lawyer, engineer...and realized that ALL of them are more oppressive than teacher. Dedicated to the status quo. Many jobs exist for the mere purpose of perpetuating a system to keep the workers docile under a socio-cultural hegemony. As bad as it is, teacher is the ONLY career I could come up with that even has the remote possibility of diminishing the massive, daily, choking false consciousness around us. I realized I can even do it in subtle but powerful ways. One idea I've had in recent months after a discussion from one of my classes is to have an absurdly high point grading system. Even the most basic assignment in my class will be worth at last 1,000 points. Epic lulz. Why? Cuz I want to show the utter subjective RIDICULOUSNESS of grading. And how they mean absolute shit. There is no value. Plus, if I just add zeros, makes easy math for me. Projects will be worth at least 1 million points. Who knows, maybe some students will work extra hard if I throw on extra zeros hahahaha. And yet...I'll still be conforming with the constraints of my job, having a grading system and all. But it will be like a big inside joke with the class...everyone will know that grades really are just subjective values placed by instructors to somehow represent something as abstract and unknowable as true student learning. HA! FUCK YOU SYSTEM! PWNED...
Goddamn, I hate this whole female tights fashion trend... NO I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FAT THIGHS AND CAMEL TOE. Fuckin gross...98.9999% of girls that wear these I would never, ever want to see their disgusting pectoral/genital region in the kind of detail rendered by ultra-tight tights. Same goes for those ridiculously tight and short shorts (roughly same effect). WTF. And that 1% is my wife cuz she's fucking hot and skinny and has a really really nice lookin vajayjay. Just thought you should know. Well I better stop there on my fashion rant for now, I've already delved too far into conflict theory for the day. Just goes to show that women DRESS FOR WOMEN...not for men, like they claim. Otherwise they wouldn't wear stupid, unattractive, and unflattering trendy clothes and would instead wear tantalizing, yet classy and elegant clothes for us menfolk to enjoy. Men don't want to see that nasty shit, we want to be teased, leave some mystery for god's sake, I don't want to see the exact outline of your labia before I get your clothes off. Dumbshit. That's fuckin mass society for ya.
Christ, I have rage problems. :-/
I forgot I had an exam today. Oh well. Done first, within 15 minutes. Hopefully I did well. It was on psychology and such, and I kick ass at that shit. Booyah.
Got a while till poli idealogies. Should be writing my conflict theory essay. Got it started, but I'm not sure where to take it.
On that subject, I have a bit of a conundrum. Conflict theory (at least as it applies to education) is basically applying Marxist materialist conception of history to schools. It's actually pretty intense. At least for me it is. Since schools reproduce society, at least on a smaller scale, conflict theory says that it is reproducing an essentially oppressive ideology. And that's bad right? I would think so. So that has big implications for school. Children spend more time at school than most institutions...and school is nearly as formative and influencing as the family (maybe even more for some kids). That's a big fucking deal. There's a lot of disturbing ass research about how depending on the school you go to, you are treated completely differently (ie: working class, middle management, executive). And teachers are the prime agents of this socialization process thru the medium known as the "hidden curriculum". Ooooo. Making sure poor kids can follow procedures, beating the rebellion and creativity out of middle class kids, and fostering the ingenuity and competition of upper class children. WTF MAN. The whole thing seems tremendously fucked and unjust to me. What's more, here am I, training to be a teacher, to take my hallowed position in putting kids in their "place". Wonder what ASU is...in terms of what kind of teacher it reproduces to oppress youth in AZ. Shit. I'm half-appalled that I am going to be participating in an essentially oppressive institution. Leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth and more than a bit of self-disgust. Oppressing kids and perpetuating and fucked form of class rule is the last thing I want to do. It's seriously been challenging my fundamental goal in teaching: to help, liberate, and enlighten.
But then...I started thinking about other jobs. Careers. Banker, doctor, lawyer, engineer...and realized that ALL of them are more oppressive than teacher. Dedicated to the status quo. Many jobs exist for the mere purpose of perpetuating a system to keep the workers docile under a socio-cultural hegemony. As bad as it is, teacher is the ONLY career I could come up with that even has the remote possibility of diminishing the massive, daily, choking false consciousness around us. I realized I can even do it in subtle but powerful ways. One idea I've had in recent months after a discussion from one of my classes is to have an absurdly high point grading system. Even the most basic assignment in my class will be worth at last 1,000 points. Epic lulz. Why? Cuz I want to show the utter subjective RIDICULOUSNESS of grading. And how they mean absolute shit. There is no value. Plus, if I just add zeros, makes easy math for me. Projects will be worth at least 1 million points. Who knows, maybe some students will work extra hard if I throw on extra zeros hahahaha. And yet...I'll still be conforming with the constraints of my job, having a grading system and all. But it will be like a big inside joke with the class...everyone will know that grades really are just subjective values placed by instructors to somehow represent something as abstract and unknowable as true student learning. HA! FUCK YOU SYSTEM! PWNED...
Goddamn, I hate this whole female tights fashion trend... NO I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR FAT THIGHS AND CAMEL TOE. Fuckin gross...98.9999% of girls that wear these I would never, ever want to see their disgusting pectoral/genital region in the kind of detail rendered by ultra-tight tights. Same goes for those ridiculously tight and short shorts (roughly same effect). WTF. And that 1% is my wife cuz she's fucking hot and skinny and has a really really nice lookin vajayjay. Just thought you should know. Well I better stop there on my fashion rant for now, I've already delved too far into conflict theory for the day. Just goes to show that women DRESS FOR WOMEN...not for men, like they claim. Otherwise they wouldn't wear stupid, unattractive, and unflattering trendy clothes and would instead wear tantalizing, yet classy and elegant clothes for us menfolk to enjoy. Men don't want to see that nasty shit, we want to be teased, leave some mystery for god's sake, I don't want to see the exact outline of your labia before I get your clothes off. Dumbshit. That's fuckin mass society for ya.
Christ, I have rage problems. :-/