This semester, I've been subjected to near-constant exhaustion, pressure, distractions and the cringe-inducing w-word (work), forcing me to change how I think, and sequentially how I learn. With the increase in the workload outside of school over the course of the semester, I've come to view my time in school differently. School has changed from a place where I learn to 8 hours a day that I sit and try to survive class, knowing that the real learning will come when I get home, and tackle the worksheets, papers and other assignments frantically shouted out by teachers in the after-bell lull. I’ve transitioned from doing most of my learning inside of school to most of my learning outside of school. For awhile, it didn’t matter – learning is learning is learning, why does it matter where it happens, but began to think this it wasn’t a good thing. I thought it was becoming very detrimental because I love the experience of class and discussions but now I find myself, for some of my classes, barely utilizing my teachers - simply taking their tests after teaching myself the material.
Oddly, I’ve found English to be the one exception to this idea, possibly because of a longer class time and the Academy atmosphere, but definitely because the class is unique; it’s much harder to understand Shakespeare by yourself than to learn graphing trig functions. During the King Lear unit, while focusing in class I found I was absorbing more than ever before, because we were going in depth and spending quality time on confusing parts and to achieve a strong grasp all different aspects of the play. I would read the steps the night before, but there would always be a slight joke or plot maneuver that I missed. To ensure the greatest level of knowledge, I took steps to make sure I was plugged into class at all times during discussions, acting out the scenes, etc. Once I caught onto everything that was happening in class, it made working on Lear University and studying for English tests a breeze because I felt like class had prepared me. Taking the step to try and reverse my in-school monotony, one class at a time, was one of the best decisions I made in the last 18 weeks and will be something I will continue try and change.
Another habit that has been brought to my attention is attention to detail. I’m very sentimental, and I love describing the world with flowery language. This semester, I’ve been introduced to another writing style, something I’ll call the ‘word punch.’ Instead of spending filling dwindling paragraphs with description, authors like Virginia Woolf and William Shakespeare who do that in a single sentence or phrase, by utilizing superb vocabulary and how writing should work. I’ve spent the past nine years studying vocabulary, it’s an ongoing process but being exposed to the mechanics of language is something totally new. Studying conciseness and other writing tips has not only increased the quality of my writing, but decreased the quantity. When writing my poem, I began with an idea and have spent two months conflicted with word choice, but the night before our final versions were do, it clicked that it wasn’t the vocabulary it was the rigid way I was writing my supposedly-flexible poem.
I proceeded to spend an hour viciously changing things, adding new ideas and cutting the old, something I hadn’t done before. That final draft wasn’t going to be perfect, or even good, but clearing the hurdle in my learning and writing was worth it. Next time, I will try to be less apprehensive about trying radical ideas, because I’ve discovered just what can be accomplished with an open mind, and I like it.
Well for starters, you're definitely not alone with this feeling, that first sentence sums up all the negatives of the last few weeks pretty nicely; the last few months seem to have been a sadistic math equation: stress+work+expectations+exhaustion=time for a change. I can relate to the fact that the roles of schoolwork and homework have sort of flip-flopped, where I learn at home and school is where I decompress all the information and check for understanding. I can't say I'm a fan of this change, and I'd much rather have things revert back to the way they were in the past because I've noticed I feel a lot more pressured now. When I have to be the teacher, there's no one else to blame if I don't have a basic understanding of the material since that's my responsibility now. Furthermore, this pressure seems to demand a much bigger time and thought investment than I've ever had to give to school, and while I understand that's just a part of getting older, I've been pushed to become more concise and practical because of it. When I was reading this post, I realized how much your two points (about self-driven teaching, and conciseness) go hand in hand
ReplyDeleteTo cut down on the ever-building amount of work we seem to be assigned, I've had to go through a sort of personal scientific revolution/evaluation (I suppose I have learned something in class). I've asked myself "what really works?" in terms of how much should I invest in a particular class, assignment, or thought in an attempt to maximize reward for my efforts. It hasn't taken me long to find out that I'll never really be able to cut down on that much, I think I'm already to far down the life path of being innately busy, but this more pragmatic mindset where I filter out the worthless thoughts and focus on the brilliant ones seems to be helping me channel my thoughts in the right direction, and if nothing else giving me mental closure that I can be smart. Usually. I'm glad to see that you brought up keeping an open mind at the end, because I've also realized it to be a vital step in getting the most out of school. While class might not be held in the same way it has been over the past nine years, being open and absorbent to everything that is thrown your way during school definitely helps you get the most out of it. Now, more than ever before, school has been teaching me to keep my mind open, because while what you're being told in class may not directly apply to the paper you have to write later that night, you never know when knowledge will come in handy or be useful, so maybe I'm in fact closer to the mindset I had on my first day first grade "understand as much as I possibly can". I've gotten too caught up in just completing the next assignment, it's refreshing to know that schools not just about that, and maybe I'm getting more out of it than I could've imagined, I just don't know it yet