Elementary School: (K - Grade 6)
This was basically easy, it was pretty much about trying to make friends, or avoiding getting bullied. (I was the target of every freaking bully at school.) It was pretty much hell, and I had a total of one best friend. (Who eventually dumped me for someone higher up on the social ladder.)
I ended up reporting the bullying to my parents, and basically, they said to suck it up. Eventually my mother confronted one of the guys who was behind it, and ended up getting a tennis ball to the face. It got so bad that my mother decided to pull me out of the school system and into another school at the beginning of grade 7. Also, there was one great teacher, and one horrible teacher. The latter was an old hag who was probably racist in the fact that she saw bullying happening to the Asian girl and didn't stop it multiple times.
What I Learned: You can't buy friendship, I should watch who I trust, and adults usually can't help.
Junior High School (Grade 7 - 8)
Gah, more bullying, but I had started to make friends with a group of similarily nerdy/geeky girls. They were awesome - we had a ton of nerdy halloween parties. Some memories include dressing up as the yellow Power Ranger (Trini!), dancing the Macerena in the gym, and really bad gym food. The situation did improve, but the bullying changed it's focus - I was the "teacher's pet" for reporting bullying. (I never did get into trouble for hitting one of my classmates for saying something about my mother...)
I did spend a summer with a curriculum for gifted students. I met my lifelong best friend through a computer program - we basically were given school credit for playing on computers! (Lemmings and ketchup potato chips - a very weird but great combination.)
What I Learned: I basically started to hate school, and I didn't really pay attention to the curriculum at this point. Although, there was this awesome sauce science teacher who instilled a sense of curiosity about things forever in me, and I'm forever grateful for this. (Also, this school started instilling a sense of wonder about computers.)
High School (9 - OAC/Grade 13)
I was the last of the so called "double-cohort" - the last to get the full five years of high school. The bullying situation lessened a whole lot, and began hanging out as a member of a group we called "the cubicle". It was still bad enough to cause me to attempt suicide via a bottle of vodka and pain pills. We were kind of nerdy, the group that could be counted on to have Gameboys and games, and to play D & D. I took a few extra years of high school, as I didn't know what else to do with my crap grades. It was also the time when I started questioning my sexuality - I fell head over heels over my best friend at the time. I realized that I was attracted to women when I realized that I was jealous of the fact that her boyfriends could have a chance with her.
What I Learned: I could pull off the goody-two-shoes thing perfectly (I actually got old enough to buy alcohol (19), and actually spent some time drunk in class) without getting caught. (Reputation does matter more than what you actually do.)
College (Computer Networking)
This was part and parcel of my coming out period - the fact that I questioned my sexuality made me lose track of why I had to get good grades, and as a result, I ended up at this school. It was kind of funny, as school was kind of easy at that point, but I didn't really put in any effort. The weird thing was that the college decided that the computer students were to have their own campus - a tiny building with a ton of swans in front.
I was doing well until my mother rebroke her leg (she broke it as a child), and had a major bone infection within it. I had to ditch my classes for a year, and nurse her back to health. My dad ended up buying a variety store to run, and it took up a ton of time. The end result of these two events was that I ended up dropping out of the computer classes, and trying to find something to do.
What I Learned: Computing is not a valid career choice. (The money was in programming and other stuff.) Also - I will never, ever work retail again. Seriously evil - the variety store was broken into, vandalized...etc.
Private High School (Accredited)
This was a private high school for retaking high school courses, and getting higher marks with the final thing to get into higher education. I ended up being very good friends with the teacher (who was a former nurse), and this was the best thing to do to fix my crap grades. I ended up applying to 5 universities, and all of them accepted me.
What I Learned: Rumors fly more than anything else - the rumor was that I was sleeping with the female teacher for marks. Made me giggle like a madwoman when I heard it - the teacher was pushing 50 at that time! I learned that I am a visual learner, and that I love a challenge when I do see it.
University
I started university with a clean slate. Nobody knew me, nobody gave a fuck about who you hung out with, and nobody cared. It was fun, although a big transition from home to living temporarily on my own. (Food shopping alone for the first time is scary - I ended up with bread and cheese and deli meat that week.) I started making videos about queer issues and getting involved. 2nd year, I ended up making some fast friends, and ended up as the marketing executive on the school's gay-straight alliance. It was pretty fun, although working like mad was not my thing. (I also got very drunk off of tequila shots one night, and...yuck.) 3rd year I was pretty much the vocal version of the gay girl, and because my school's demographic being mostly White - I was the fat, Asian lesbian; and for the first time, I didn't mind being the weird one. It is hard balancing out schoolwork, family, friends, your partner/girlfriend/boyfriend, and working out.
What I Learned: I work better alone, but I am able to work with others. I am antisocial, but enjoy some people's company. I rather be challenged in a class than actually have a easy course - but the challenge curve has to be gradual. University is just a mixture of reguritating information back at people and following orders.
This was basically easy, it was pretty much about trying to make friends, or avoiding getting bullied. (I was the target of every freaking bully at school.) It was pretty much hell, and I had a total of one best friend. (Who eventually dumped me for someone higher up on the social ladder.)
I ended up reporting the bullying to my parents, and basically, they said to suck it up. Eventually my mother confronted one of the guys who was behind it, and ended up getting a tennis ball to the face. It got so bad that my mother decided to pull me out of the school system and into another school at the beginning of grade 7. Also, there was one great teacher, and one horrible teacher. The latter was an old hag who was probably racist in the fact that she saw bullying happening to the Asian girl and didn't stop it multiple times.
What I Learned: You can't buy friendship, I should watch who I trust, and adults usually can't help.
Junior High School (Grade 7 - 8)
Gah, more bullying, but I had started to make friends with a group of similarily nerdy/geeky girls. They were awesome - we had a ton of nerdy halloween parties. Some memories include dressing up as the yellow Power Ranger (Trini!), dancing the Macerena in the gym, and really bad gym food. The situation did improve, but the bullying changed it's focus - I was the "teacher's pet" for reporting bullying. (I never did get into trouble for hitting one of my classmates for saying something about my mother...)
I did spend a summer with a curriculum for gifted students. I met my lifelong best friend through a computer program - we basically were given school credit for playing on computers! (Lemmings and ketchup potato chips - a very weird but great combination.)
What I Learned: I basically started to hate school, and I didn't really pay attention to the curriculum at this point. Although, there was this awesome sauce science teacher who instilled a sense of curiosity about things forever in me, and I'm forever grateful for this. (Also, this school started instilling a sense of wonder about computers.)
High School (9 - OAC/Grade 13)
I was the last of the so called "double-cohort" - the last to get the full five years of high school. The bullying situation lessened a whole lot, and began hanging out as a member of a group we called "the cubicle". It was still bad enough to cause me to attempt suicide via a bottle of vodka and pain pills. We were kind of nerdy, the group that could be counted on to have Gameboys and games, and to play D & D. I took a few extra years of high school, as I didn't know what else to do with my crap grades. It was also the time when I started questioning my sexuality - I fell head over heels over my best friend at the time. I realized that I was attracted to women when I realized that I was jealous of the fact that her boyfriends could have a chance with her.
What I Learned: I could pull off the goody-two-shoes thing perfectly (I actually got old enough to buy alcohol (19), and actually spent some time drunk in class) without getting caught. (Reputation does matter more than what you actually do.)
College (Computer Networking)
This was part and parcel of my coming out period - the fact that I questioned my sexuality made me lose track of why I had to get good grades, and as a result, I ended up at this school. It was kind of funny, as school was kind of easy at that point, but I didn't really put in any effort. The weird thing was that the college decided that the computer students were to have their own campus - a tiny building with a ton of swans in front.
I was doing well until my mother rebroke her leg (she broke it as a child), and had a major bone infection within it. I had to ditch my classes for a year, and nurse her back to health. My dad ended up buying a variety store to run, and it took up a ton of time. The end result of these two events was that I ended up dropping out of the computer classes, and trying to find something to do.
What I Learned: Computing is not a valid career choice. (The money was in programming and other stuff.) Also - I will never, ever work retail again. Seriously evil - the variety store was broken into, vandalized...etc.
Private High School (Accredited)
This was a private high school for retaking high school courses, and getting higher marks with the final thing to get into higher education. I ended up being very good friends with the teacher (who was a former nurse), and this was the best thing to do to fix my crap grades. I ended up applying to 5 universities, and all of them accepted me.
What I Learned: Rumors fly more than anything else - the rumor was that I was sleeping with the female teacher for marks. Made me giggle like a madwoman when I heard it - the teacher was pushing 50 at that time! I learned that I am a visual learner, and that I love a challenge when I do see it.
University
I started university with a clean slate. Nobody knew me, nobody gave a fuck about who you hung out with, and nobody cared. It was fun, although a big transition from home to living temporarily on my own. (Food shopping alone for the first time is scary - I ended up with bread and cheese and deli meat that week.) I started making videos about queer issues and getting involved. 2nd year, I ended up making some fast friends, and ended up as the marketing executive on the school's gay-straight alliance. It was pretty fun, although working like mad was not my thing. (I also got very drunk off of tequila shots one night, and...yuck.) 3rd year I was pretty much the vocal version of the gay girl, and because my school's demographic being mostly White - I was the fat, Asian lesbian; and for the first time, I didn't mind being the weird one. It is hard balancing out schoolwork, family, friends, your partner/girlfriend/boyfriend, and working out.
What I Learned: I work better alone, but I am able to work with others. I am antisocial, but enjoy some people's company. I rather be challenged in a class than actually have a easy course - but the challenge curve has to be gradual. University is just a mixture of reguritating information back at people and following orders.
[font=comic sans ms,cursive]So, I ask you - what has your school system taught you? What have you earned from your school system? Or do you think formal education is irrevelant?[/font]
