High School

[Nox]

Does anyone else feel that high school is more about social status than proper education?

[A Revolutionary Tool]

Does anyone else feel that high school is more about social status than proper education?

For some people yes.

[SJBarley]

My Secondary school (which I just left) was very much in this mould, now I wasn't exactly unpopular but I could definately see some division based on social status, for instance the "cool" kids, who in my opinion were about as useful as a boat in Moscow when it comes to contributing to the education system or being a benefit to the local community, while those who could aid it the "nerds" if you'll excuse the term, who were interested in becoming positive members of society were shunned. So essentially those who if anything detracted from the world were having a wonderful time while those who deserved appreciation were shunned. Well done society, you've shot yourself in the foot.

[A Revolutionary Tool]

I don't think it's as simple as that SjBarley. It's not like if you're smart you're going to be shunned in all or most cases. When I was in secondary school I was the "smart kid," everybody wanted to copy off me, would go to me for help with work, etc, but I was never shunned by my peers. Maybe it's because I wasn't an ass about it. Once I was back in regular school I made a few observations about smart people and concluded there were "nerds" in every group. There were AP Chem students hanging out with the "jocks", "emos", etc. I really didn't see it split up by how smart you were with intelligent people off in the corner shunned by hordes of morons.

[CommieTroll]

To the student population, yes, that's all a majority of them care about. In reality (to me at least) the education system in Western Countries is to simply prepare students for exams, not teach but prepare them for exams. It's pathetic, on Tuesday I'm starting my final year of secondary school and in June I'll be faced with the dreaded Leaving Cert, basically a series of exams on all my classes that determines my educational and financial future, one paper possibly determines how ''successful'' I will be and that's just fucking stupid. For years the Irish school system has taught students how to pass exams and nothing more. My proof? I've been ''learning'' Irish since I was 5, I'm 16 now and I can barely speak a word of it, that's the main reason the Irish language is dying off too.
To the small mind of the ordinary student, school is like a chore and other mandatory things. All week I can only think about one thing, the weekend, as soon as that bell rings at 4pm Mon-Fri I'm free and that's all I care about. I can't see how anyone could enjoy school or the version of it I'm forced to endure. All the time you hear about ''the mad party'' last weekend and just getting shitfaced in general and that's all most students talk about. School is just another failed social experiment in the West which garantees the continuation of this Capitalist system, we don't learn about Marxism, philosophy or individual thought, just ''wonderful this beautiful Capitalist system is'' and how evil Socialist regimes have failed. It's a pathetic system that robs the individual of their rights, another thing that pisses me off (about my country in particular) is uniforms and Catholic schools which is sickening, a ''holy cross'' in every classroom and beginning every day with a prayer while the uniforms are to break individual spirit, my principal actually gave me the excuse that the uniforms were there to stop fashion trends and to protect people of ''disadvantaged backgrounds'' (his words, not mine) of ridicule for their appearance by not being able to afford a vast quantity of proper clothing. Sorry if I'm ranting or if I went off topic but that's how I see modern education

[#FF0000]

Does anyone else feel that high school is more about social status than proper education?

How do you figure?

(you are probably wrong but that's okay)

[A Revolutionary Tool]

Am I missing something here about secondary school because in America that's the school you go to when you get kicked out of the regular schools.

[#FF0000]

Secondary School = high school.

[Sensible Socialist]

High School is a joke. It's a place to herd kids into so they can learn compliance and to obey authority. Good grades are given to those who play well within the system and those who decide not to go along with the sham are called "problem children." All the while, social hierarchies evolve as kids are both watched with a close eye and then left to their own devices to mimic the real world. It's a dangerous place to put a child, and I wouldn't advocate any parent who has the means to do otherwise putting their child in school.

[wunderbar]

Am I missing something here about secondary school because in America that's the school you go to when you get kicked out of the regular schools.

Isn't that continuation school?

[A Revolutionary Tool]

Isn't that continuation school?
Yeah I've heard it go by both names.

[Who?]

My high school was really chill, everyone just did whatever they wanted. There were groups of friends, yeah, but they were always welcoming of other people.

I don't know, my school just didn't have that 80's movie dynamic.

[#FF0000]

My high school was really chill, everyone just did whatever they wanted. There were groups of friends, yeah, but they were always welcoming of other people.

I don't know, my school just didn't have that 80's movie dynamic.

Same here. No castes, just a bunch of circles of friends (which got pretty large sometimes but).

We had kids who fit the "popular kid" archetype, though - involved with athletics, rich, etc. but everyone was just sort of embarrassed for them because they were generally complete tools and you just sorta knew they'd be the kids coming back to see the homecoming game year after year once they graduated to relive their glory days or something (lo and behold they actually do)

[Caj]

I agree with Sensible Socialist. High schools have a lot more to do with obedience than legitimate education. History classes in the US are nothing short of right-wing propaganda with a pro-US, pro-imperialist, pro-capitalist stance.

[SJBarley]

A Revolutionary Tool, I agree its not as simple as that but I was simplifying my own experience. But my school was definitely defined by social status, it says alot that on results day many people did not seem bothered regardless of how well or poorly they had done. Perhaps this was only my school but regardless I felt it to be appropriate to add my experience to the conversation

[Nox]

How do you figure?

(you are probably wrong but that's okay)

You know what, my mind's gone blank... I can't remember at all why I made this thread or what I meant in the OP...