All of this week, I've been assisting friends and piers in writing their research papers in order to pass English 4, a graduation requirement.
All these years, I've considered myself to be a poor writer. It seemed so. I was never the kid who got the highest grade on a paper. Well... except twice... but that's not important. Anyway... my point is that it is so surprising how unprepared people are for their futures.
In the second grade, I learned the differences between different types of words. There were your action words - verbs, describing words - adjectives, and person/place/thing words - nouns. Add in adverbs and articles and you're pretty set, right?
Stylistically speaking, I think I'm the worse writer I know. I mean, I manage to pass all the standardized national tests etc. AP English blah blah... but so do A LOT of people.
You'd think... that other students, 18-year-olds, would be able to string sentences together to form ideas. They stopped having spelling tests when I ended the 5th grade. I was writing 5+ page stories by the time I was done with the 3rd grade. I was doing Algebra in middle school. Yet, I have friends in high school, who write sentences fragments... paragraphs consisting of only simple sentences... don't know what MLA is... ask me what a "Work Cited" page is...
It's a nightmare, but it makes sense, because people complain about the California high school exit exams. It's the easiest standardized test I've ever taken, and I know people who've failed in consistently for the last two years. Hopefully they pass this year, but...
I know people who are failing Algebra. Well, it's not just algebra, the class is split into two years for some students. Algebra A and Algebra B. You take two years to learn Algebra. How hard could it be?
California has the 49th worst educational system in the United States, and our "Governator" plans to cut even more money from an institution already struggling.
I hate to say this, but if we allowed natural selection to do it's job, I think this problem would have solved itself. I'm not insinuating that we should start a genocide on stupid people, but I think something needs to be done. It's ridiculous. Have you ever had an 18-year-old person ask you if they could use "This paper is about" in their research papers? "Can I use 'I' in my research paper?"
I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but come on.
Comments (7)
Reminds me of speech class: "Today I'm going to tell you about. . ."
RYC: Well, I wasn't traumatized, but there are many things that rhyme with Brice. I think you just gave me something to blog about. . . . I didn't name my violin, but I should've: Violet. Or Vinny.
@bricebanner - Haha So you play violin? That's cool. Do you play in orchestra?
That's high school for you. Don't worry Julia, once you enter college (at ucla I believe?), that will all change and everyone will be the sharpest tool in the shed and you will just be like wtf? lolz
@blackhokage24 - LOL. I know, that's what everybody says.
@boredjm - Used to be in orchestra, for about 3 years. Used to be in band too, for about 1 month lol. When the band teacher asked me to consider switching from trumpet, I knew I really sucked, and I quit.
@bricebanner - Haha...
Being in band is less of a string instrument thing.
Band is plenty of fun. I did marching band for 4 years and wind ensemble for 3.
Welcome to the exact reason that I left high school after two years and decided that I should go to college instead.
Guess what! People are just as stupid in college .... ; ;
But wait! There's more! The people in the graduate classes I've taken were idiots too >.>
Hopefully when I start my PhD at the age of 21 or 22 people will have more sense >.> I don't know. I think it's a problem of the average American... or maybe this entire world. Whatever it is, it pisses me off.