Juliette, Week 10 - Learning and Education
Most of the people I know dislike school to some extent: maybe it’s because of the people, the teachers, the environment, their classes, whatever. Personally, I have never loved school. When I was in elementary school, I was a student who got into trouble, didn’t pay too much attention in class, and still valued being at home more than being at school.
Things have changed since I was in elementary school, but the one thing that has definitely stayed the same since I was a kid is the fact that I value learning.
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Not in the sense that I love going to class, love doing homework, or love taking notes but in the sense that I want to learn and get a proper education because it’s something that I believe will help me later in life whether or not I get accepted into a good university. There are times I genuinely enjoy learning things in psychology, chemistry, math, or English, but above all—whether I like learning the subject or not—I still see value in learning that material.
In my opinion, I wish other people felt the same way I do: the skills we learn in high school are not as useless as many students say they are. Yes, analyzing texts to every miniscule detail, trying to understand how to find an integral, and knowing what the New Deal is can all seem like pointless tasks for some people. “Well I am just going to be an engineer anyway, so I don’t need to know history/English well.” But it’s about the skills developed while doing those tasks; reading comprehension, critical thinking, and an understanding of politics and the economy are all essential skills that are necessary to have as life skills more than just specialty skills for careers or university. Not to mention the fundamental discipline, time management, and self-control that can be required to adequately learn material sufficiently.
If high school is looked at as being a chore or just a step for university acceptance more than actually learning and understanding then isn’t that how we end up with cheating and difficulty later on because fundamental skills and knowledge weren’t fully understood in high school. Then that turns into people who don't understand books properly because their reading comprehension isn’t up to par, don’t know how to do their taxes, and don’t understand the allusions in their favorite shows and movies.
Although formal education—going to high school, college, etc.—is not necessary for learning, the skills that are in the high school curriculum are there for a reason: to set us up for success and happiness.
The power of learning that high school enforces is or should be a great factor in our lives.
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Hey Juliette, I am so glad that you brought up the value of education and learning. In my experience, I too was not the best student in elementary and middle school. I never really valued my education at this time since my school environment never fostered this. This carried over in freshman year since I would find it odd that my peers found subjects at school interesting. I realized soon after that it was because of my values and experiences growing up that gave me that mindset. Luckily, I realized the value and importance of education in my sophomore year since my environment nurtured an interest in the subjects I was taking. All my teachers made the subject interesting, my friends began valuing education, and my parents pushed me to love what I was learning. These factors have taught me the value and privilege of education.
ReplyDeleteI agree that students should try to learn in every class even if it does not align with their career interests. As a student going into STEM, I actually find this English class the most valuable as it teaches me a whole new way of thinking, which can be applied in any field. The lessons from this course are invaluable in the professional world, where skills in formal writing and reading comprehension are required to succeed. Thanks for sharing Juliette!
Hi Juliette! I love the topic you chose,I think it is something that us juniors talk about a lot, how hard school is. Especially because of how much work is thrown at us during our junior year. Just thinking about the CAASPP makes me nervous, because it ultimately decides where we go for English next year. I do not think I will get a bad grade, at least, I hope so. If I get a three instead of a four I might honestly cry. I am surprised that when you were younger you hated going to school. As a kid I used to love going to school, now not so much. I think if high school, or just school in general, was used for just learning instead of testing and being rated with a letter grade then I would like it a lot more.
ReplyDeleteHi Juliette, I appreciate how you talked about your own experience with education and the growth mindset you’ve developed throughout your school years. It’s pretty cool how you’ve been able to change your mindset towards the value of education while still maintaining a balance between having a full “love” for school and trying your best because you’ve recognized that the things we learn are important. I liked how you incorporated this into the structure of your blog, beginning with your general opinion of school and ending with some broader principles you hold towards education. I also appreciated the amount of specific examples you included in your writing, like your questioning of us currently learning about integrals in calculus and the New Deal in history; I found these topics particularly relatable, and I think they made your writing overall more engaging to read. Thanks for sharing!
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