[RANT] My school is retarded...

[flibberdipper]

So a little backstory will fill this out a lot more. I'm one of those idiots who never tried as a freshman, and as a result failed like 3 classes. But for last year and this year (my junior year), I'm just struggling. I have no idea what the fuck I'm doing in my math class (Algebra II, woo-hoo), and barely know what to do in Physics. Last year I had no idea what I was doing in Geometry, and just guessed on all the tests in Chemistry and didn't do the homework, again, not knowing what the fuck to do.

 

So that leads me to my rant. Why the hell would the school not even try once to get me a tutor, or at the very least, why didn't any of the teachers step up when the notice that I'm not doing so hot and help? I mean, you would think that that thought process would happen, given that the whole point of school is for students to learn and eventually succeed in life. But no.

 

My school is one of the ones that as soon as a student isn't doing well, they make the student and parent(s) talk to a counselor and the kid gets the boot, either to some shitty school or a pretty decent online one. And that's just so that the school doesn't have to pay for the kid any more and so that our ratings look good on the surface, because that kid is no longer bringing them down.

 

This is seriously fucked up that the school isn't even trying to help me out of this hole, and the fact that retake courses through a good online school are 200 fucking US dollars for a SINGLE semester is absolutely retarded when all they do is provide a login, keep the off-site servers working, and then give you a final and give that shit to the BoE and put it on your record.

 

/rant

[RuffRuffmcgruff]

Because it's the education system of the USA ? They don't see young minds ready to be moulded they see profit and loss. You are a financial investment if it's a poor investment then gg you've been dealt a bad hand my friend. Instead of you waiting for them to do something take the initiative present a case to your peers requesting help because you're aware that your studies are failing etc. 

[Citadelen]

That's the US education system for you, if it can even be called education...

[Vivilacqua1]

basically what's happening to me. Luckily though, my teachers and school care and have helped me quite a bit.

[connorpiper]

2 minutes ago, Vivilacqua1 said:

basically what's happening to me. Luckily though, my teachers and school care and have helped me quite a bit.

Joe, you are the problem in your grades. Except Phan. 

[ThinkWithPortals]

2 hours ago, tmcclelland455 said:

 

Well, from what I've heard the US education system sucks, but I've never been stateside so I don't know...

I hope your situation improves, btw.

[Vivilacqua1]

8 minutes ago, connorpiper said:

Joe, you are the problem in your grades. Except Phan. 

only a lottabit

[connorpiper]

6 minutes ago, Vivilacqua1 said:

only a lottabit

Aren't you in Spanish right now?

[Heesleemer]

1. you are using the word "retarted" 

2. I'm going to be that guy and say you actually did put yourself in the hole. 
3. Glad that you seem to be actually taking a role in figuring things out now. 
4. You could always just study and take the GED rather than High School
5. Summer courses at another public school

 

 

To people bashing the education system in the US.

Yes the US has pretty lopsided system, similar to our wage gap (actually very much correlated since school funding is dependent property tax within the district..) a public school education varies greatly depending on the area. For example, in California, LA's education greatly differs from parts of Orange County, etc. Both the highest schools and the lowest schools are probably within the US. 

 

[Vivilacqua1]

25 minutes ago, connorpiper said:

Aren't you in Spanish right now?

maby...

[rmac52]

You really need to take some responsibility for your own success and failures.  The school can't force you to learn.  If your having trouble it's really on you to ask for help.

[Mathematical]

Well for one it doesn't matter if you get a tutor or not. It is up to you to learn the material. High school materials are very straightforward for the most part unless you get into like AP physics at some schools. You will see how much of a joke high school is if you enter a competitive top tier university.

 

In high school and even college, most lazy students do not even give a crap bout learning the material and just want to take shortcuts or have a tutor do their work for them. I was a teaching assistant and know first hand how many students go crying to complaining to me about them failing their course when I know for a fact they copied their homework from solution manuals or solutions from forums (some try to be sneaky with changing things up but it becomes obvious when you copy down the same stupid mistakes from the manuals or help sites or when the answer was for a completely different problem so they didn't even read the question).

 

Let me ask you this question first. Before each lecture do you read the sections in the book and follow along with a pencil and paper on the math problems trying them yourself before you see all the steps? If no, you aren't trying hard enough.

 

If you do that, after each lecture do you go back and read the sections within 24 hours?

 

How many hours a day are you studying? You should be studying every waking 'free' moment and not going out on weekends if you truly wanted to succeed. I have been in situations in my undergraduate years where I was taking a more difficult version of one of the most difficult math courses designed for student going into PhD programs so grades were cut throat and students studied their ass off. I didn't fully understand the material enough before the midterm which was in a week an a half. You know what I did? I literally studied almost every waking moment doing problems, understanding the proofs, asking the professor/teaching assistant questions for clarity. When you catch up to the material is when you can enjoy your free time doing whatever it is.

 

The only reason someone is not able to understand fundamental  high school material is laziness unless you have a low IQ/mental disability or recovering from a brain injury.

[Mathematical]

2 hours ago, Heesleemer said:

1. you are using the word "retarted" 

2. I'm going to be that guy and say you actually did put yourself in the hole. 
3. Glad that you seem to be actually taking a role in figuring things out now. 
4. You could always just study and take the GED rather than High School
5. Summer courses at another public school

 

 

To people bashing the education system in the US.

Yes the US has pretty lopsided system, similar to our wage gap (actually very much correlated since school funding is dependent property tax within the district..) a public school education varies greatly depending on the area. For example, in California, LA's education greatly differs from parts of Orange County, etc. Both the highest schools and the lowest schools are probably within the US. 

 

It is not just location. There are plenty of poor South East Asians that live in ghettos that end up going to top tier universities. The number one factor is self discipline to actually learn material and not taking short cuts.

[KuJoe]

Having spent 5 years in high school and still not having graduated (what a waste of time), I can attest that it's definitely not the teacher's fault in the slightest. In most public schools teachers have hundreds of kids a semester and they basically only invest time in the ones who want to be there and learn, it's the only way they stay sane.

 

That being said, if I could do it all over again I would have gotten my GED and started working in my field a lot sooner (although 20 was still pretty young).

[flibberdipper]

1 hour ago, rmac52 said:

You really need to take some responsibility for your own success and failures.  The school can't force you to learn.  If your having trouble it's really on you to ask for help.

Which is funny that you mention that, because I have asked for help but the help has been so shit that it did nothing.

[Mathematical]

2 hours ago, tmcclelland455 said:

Which is funny that you mention that, because I have asked for help but the help has been so shit that it did nothing.

What steps have you taken to actually try to learn the material? Nobody can help you unless you put forth effort and since you are behind that effort needs to be a lot more than you probably think.

 

I have tutored children from impoverished areas for free and most didn't even want to try at all. All they wanted me to do was their homework. Mental ability is normally distributed in a relatively narrow range. What separates successful students from failures is their mindset.

 

As I stated earlier, have you read every section of the book that the teacher has gone over? You should read it before the lecture and after the lecture. Have questions prepared before the lecture and ask them during the lecture if the teacher did not already clear your confusion.

 

Whether your help is really 'so shit' or not, you can learn the material yourself. There are plenty of children from ghettos that get into top tier universities without help in areas where the teachers are bad. A teacher isn't really there to teach everything, but to clarify on the main points or questions you have about the material. It is your job to teach yourself the material in high school. Elementary school is hand holding, middle school is a little more independence, and high school is where you are suppose to almost independent.

 

 

[flibberdipper]

1 hour ago, Mathematical said:

What steps have you taken to actually try to learn the material? Nobody can help you unless you put forth effort and since you are behind that effort needs to be a lot more than you probably think.

 

I have tutored children from impoverished areas for free and most didn't even want to try at all. All they wanted me to do was their homework. Mental ability is normally distributed in a relatively narrow range. What separates successful students from failures is their mindset.

 

As I stated earlier, have you read every section of the book that the teacher has gone over? You should read it before the lecture and after the lecture. Have questions prepared before the lecture and ask them during the lecture if the teacher did not already clear your confusion.

 

Whether your help is really 'so shit' or not, you can learn the material yourself. There are plenty of children from ghettos that get into top tier universities without help in areas where the teachers are bad. A teacher isn't really there to teach everything, but to clarify on the main points or questions you have about the material. It is your job to teach yourself the material in high school. Elementary school is hand holding, middle school is a little more independence, and high school is where you are suppose to almost independent.

 

 

Talking to teacher, tutors, friends that can make me learn anything, and then Khan Academy and YouTube as a last resort , and nothing seems to be working for me so far.

[PlayStation 2]

What the fuck, I'll chime in.

 

Yeah, the public school system is a joke, coming from someone who actually takes classes in two different schools. It's bad when the n-word is said more than any other fucking word, and it's also bad when your god damn career prep teacher hasn't taught shit that I didn't already know and we're 2/3 into the god damn year. And I also fucking hate the new freshman class. As in if I ever went on a shooting spree (not saying that I would), you'd know why.

[Overkilled]

The British education isn't bad tbh

[tcolecruz]

8 hours ago, Heesleemer said:

1. you are using the word "retarted" 

2. I'm going to be that guy and say you actually did put yourself in the hole. 
3. Glad that you seem to be actually taking a role in figuring things out now. 
4. You could always just study and take the GED rather than High School
5. Summer courses at another public school

 

 

To people bashing the education system in the US.

Yes the US has pretty lopsided system, similar to our wage gap (actually very much correlated since school funding is dependent property tax within the district..) a public school education varies greatly depending on the area. For example, in California, LA's education greatly differs from parts of Orange County, etc. Both the highest schools and the lowest schools are probably within the US. 

 

Exactly. It's stupid to blame an education system for something you yourself can have huge impact on. I turned my education around by doing the Kumon program. I probably would've fallen into a similar pattern if not. My point is, there are lots of things outside of high school which you can use to your advantage.

[Mathematical]

On 2/20/2016 at 7:23 PM, tmcclelland455 said:

Talking to teacher, tutors, friends that can make me learn anything, and then Khan Academy and YouTube as a last resort , and nothing seems to be working for me so far.

 

How exactly have you tried to learn the material without help? Help is only there to clarify the parts that you do not understand, not to teach you everything. People can learn things much faster learning things themselves by reading it themselves and following the steps. Nobody wants to help someone who is not willing to put forth the effort in learning something. That means that you read the book and try to learn the material. Come to the people with questions even before hand. You must understand some concept of the material. 

 

Describe the typical school week for me. Your school day with classes, activities, hanging out with friends, homework, studying, etc. and how much time you spend on each thing.

 

I find it very difficult to believe you get that much help and it is all 'so shit' that you still can not understand the material. It is either you are not putting forth enough effort or you are mentally handicapped. I do not think you are mentally handicapped, so I will believe it is effort. You probably do not understand how much work it is for a non genius to compete in a competitive academic environment. Your school allows you to pass probably because there are quotas on how many students need to pass.

 

I really think you just do not know what hard work really entails in an academic environment. When you study do not have any distractions like your phone, computer, music, friends, etc. and focus purely on your task. You need to read the book (yes, I know you do not ACTUALLY read the book). Reading a math book means you read everything and follow all the steps.... every step and do it yourself before hand and then check for mistakes afterwards and find out why you made those mistakes. Yes it is alot of work, but if you want to succeed you do it or you fail.

 

You either work hard now when you are young and easily make hundreds of thousand dollars a year salary or perhaps more or you work hard the rest of your life making little pay for potentially non-fulfilling work and pray you have dumb luck and win the lottery or something to escape living paycheck to paycheck. There are lots of people who regret not trying hard enough in school.

[agentagent47]

in school, it's all about passing. that is what i learn in school. we don't need those algebra and triangle that we learn so much that we thought it was iluminati's fault we learn triangle.

it's all about passing. these day, social status is rated much higher than your education. sad but true IMO. even if we need them when we are in college, we will re-visit/re learn the whole thing again.

[Mathematical]

48 minutes ago, agentagent47 said:

in school, it's all about passing. that is what i learn in school. we don't need those algebra and triangle that we learn so much that we thought it was iluminati's fault we learn triangle.

it's all about passing. these day, social status is rated much higher than your education. sad but true IMO. even if we need them when we are in college, we will re-visit/re learn the whole thing again.

Algebra is basic math. I use algebra daily for non work stuff all the time. Jobs are becoming MORE math intensive nowadays than ever, especially if you want a master's degree or higher which many jobs require. Even sociology master students are required to take some statistic courses the utilize some calculus. You will not revisit how to do basic high school algebra again in college unless you are enrolled in an remedial math course, which will set you back a year if you are majoring in a technical field. Social status is not rated on education. It is rated on your professional success. The thing is most intelligent people in the younger generations have at least some college experience whether they dropped out or not to leave for industry. In school it is not all about passing. You can pass with a 2.0. It is why new grad jobs ask for GPA if you have no experience. I would never hire someone with a 2.0 because it clearly shows that have no understanding of the material.

 

Math isn't just about using it. It shows that you are able to problem solve. Jobs wants people to be able to problem solve. It develops critical thinking skills. Studies have even shown that people with full onset of alzheimer may show no symptoms if they work in fields that utilize critical thinking skills like programming or engineering or being a professor. This example is just one of many that shows how critical thinking affects the brains dramatically.

[Heesleemer]

18 hours ago, agentagent47 said:

in school, it's all about passing. that is what i learn in school. we don't need those algebra and triangle that we learn so much that we thought it was iluminati's fault we learn triangle.

it's all about passing. these day, social status is rated much higher than your education. sad but true IMO. even if we need them when we are in college, we will re-visit/re learn the whole thing again.

uh no

 

not all about passing, I majored in social sciences, even there I used basic math every day, and use statistics/calculus for my my job (politics). 

I think you mean network rather than social status, good university = good network, especially private schools. 

I went to a top University in the US

 

It is not just location. There are plenty of poor South East Asians that live in ghettos that end up going to top tier universities. The number one factor is self discipline to actually learn material and not taking short cuts.

yes, but that is also a statistical outlier

[Snadzies]

Honestly, all I'm seeing is excuses and blaming others.

You even admit to not doing the work yet it is the schools fault that you failed multiple classes?

I'm sorry but I can not have sympathy for someone who admits they did not do the work and then is mad that they failed the class.

 

You blame the school but what about you and your parents?

I'm sure the school did not hide the fact that you were struggling and failing classes from you or your parents and yet all your blame is on the school for not taking some action before things got so bad.

Your education is not only the responsibility of the schools but of you and your parents as well and it takes all 3 sides failing to get to the point you are at.