Rant: High Schools These Days

As I was browsing through the infamous MRU Confessions page one day, I stumbled upon an interesting post that really got me thinking. The author of the post was sarcastically expressing their displeasure with high school curriculums. The post went something like this:

"Thanks to high school, I don't know how to pay bills, buy a house, or do taxes... but thank God I know how graph a polynomial function." 

Now I realize that MRU Confessions isn't what you would call a very cerebral and thought provoking forum, but this disgruntled person's post resounded with me. In my opinion, high schools (at least where I'm from) aren't doing a good enough job preparing adolescents for the "real world". Now I realize that some of this knowledge should be learned in one's own free time, but schools should really be focusing more on these topics, because this type of knowledge is essential to function in today's society.

High schools have a very one-dimensional way of evaluating a student's intelligence. Students are expected to simply memorize information and then regurgitate said information onto a piece of paper. High schools need to realize that not everyone learns this way. Too much emphasis is being put on simply "getting the right answer", and there is not nearly enough emphasis on alternative methods of learning or analyzing problems. This "memorize and repeat" theory is really hampering students' ability to think outside the box or to look at problems from different points of view. I think it's a shame that students who don't buy into this system are viewed as "unintelligent", even though they might have more worldly knowledge than most.

All that being said, I am not bashing the actual subjects that are being taught, it's just that the way they are taught isn't the best. I don't think teachers are the problem, more so the curriculum itself. I think that there should be classes that teach the topics about general world knowledge that I mentioned above. I think this would really assist young adults to become a truly rounded and effective member of society.

Yes, I realize that I am not really providing a solution to this problem. I am just venting to myself about a topic that I think needs to be reconsidered. That is all, bye for now.

Man Vs. Farm Animal

Hey there ladies and gents.  

It is I, Cool Sloth, and I would like to take this time to share with you an unusual event that occurred recently in my homeland. (Note: If you are reading this dry-humored blog in hopes of getting a good chuckle, I'm going to have to ask you to lower your standards a wee bit).  

Okay, now that that's over, I'll get to it. The following escapade took place just this past summer. This is my story. *Cue Law and Order sound* 

One July night, a few friends and I were driving along a gravel road on the way to a "social gathering", if you will. Everyone, including the driver, was very excited to arrive at our destination, and this resulted in our speed being a tad excessive. We zoomed over a small hill, and what we found on the other side was a bit more than we bargained for. A large cow had decided to park itself right in the middle of the road. There was no way of stopping in time, so me and my friends (and the cow, I'm assuming), braced for impact. The cow let out a desperate "moo", but to no avail. Next thing you know, bumper met beef. 

Oh yeah, let me remind you that we were in a small-sized car, so the cow had a considerable size advantage over us. It hit the windshield and proceeded to do an airplane-style barrel roll over the roof of the car. I'd say this whole thing occurred in about a third of a second, so you could imagine our alarm. The cow then rolled over the back window and off of the now totalled car. Let it be known that no one in the car was hurt in the least bit, but unfortunately, I can't say the same for  the cow. The only thing I could say was that the poor animal was in the wrong place at the wrong time. To this day, my friends and I still feel sympathy for that cow. It only wanted to mind its own business and munch on some grass, but instead, it ended up finding a one-way ticket to the butcher shop. May it rest in peace.

I don't know about you, but I think stories like this are hard to come by. In fact, I'd say that they're about "medium rare". 

First Post

Hello world, here's my first post, hopefully many more to come.