During my time blogging, I have been coerced into metacognition. Ms. Dockus made me think about how I learn, and what aids me in attempting to learn. A few months ago, I’m not sure if I could have articulated an accurate response to such a question. Currently, I am still unsure of my ability to do such a thing. I have always been “good” at school. In elementary school I was a strict rule follower, an avid reader, and a spelling test master (which is essentially all that is asked of an elementary-aged kid). The other kids would be rowdy and loud while I would read my 3rd Star Wars book of the week (these were chapter books, and everyone knows that chapter books are a big deal). Some kids feared Parent-Teacher Conferences, but I couldn’t wait for them. These aforementioned days of great behavior finally came back to reward me. As I advanced through school, the material never got any harder in my eyes. It felt as if I could always handle the amount of work given out. Some say that one’s Junior year of high school is the most difficult, but I certainly hope it isn’t. I have always enjoyed challenge and competition. For starters, I’m a boy, so there’s already a certain level of testosterone induced insanity. Sports fan the flames of competition, mostly anyone who plays one can tell you that. Then there is something about my personality that just makes me strive to be “better” than everyone else. I’d say I have a problem with being an elitist, but I don’t think I actually am better than other people. I just want to be. This mindset of mine has always helped to make school appear more meaningful. I still remember getting Math tests back in middle school and immediately comparing scores with my best friend Harper. I essentially still do that. I like to think that a lot of successful people did this. In short, I drive myself to do well in school as it should ensure victory in all trivia-based games that I play now or in the near-future. Schooling is just preparation for game shows. Thanks for reading this nonsense!
What really matters in an education? Scores and grades carry a great deal of importance. They CAN determine one's entire future. Of course, this terrifies me. Yet I am not the only one. I understand why and how educators use grades. I haven't really thought of a greater, or more effective, alternative either. I assume that my children will stress out over a B just as I do now. Sorry dudes. Grades aren't the result of an education. One will be graded on a multitude of things throughout life in school, but a transcript of letters doesn't seem to justify the many early mornings and late nights (that should gain applause from fellow procrastinators). As I see it, school is just prep for the "real" world. The machine known as school works to take in children, and return adults. I think it works pretty well- in my case. Some schools may be ranked higher than others; some schools may test higher than others. I have been fortunate enough in my life to attend highly ranked schools. I have also experienced the other end of the spectrum. You might have a guess as to which I prefer. General attitude, in my opinion and experience, is directly proportional to academic success. When students are pushed to be "good enough," they become ok with mediocrity and settling for less than their best. They become "good enough." This is ok for some. When students are pushed for their best, they often have a greater sense of pride and self worth. Students learn how to differentiate between grades and actual learning. Too much of an emphasis on grading can be unhealthy. And yet again, life becomes a balancing act. "Attitude, not aptitude, determines altitude" I don't agree with everything this guy has to say, but that doesn't really matter. Finnish schools are amazing. Scratch that, Finnish schools SEEM amazing. I have never actually set foot in Finland, let alone attend a school there. I like to imagine that they are nice though. After all, I have only heard/seen good things from the easternmost Norwegian country.
The Fins have quite the laid back approach to learning. Students rarely have homework, tests, and seemingly stress of any kind. From the looks of it, everyone enjoys school. It wouldn't be rare to walk into a Finnish school and find students walking around in socks. They have that kind of an atmosphere. High school is treated as a time of exploration for students. This is when they decide what they enjoy doing. Teachers are friends, not graders. Upon graduation, the kids will move on to college just like an American student, but the journey for a diploma is very different. Ironically, I was so caught up with other classwork that this blog post is LATE. I'm going to get marked down on an assignment while some Finnish kid is probably enjoying his time playing video games. American schools stress constant homework and testing, yet we fall behind the Fins in math, reading, and science. When does a good thing become a bad thing? Finland has built a unique educational system. With this being said, it not impossible for the United States to take notes and try to embrace some of these "foreign" concepts. I know I wouldn't mind doing less homework, or taking fewer tests. I am sure that others would agree as well. While this does not remain true for all, I enjoy learning. With less time spent on homework and studying, more time could be spent on applying these skills that the school system emphasizes. When I ask fellow students if they participate in extracurricular clubs or activities, they often respond with something along the lines of "I don't have the time." These students are either lying to me (which is totally possible, Current Events Club is not for everyone) or telling the truth. Both cases are a bit saddening. Free the students. It’s funny, and crazy, how relevant Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion are in relation to real life.
His first law states that an object in motion will stay in motion, unless if there is pressure exerted by an outside force. This seems very true not only while looking at physics, but while looking at the actions of people as well. If I’m doing something, I will probably continue to do it until the task is completed. If I have twenty math problems to tackle, it doesn’t make much sense to stop after three. 99% of the time, I won’t stop. An object in motion will stay in motion. His second law states that force is equal to mass times acceleration. In a vacuum, the force of a ball moving is directly proportional to the ball’s mass, and how hard the ball was moved (acceleration). This can be seen in human actions as well. If I were working on a project, time to completion would vary depending on the size of the project (mass), and how hard I worked on it (acceleration). Work hard on a small project and be done in fifteen minutes. Lag behind on a huge project and stay up late at night. Force is equal to mass times acceleration. His third law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Sounds a lot like real life. Our actions have consequences. If I wrong someone, there’s a possibility that they will wrong me back. Maybe they don’t. Yet, most of the time, there will be some form of this “equal and opposite reaction.” If I don’t finish my homework, I could fail a test. If I fail a test, I could get a poor grade. These actions have consequences, they have reactions. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Of course, these points could be refuted in a number of ways, but that’s not my focus. This is only one result of looking at the world. There are many ways to see the world, and there are numerous ideas that have resulted from it. Take a step back and find the quirks. I have no idea what my future holds, and I am totally ok with that.
I presume that I am not alone in this confusion. After all, a majority of people who read this will probably agree with me. Life can be confusing. Life can be even more confusing when one has to choose however they want to spend the rest of it. Growing up, we have to make some tough decisions. Where do we go to college? What do we study in college? How will we pay for college? What happens if we don’t get in to a certain college? Over the weekend, I was thinking about this. I tried to simulate four year plans and understand what the outputs would be if I were the input. How would I change at University X? Would it be for the better, or the worse? Focusing on higher education, it doesn’t help that every single university in existence claims to be the best fit for everyone. Am I supposed to write school names on pieces of paper and draw one randomly out of a hat? Somehow, I am ok with this uncertainty of mine. I like knowing and understanding things (to the point where I must know as much as possible), but I have become alright with the uncertainties in life. They are quite inevitable and inescapable. Throughout my life, the most enjoyable and memorable things have been sporadic. It would be a real bummer if this trend stopped after high school graduation, yet I don’t think it will die for quite awhile. I faced a strange fear of writing as a child. I was always nervous while doing it, and I never felt quite proud my final product. It finally clicked with me during my freshman year. My writing didn’t sound original because I didn’t write the same way that I talked. The words I wrote on the paper didn’t form sentences that anyone would speak in a conversation. They sounded foreign. I decided that my writing wasn’t going to stay the same. I had to change something. The kids, and most teachers, in Holt were ok with sub-par work. I was not. My phrasing and flow improved tremendously. I enjoyed reading my papers in front of the class. It felt so much more natural. I finally understood that I could accurately convey a point while also being moderately entertaining. At one point, I even started to add jokes in my papers. Anytime before that point, I was scared to say anything that wasn’t strictly academic. My writing began to sound more like a series of clever tweets than some boring research paper. My teachers appreciated it. They liked reading something that was unique. It must have helped me on the AP World History Exam as well. I definitely made a joke about communists on one of the essays. More like "great leap backwards!" Nice try Mao.
I have made an amazing discovery. YouTube CAN be used for educational purposes!
Last week, I spoke about my embarkment into the wide world of computer science. Over the week, it was my goal to further that knowledge. I wanted to build a foundation of knowledge after dipping my toes in the water. I figured a college class would be the most reliable form of learning this information, so I did a quick search. Approximately .037 seconds later, I had thousands of videos available to me. My eyes (and cursor) were instantly attracted to the three letters in the title. The video title read “Lec 1 MIT Introduction to Computer Science and Programming, Fall 2008.” Go big or go home, right? I’ve always wanted to go to MIT, I might as well do it now (sitting on a couch, for free!). I watched the video and was amazed. Every idea I had about college lectures and lessons was instantly proven invalid. The professors (there were two that alternated) were both nice, caring, and funny. They went out of their way to let students know that what they were doing can be difficult, and were understanding enough to help them. They also knew that they were dealing with students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and expected greatness. I am beyond excited for a college experience like this. While I am basically a part-time student at MIT now (pathetic sarcasm), I am still excited to learn even more. After watching six hours of lectures on Computer Science, and even doing the homework assigned after a few of them, I feel like I have developed an even greater understanding of how little I actually know. There is so much knowledge in the world. The hardest decision I will ever make is choosing one of them to master. On the plus side, this means that I am wise in the eyes of the Greek philosopher Socrates. I’ll end with a quote: “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing” Have a great break, and thanks for reading! -Charlie Over the summer I realized something. I realized how big the impact that computers make on the world is. After that, I realized that I can use a computer, but I have no idea how they work. So much realization for me. This prompted my head-first dive into the world of computer science. I had always loved the entrepreneurial spirits of men like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk. This led to yet another realization, I have the opportunity to be just like these men. The only thing holding me back is my relatively small knowledge of anything concerning computer programming. With these things being said, I have decided to jump on the exponentially growing bandwagon of computer science and engineering. Since this magical realization over the summer, I have been slowly teaching myself how to code. It’s definitely not easy, and I have developed an even bigger respect for the people who do this professionally. However, the goals I have set for myself are in no way impossible. I’m sure that the skill of computer programming is completely reasonable. Anything, if done with care and repetition, can be learned or mastered. This isn’t really a matter of “if” I will learn anymore, the question I have for myself is “when.” With well over a staggering ten hours of basic experience, and a fun idea, I have started the great conquest of “Flappy Buggia.” It is, at its core, the hit game “Flappy Bird” with the twist of a flying Mr. Buggia head and sounds. The game is coming along, but a majority of the time I find myself guessing and checking what code I may have written minutes before. I’m sure that you, the reader, are totally stoked reading this right now, and for that, I will attach a few images of the game below. Wish me luck, and check back soon for more updates! -Charlie It definitely isn't the app you wanted, but it's the app you needed.
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