I am of course referring to the weekend lifestyle that at times clashes with the responsibility to do well i school. I don't have statistics to support my argument, but I've come to notice that those individuals with highly enjoyable social lives don't score as high on their report cards as students whose parents keep them inside on Friday and Saturday nights.
Those same individuals also have a duty to keep up their party going reputations by having nice bodies, trendy wardrobes and attractive demeanor. That means more time shopping or at the gym and less time studying.
There seems to be some kind of correlation between socializing and academic performance. The more one dedicates to networking and social climbing the less likely that they do well in school. The more one spends studying and getting good grades, the less likely they have a popular social circle and attend exclusive binge drinking fests.
Looking back on my report cards over the years, I realized I did the best in school when I was in 6th grade. This may be because we didn't yet have to take a language, or because I really had a non existent social life. 6th grade was misery for me, yet I excelled more then I have since because I had more time to dedicate to homework rather then being on the phone for countless hours or hanging around outside. It was just me and my television that year.
But everything changed when I met my best friend in 7th grade. Then I talked more during class, was late from goofing off in the hallways and was on AIM every night for three hours straight, talking about bullshit. All because I had people who wanted to talk to me. I spent more time planning out what I was going to say on my xanga then I did writing an assignment. I left most work to morning advisory and put hardly any thought or effort into it, especially when there was an asian kid I could easily copy from.
I realize now that when I was sad or lonely I'd turn to work. but otherwise, if it didn't make me look cooler, I wouldn't be caught focusing on school work, even when my mother would beg me to do better.
Unless I got something out of it, I didn't bother trying hard when it came to middle school.
This trend followed me though my first two years of high school. Until I had a wake up call that colleges weren't looking for students who just got by, I was a bonafied slacker.
I know this post is more of a rant then a analysis of the institution of school, but there are so many contradictions that its hard to think straight or make a formal opinion.
At time I think we're not mature enough to really value education. In the book I'm reading entitled Reviving Ophelia, the author repeatedly states how difficult it is for adolescence to be their "true selves" when their so busy tweaking their "false selves" in order to please their peers.
At the same time its odd to me that so many authority figures keep drilling into our heads that in order to lead successful fulfilling lives, we must do as best we can in school. But as I see it, school brings kids great unhappiness.
Like George Vidal said in his article Drugs: case for Legalizing Marijuana; "Nevertheless, forbidding people things they like or think they might enjoy only makes them want those things all the more."
Of course, he was referring to the governments need to prohibit people from using drugs rather then legalizing them and allowing people to choose for themselves whether its worth experimenting.
But I believe that enforcing an form of institution on people who don't enjoy it many also make them resist it more. That's why college so many high school students look forward to college, because its a school experience where they get to choose what they want to learn rather then being forced to sit through a class they hate.
Like the author from the op- ed Liberal Arts Education: why it still matters,
"Studying the arts nurtures an appreciation for the richness and endless diversity of human imagination.
"The point is that it is not so much the specific content of our courses that is at the core of the liberal arts experience, rather the value is in a way of learning" This reminds me a lot of what Andy was getting at in Friday's (19th, so yes this post is OD late) class about how is we put more effort into the work we're assigned in class, many them we would make more enriched decisions later in life. But I think this works better in an enviornment were the student is given a choice to be there or not.
We all want an education so that we can go farther in life, but it matter what you do with that education in order to truly turn it into success. If a kid doesn't put their all into their work, then it may be like the lesson was for nothing. I concur that some students may take the education they feel they are "entitled to" and that what other kids would kill for in less fortunate countries. But why waste time in classes we can't stand?
I love English and History class, and greatly look forward to them, especially when I'm sitting in math class drooling with frustration and boredom. I take an English college class at Baruch where I feel excited to learn and its not such a big hassle doing the homework because I actually like what I'm writing about. If I had that same attitude for every class I took in High School, I may be taking straight A's. But I'm not.
What I have realize, though, and this applies to what Andy has been emphasizing in the many movies we're watched, was that when a teacher gets excited about the subject their teaching, he students do as well. I know this thanks to Mr. Z, who not only loves what he does but also shows much respect and admiration when his students get his lessons. He is patient when a formula is hard to understand, yet assertive in tolerating those who give up too easily, encouraging them to try again.
Although he doesn't take all the credit, its clear he cares about us kids and that makes us want to make him all the more proud.
I also have to give Andy and Mr. Manley a little credit for their teaching tactics. I like that they hardly stand behind their desks in, or give lectures to the class. They set up wide open circles and usually teach lessons through a group conversation where they encourage comments and questions rather them demanding obedience. It makes me feel like more of their equal rather then someone who MUST listen to them. Although it may make it harder to quiet down a class, it also makes it easier to open up and answer questions honestly and without hesitation.
I enjoyed the article from Pennlive.com because it rephrases many of the reasons why I want to attend a liberal arts college, on aspect in particular because they encourage studying abroad
"Many Gettysburg students spend a semester or more abroad in a cultural context different from their own. These kinds of experiences cultivate the humility, open mindedness, dedication to dialogue and respect for multiple perspectives that support meaningful engagement with the world and enhance our graduates' ability to have an impact on their professions and on their communities."
Perhaps if more teenage New Yorkers saw the hardship other communities endured, even in their own city, they would value their education all the more, and for reasons other then in attempts to make big bucks like the hot shot they see on Wall Street. Why is education strictly seen as a source of power rather then being a good person? Do we need to have lush living in order to be happy? Beatrice and I were agreeing with the point brought up in class that most schools attract a certain demographic of people and breed out clones of their parents. For instance, a kid whose father works on wall street would naturally attend a prestigious private school in order to make a high income to enjoy the luxurious lifestyle he has in is youth in his adulthood as well.
At the same time, a kid whose father works two blue collar jobs may attend a violent public school, where he just gets by in order to get his high school diploma and go to a community college, leading him back to the same neighborhood he grew up with less opportunity to make it in any environment.
There's not much room to try things out.
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