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Subject: School is pointless. Discuss.
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Stalin's results in Drama.
Unit 1-Consisting of coursework, as well as workshops in class-- 81/90
Unit 2-Practical Production. The acting side of the course. 120/120
Unit 3-Final Exam. Analysis of production you have seen, and unit 2. 21/90.
Overall grade.....B


I was going to write an entire essay about the worthlessness of modern schooling, but I really am too tired/depressed/busy to do that.

So I will make it simple. School is pointless. Discuss.



[Edited on 8/23/2004 9:07:00 AM]

  • 08.23.2004 9:06 AM PDT
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Well I'd rather go to school and then get a good high paying job, than work at mcdonalds for the rest of my life.

  • 08.23.2004 9:21 AM PDT
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i hope to be an illustrator one day. without school i think that that would be impossible.

plus it gives poor depressed people like me something to do. but i wish some things would change! but not sure what to change!

  • 08.23.2004 9:25 AM PDT
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Ah, perhaps I should give some points...

-Exams are worth nothing. A monkey could sit an exam and pass-It is about memorising knowledge and regurgitating it.

-Grades are another method of control. They add unwanted pressure to students. Also, the way it is drilled into you that 'These grades will shape the rest of your life' is terrible.

-The Halo Effect. This is a theory in which more asthetically attractive students are rewarded more and punished less for their actions than an unattractive student. For example, in the same school, two students break a window. One is attractive, one is not. The Halo Effect suggests that the more attractive student will get off far more lighty than the unattractive student.

-Bullying, discrimination, fighting, general anti-social behaviour.

There are more, but I will leave you with those to chew on for now.

  • 08.23.2004 9:32 AM PDT
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Make art something where you are actually creative. by the gods in my art class in grade 9 all we did was draw gemometric shapes and do horison lines, etc. I think about half the classs didn't know what they were. Why do these stupid idiots take art...

  • 08.23.2004 9:32 AM PDT
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so, school is pointless because you got a B in drama class?

EDIT:
if you think it's bad in grade school (by the reasons you listed) wait until you get to college.

[Edited on 8/23/2004 9:37:26 AM]

  • 08.23.2004 9:33 AM PDT
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Posted by: BadKarma
so, school is pointless because you got a B in drama class?


Are you implying Drama is worthless? I assume you don't watch TV. Or go to the theatre. Or watch movies, or advertisements. Or listen to radio dramas.

Hmm.

EDIT: Actually, I have just finished 6th form, and have left school.

Note to self... In future, make arguements more clear.

[Edited on 8/23/2004 9:38:40 AM]

  • 08.23.2004 9:37 AM PDT
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Posted by: Stalin the 31st
Ah, perhaps I should give some points...

-Exams are worth nothing. A monkey could sit an exam and pass-It is about memorising knowledge and regurgitating it.

-Grades are another method of control. They add unwanted pressure to students. Also, the way it is drilled into you that 'These grades will shape the rest of your life' is terrible.


There are more, but I will leave you with those to chew on for now.


Agreed.

I mean, exams are kind of stupid

Lets say you have a bad day and aren't feeling well, but you have to go write your exam on that day. And it's probably 30% of your OVERALL mark!

that is a little harsh.

also, grades do put pressure on students, which is a good/bad thing

see, its good in that, it helps develop kids into adults, because adults go through pressure everyday


it's bad in that, it can do more damage than good. Example:

lets say you fail one math test, then there is a lot of pressure on you to do very well on the next, and some people would crumble with tension

  • 08.23.2004 9:38 AM PDT
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Dang... Whats wrong with you Davestar? I'm actually beginning to like you now. You have made some sense today-A joyous day. Lets hope you can keep up this attitude.

  • 08.23.2004 9:40 AM PDT
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Posted by: Stalin the 31st
Are you implying Drama is worthless? I assume you don't watch TV. Or go to the theatre. Or watch movies, or advertisements. Or listen to radio dramas.

no, i'm merely asking if getting a B in drama merits the statement "School is pointless." and for the record, if i could eliminate TV except for news, education ,and sports, i wouldn't hesitate.

EDIT:
btw, what is "the 6th form?" must be a european school system?

[Edited on 8/23/2004 9:47:53 AM]

  • 08.23.2004 9:41 AM PDT
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Posted by: Stalin the 31st
Dang... Whats wrong with you Davestar? I'm actually beginning to like you now. You have made some sense today-A joyous day. Lets hope you can keep up this attitude.


-blam!-opia

-blam!-olous

what.... me

mmmmmmmmmeeeeeeeeee


NO, Wrong

Guy, davestar, who the fuick is that?


i am davester88 ( with an e)

capessssh

punk, -blam!- head face -blam!- licker -blam!-er humper -blam!-

  • 08.23.2004 9:44 AM PDT
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No, Karma, my point lies in the way my grade is broken down-I got good marks for my first two, practical units, and performed terribly on my last. Do you not think that the system in place at the moment (In the UK, or US, or anywhere) is a little.... pointless?

I am finding it difficult to express what I am trying to say. Perhaps I should have gone to school more.

  • 08.23.2004 9:46 AM PDT
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If you can make a better system, the more power to you. Until then.

  • 08.23.2004 9:49 AM PDT
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it never lasts.

On topic: I personally like my school since half of my day is dedicated to computers and engineering. i get to basically mess around with computers for 4 hours a day at school. Yes grades do pressure ppl and exams are stupid which is why most of my teachers dont give them.

  • 08.23.2004 9:51 AM PDT
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Posted by: ajenteks
If you can make a better system, the more power to you. Until then.


Ah. I am afraid I do not have the authority to do that. With enough thought and research, I probably could think of a better way to run schools. My ideas however would probably be too expensive, and would be difficult to put into place. So, until I am dictator of the UK, I will stick with my complaining thank you very much.

  • 08.23.2004 9:55 AM PDT
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exams, and those kinds of situations are a part of life. besides, if you think about it, what other way is there to ensure that all the information you've been storing in your brain wasn't commited solely to short-term memory? a cumulative final exam is really the only thing i can think of.

  • 08.23.2004 9:57 AM PDT
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But surely, it shouldn't be about merely 'commiting it to memory'. Its about understanding it. You could teach a monkey einstiens theory of relativity with enough time, so that it could memorise it and write it down (assuming this monkey can write). This doesnt mean the monkey UNDERSTANDS any of it, or could apply it. It merely knows what letters and numbers to write down to get it right.

  • 08.23.2004 10:01 AM PDT
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its been my experience that memorization is the first step in understanding. obviously not the specific problem at hand (if dealing with mathematics), but the theory behind how the solution is derived. if i try understanding something before i know what to do, then i'm just chasing my tail.

[Edited on 8/23/2004 10:13:23 AM]

  • 08.23.2004 10:12 AM PDT
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Ah, but what if memorization is as far as the individual decides to go? What if they decide that they need not understand fully, as long as they know the letters and numbers to write?

There is no clear way to tell the difference.

Perhaps my opening statment is a LITTLE misleading.... I by no means think school is pointless..... But hey, you need a hook, right? I am saying that maybe there are some things that ARE pointless. Having now finished my schooling life (Until I head off for Drama college next year) I can say now that I think something else should be in place, rather than 'Memorise then exam'. What exactly, I am not sure. Any suggestions are welcome. But it is my belief that exams should be irradicated.

  • 08.23.2004 10:19 AM PDT
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Posted by: Stalin the 31st
Ah, but what if memorization is as far as the individual decides to go? What if they decide that they need not understand fully, as long as they know the letters and numbers to write?

i'm not sure what teachers are thought of as in the UK, but in the US teachers are considered facilitators. which, when you boil it all down translates into "you get out what you put in." the student has to want to understand what s/he learns. if that person decides that memorization is as far as they want to go, then that's as far as it goes. and i don't see any problem with that. let the students that actually want to learn have time with the teacher.

  • 08.23.2004 10:43 AM PDT
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yah man liek we shud al drop out ov scool bcuz lerning isint fun enuf 4 me.

  • 08.23.2004 10:47 AM PDT
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Posted by: SevenSEVENseveN
yah man liek we shud al drop out ov scool bcuz lerning isint fun enuf 4 me.


In all seriousness... I think the school system, especially in New York City, is a load of crap. I went from a" decent" private middleschool, to the most prestigious public high school in New York City, if not the whole country. This place, Stuyvesant (after our good dutch friend peter), was a nightmarish example of bad beaurocracy. Coming from a school with a grade size of 40, to a school with a grade size of 800 was quite a jump, and seeing as how most teachers had about 150-200 students, it was easy to get lost. The teachers, a lovely lot, were mostly disgruntled individuals, unable to excell at their passion, but able to get a job teaching it to high school kids, if you were lucky. The other teachers couldn't give two -blam!-s what they were teaching, hell I don't even think half of them knew. Like Mr. Lostal, from Spain, knew barely any english, "taught" Math (after spending 2/3rds of the class explaining how important spain is to him, and how he only sleeps 3 days a YEAR so that he can devote his life to his "beloved matematicas"). This is supposed to be the premire math and science school in the COUNTRY. So let's say you wanted to change your class because it sucked, well that means that you first have to go to the guidance office where they tell you what to do. Which means you have to get a special pass from the dean, even if it's your lunch period. Then you wait for the INTERN to figure out who the hell you are, and then interrogate you on why it's important that you switch classes. After this, YOU have to fill out an immense form, and take it directly to the department head so he can go over it and sign it. Keep in mind this guys is either teaching a class, or out to lunch, NEVER in his office. So after bumbling around for a while, you find this guy, and now HE interrogates you as to why you want to switch classes. Onnce you convince this guy to sign the piece of paper, you gave to take it back to the guidance office, find the same INTERN, and she will put in the request for you. IF it goes through, it takes a week anyway. After this whole process you've probably had to miss about 5 classes, which will automatically mark you absent. The absences will be reported to the deans office, and they will see that you were in school that day, so the classes get marked as cuts. Which your parents recieve an automatic notice of in the mail. The only way to avoid diciplinary action is to get all the passes, notes and papers signed by everyone involved, take that to the deans office, convince him that you ACTUALLY weren't cutting, but changing your classes, which they all look down upon because it brings paperwork their way. Then they give you a note to bring to the attendance office, the people there automatically assume it's a forgery, so they call the dean, and usually by that point he's not there, so you have to wait until he is, and then finally you are cleared of those classes being missed. But wait, the teacher also has to be convinced that you had a proper excuse (most of whom don't believe in excuses), so that they don't take points of your final grade.

I'm glad I left that school after 3 years of complete failure. Took me another 2 years to graduate from an alternative high school. Now I can start my life.

[Edited on 8/23/2004 11:06:58 AM]

  • 08.23.2004 11:05 AM PDT
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Yo Halo53, I'm real happy for you and I'ma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best bungie.net profiles of all time. OF ALL TIME!

Wit 0u7 skewl teh n3xt g3ner4t1on 0f 4m3r1c4 (And eventually the english speaking world) wood tawk liek thi5. I h8 skewl 8ut w3 n33d i7.

I have heard of people who actually use "AOL" talk or "1337" speak in school. They write a paper for english class, make a joke, and say lol. You've got to be kidding me. I'll joke and occasionally talk like that on XBL but its sad that some people always talk like that. They deserved to be slapped in the face with, if I may quote "an ub3r ph1sh"

And there are many people going into high school that don't know their times tables, don't know geography etc. Now I will admit there are things in school we learn that I don' think I'll ever use example: the difference between a sedimentary rock and an igneous rock. I don't care. But we do need school.

  • 08.23.2004 11:15 AM PDT
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At least your grades weren't determined by a teacher who would just give you busy work so he could sit at his computer and look at "undetermined images" and make good use of his gigantic bottle of hand lotion only to be fired for "undisclosed reasons" a year later, and then to be rehired when they couldn't find a replacement.

  • 08.23.2004 11:17 AM PDT
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Posted by: BeefySleet
Well I'd rather go to school and then get a good high paying job, than work at mcdonalds for the rest of my life.


You've been brainwashed.

  • 08.23.2004 11:19 AM PDT

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