Which Board Member's Head Would You Most Like To Go Upside Of?

[schoolofruckus]

Sorry guys, talking about school gets me a little riled up. I swear I'm mostly all joking though, except for all the excelllent points I make. It's remarkable though, I'm really genuinely angry about this system all over again just from this conversation and I dropped out over six years ago.

Oh, well no wonder why you don't like high school - you never finished it!

I'll assume that you know that societal circumstances and cultural climate have just as much if not more to do with the creation of great literature than innate talent. But if I'm assuming wrong here, let's talk.

And yet, not as much as drug addiction.

[Courtney]

And yet, not as much as drug addiction.

Ahahahahahaa. YOU WIN.

[Yablonowitz]

Yeah, I started off high school in all Honors and AP classes too, and the teachers weren't that good. I eventually dropped them because I realized all they were really doing was giving us more work and the same shitty material. The books weren't any better, we just had to write more and longer absurd interpretations of the significance of this that or the other irrelevant plot element in Great Expectations. Fuck that.

Algunz, I'm not really sure the definite answer to the question you pose to be entirely honest. On one hand, I'm thankful for the handful of decent teachers I had in all 12 years of schooling. On the other hand, you don't have to be the junior high equivalent of Oscar Schindler in America--you could be spending your time fighting to reform the true problems in the system than just trying to make a difference in the lives of 1 or 2 students for every 30 in the class for the course of your 40 minute period. Just sayin'.

Yeah, of course it would really suck if all those handfuls of good teachers bailed on the system, but maybe if they all spoke up something would be changed for the many instead of just for the few.

Or you could start handing out drugs to the kids so they can lead a more interesting life.

[algunz]

C'mon kids, we don't need to be mean to each other.

Acknowledge, move-on.

[thelastgreatman]

What LGM said reminds me of an article I read the other day.
Apparently, about 20 years ago, the school curriculum was changed so that math lessons were geared more towards girls (word problem and literate stuff) since girls were historically poor at math and science. After that, girls started doing much better in school as a whole than boys, but the schools never thought to change around the reading/English lit curriculum to help the boys out in that area since the boys develop understanding of literature/grammar later than girls do. Educators would teach boys and girls the same way, but because the boys were not ready for reading/grammar/etc, the boys would give up trying before they were ready for it.

Sounds like a big causality leap there to attribute girls overal better performance in school to some re-engineering of how math and science were handled and not much larger societal factors, but there might be something to it.

Also, although I'd never officially lobby for it, I personally would like it if there were somehow an enforced balance between male and female teachers. Not that I liked my male teachers particularly more, but I got tired of how coddled the precious little ladies were in 90 percent of my classes.

And if boys are supposedly worse at language, why are there less than five decent female authors? Mention the name Jane Austen and you've already proved your gender's inferiority on the subject. =)

Sorry guys, talking about school gets me a little riled up. I swear I'm mostly all joking though, except for all the excelllent points I make. It's remarkable though, I'm really genuinely angry about this system all over again just from this conversation and I dropped out over six years ago.

To tell the absolute truth as I'm feeling it right now, I'm never going to forgive those power-tripping cocksuckers for the shit they tried to pull on the teenage version of myself. Ever heard the sociological theory that people are drawn towards occupations by their flaws? e.g. people who want to become psychologists are drawn to it because they want to know why THEY are crazy, not to help crazy people; police officers almost always show a higher rate of juvenile criminal activity than the average person--they become cops because they weren't good enough at getting away with crime, so they become the law.

Well personally I think that the vast majority of teachers are driven by the desire to have power over weaker, smaller, younger, more impressionable people. Even when their instincts are philanthropic. There's something sick about it, I say.

[miscorrections]

margaret atwood is a better writer than you'll ever be. likewise annie proulx.

[algunz]

LGM, why are you repeating yourself.

I'll bet you were the kid in class that always had something to say, albeit sometimes worthwhile and interesting, but you just couldn't keep your mouth shut. The teachers had no patience for ya. Huh?

[full on idle]

He's probably tripping face and just cutting and pasting.

[schoolofruckus]

margaret atwood is a better writer than you'll ever be. likewise annie proulx.

Not to mention Ayn Rand.

[algunz]

I always liked cutting and pasting.

That's why I love to scrap book.

[ewiggy]

[woogie846]

I'm still confused why depechemodekraftwerk didn't make this poll.

[algunz]

Diana Di Prima

[woogie846]

BECAUSE I'D KILL YOU BACK THAT'S WHY

[algunz]

That is pure terror.

[full on idle]

you're a girl????

[amyzzz]

Sylvia Plath.

[ewiggy]

i'm fucking losing. goddamnit.

valarie, i hate your cat.

[algunz]

Who's a girl?

[miscorrections]

YOUR MOM

[full on idle]

My cat is dead.

[algunz]

"I love my dead, gay son."

[Hannahrain]

I voted for Ewiggy, but let's be honest here, it was a pity vote.

[amyzzz]

sympathy vote.

[thelastgreatman]

I admit that I have not read this entire thread. But you're a reasonably smart guy so I'm going to assume you're kidding here and don't really mean that men are better writers than women. I'll assume that you know that societal circumstances and cultural climate have just as much if not more to do with the creation of great literature than innate talent. But if I'm assuming wrong here, let's talk.

I was joking/baiting with the comment, although in all seriousness how about we compile some lists of the great literary works and see what the balance of gender is amongst the authors? Only female writer I've ever known to be particularly tolerable is Amy Hempel, although I know a lot of you are Ayn Rand fans (still can't fathom how).

[thelastgreatman]

Corinna, as we've already established I consider your tastes to be of an absolute null value in consideration. You take Dickens over Catch-22, you lose.

Sylvia Plath blows. But tell you what--why don't you all throw down as many supposedly good female writers as you like--except for Jane Austen, she will not be acknowledged. All you ladies can collaborate on it, team up on me, do your absolute best. Again, this was largely tongue in cheek. But I'll bet each of you fifty bucks that I alone--and I promise to not even cheat and use the net--can name more male authors that almost everyone will either acknowledge to be a great author or at least recognize that the literary cognoscenti seem to believe they are. Your list will be contain vastly more "what did she write again?" than mine.

Or, we could just go through any of those 100 greatest novels of all time style lists and see how the genders stack.

[thelastgreatman]

Also, anyone know why I can't view who voted anymore? Did you change something, PF, or does it stop showing you when you vote?

[thelastgreatman]

Oh, well no wonder why you don't like high school - you never finished it!

And yet, not as much as drug addiction.

Nope, I didn't finish high school--I dropped out to start college a year early. Was a real loser move on my part, I know. It's nice when your SATs, awards, and a G.E.D. can get you into just about any second-tier University you want, though. Classes at night were SUCH an improvement, especially given that studies of how the adolescent brain learns have determined that the prime hours are between 2pm and 10pm. Most high schools are letting out at 2, yet another brilliant stroke.

[ewiggy]

But tell you what--why don't you all throw down as many supposedly good female writers as you like--except for Jane Austen, she will not be acknowledged. All you ladies can collaborate on it, team up on me, do your absolute best.

ok! you're on!

































wait, no one gives a fuck.

[kroqken]

Violence sucks. I prefer the pacifist musings of a Henry David Thoreau