As I was reading Gatto's “Against School” I was relating a lot with what Gatto was saying about schools. My experience with Oregon public schools was not a good experience. Given the fact that I moved away from the high school I had most of my high school experience at and transferred to a redneck town, Springfield, Oregon my senior year, my high school experience was a lot worse than the average teenager in high school.
“If I was bored it was my own fault and no one else's.” That line really stuck out to me because when I was in my classes, before I realized that school is good and that I need to learn what the teacher is trying to teach the class, I would sit in class super bored and I would text, and draw on my paper, getting low grades, thinking that this schooling was a waste of my time. I had the same experience as Gatto. My mother asked me how my day at school was and I replied “boring” and she told me that it was only boring because I made it boring, and that if I took an interest in what I am being taught then it would be less boring. I took that to heart and started paying attention in class and started getting better grades.
At Springfield High School it was like I was an alien on a different planet. Everyone at that school was brain washed to be a cheerleader or a football player, or to hate anyone that is different or an outsider. Even in the classroom I felt this brain washing vibe from all the teachers/students/administrators. When I signed up for classes they were classes like auto, home economics, and weight lifting/ health. There weren't any real academic classes or if there were I didn't find any or they were kept a secret from me. What I am trying to get at is that the kids at this school were being schooled to have a perfect home, make money, breed, and die. There wasn't any encouragement to stretch farther and be something better than average. At my school in San Diego (University City High School) I was in the Visual Arts and Technology class where we students were challenged to be more than average and not just conform to what is “right” and normal.
-Raven p.
Raven
ReplyDeleteYou have grappled with the situation of 'the outside situation is less than ideal (it sucks), it's my life, what do I do about it. You're here, hopefully life is different, but the dilemma will recur throughout life (or maybe not...). What are my options, how do I salvage the best of a bad situation or make a drastic move that has its own price? The critical decision is not to be a passive party in your own life. So how do you move the world so as not to stand in your way?
Alan