Scholastic History - A brief glimps into my horendous past

How did I come to this?

Like most people will say, "I never fit in at school". Why do a lot of people say this? Is it because they're weird? Is it because they are stupid? Is it because their teachers were just normal people that stood at the class and told you to turn to page 219 of your maths book and do questions 1 to 39?

No, it's because most teachers have been conditioned to follow a set of rules, a set of guidelines that basically put all students into one basket.

Why do I believe this? Because of my personal issues with teachers from my past. Now, I don't generally hold grudges, but anyone who knows me knows I never forget. I'll forgive you, a little too quickly, but I never forget.

During my first year of school, we'll call it Year 1 I went to a public school. I was once accused for peeing on the drinking fountains. I'm not sure what made the teachers think I did it. But I am confident it left a scar... particularly on by backside after being on the receiving end of a canning.

I was then made to stand in the corner of the classroom the entire lesson. Later on, lunch arrived and we all hussled out the classroom into the playground. Well, when I say we, I mean all the other kids except me. I was left behind to starve with an exploding bladder because at this stage I really had to go and the corner of the room was mighty inviting.

I let loose. Sending urine all over the corner of the room, all over the toys that lay before me. Relieved, I realised what I had done, but rather than regret it. I smiled at my rebellious ways and continued standing in the corner of the classroom.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRING! There goes the end of lunch bell. The teacher arrives to class to realise she left me locked in the classroom. I got to eat my lunch while others appeared to be taking part in what passes as learning.

Lets fast forward to Year 4. There I am, a happy little Vegemite. We had to go to the library each week and pick a book of our choice. That's what the top of each page of our book report sheets said. So' while the kids picked book about Spots adventures or Where's Wally. I was in the science section looking at books on how to build rockets with some ingredients from a pantry. Batteries out of lemons, etc.

Come Friday, we had to present our book reports in front of the class. 3 weeks into the reports the teacher happily made an example of me by illustrating that my book report was not how to do it. I couldn't understand. What logic was being used. I picked a book that appealed to me. I read it from cover to cover. I reported not only on the book but it's effectiveness of the experiments as well as how in-depth and easy to accomplish the experiments were.

The teachers reply was "These books aren't suitable for children". Which essentially made me question what they were doing in a Primary school. I didn't read a single book ever again up until last year. I rebelled against more illogical behaviour from these people that were suppose to shape us into a future we know nothing about.

Moving on to Year 11. I was sitting in Maths, attempting to stay awake in total contrast to my previous year where the teacher was worthy of their stature and they made class fun. This teacher on the other hand made it suck. A knock at the door broke the boredom. Only to realise I was being called out by the head of maths and told that since I am failing mathematics, I can no longer continue studying physics.

This continued the trend by making no sense at all. It defied logic to the point that I stopped respecting or caring about these people who call themselves teachers. I responded to the head boffin with "So, you're removing me from a class I am excelling it, and leaving me in a class I am failing? What school of logic was this decision derived from?"

This was my ticket to the principle's office, where I sat down for 20 minutes. Only get get up and walk away to get back to class so I could pick up my bag and move on to the next wonderful subject that prepared me yet again for adulthood and the workplace.

I can't be that ungrateful. I did learn something from all this. I learnt to deal with people that defy logic to the point where you feel your skull cracking. I learnt to deal with the fact that these people are everywhere and surely more than one are born a minute. These can't be bad things. Though at the time it was. This could make or break someone. And at such an impressionable time in ones life, it could have left me with deeper scars that I can't even imagine.

So, why did I go through all this? Was it a hidden lesson in life? Was it just a dirty trick? Born under a bad sign? Paying for my past life? I don't know. But what I do know is that school as a whole was uninspiring, boring and prepares you for nothing more than continuing your schooling elsewhere. Schooling prepares you for University. University prepares you for your academic career in University until you retire with a group of like minded people 45 years your senior, you lead a simple life where your body is there just to help your head to get from place to place.

Schooling teaches people to grow up and out of their creativity. When you are in Kindergarten you get to paint, draw, dance and sing. As the years go by, you are taught to replace all these fun adventures with brain feeding academia.

The arts get replaced by scholastic achievements. You are taught not to act a certain way, not to say certain things and take part in certain activities. Conforming to society, so you can be a model citizen and blend in with the rest of the crowd. No one likes a loud mouth, opinionated smart arse who conveys the message of knowledge for free to the rest of the world to truly make it a better place.

Eventually you sit there motionless in front of a computer screen writing your thesis on what you believe in and why you believe in it, because you seem to have this impression that since you lived through the experience, that makes you an expert in the matter.

The teachers that everyone always likes in school are the ones that let the kids express themselves however they liked. Although I still hold a grudge with those who let me down, I still respect the ones where respect is due. If it were not for my Modern History teacher or my science teacher, or the hot little cooking class teacher I would have such jaded feelings towards school that the sign of "education" would possibly send me into a wild frenzy of contempt, rage and rebelion. Oh wait.... isn't that what I just talked about?

Oh well, I turned out alright. I guess the system worked well in this case.