FREE WRITE: Last blog of the year!

This is the last blog of the YEAR??? How am I going to ever live with myself? Boohoohoo.
I think this has been a really great year for me. I finally feel like I've settled well into this whole high school routine. I love all (well, most) of the classes I am in this year, I have the best set of teachers I've ever had in my young life, and I feel like I've done good this year. It wasn't anything out of the park, but I feel like it's been a peaceful journey. No important life lessons learned, no crazy memories. It was just a wonderful year to look back on and think, "Hey, I was really happy my junior year." I'm thankful for all of my teachers and friends this year, and as I prepare to become a senior, I'll definitely have to live up to what an awesome year 2012-13 has been. Peace out till next year.

Nicest thing I've ever done for someone

I don't really know. I try to be nice in general, and I hope that's enough. I like helping people in little ways, like picking up things their kids dropped to opening doors for people. I think that small stuff like that matters.

What are my thoughts on the Golden Rule?

"Treat others how you want to be treated."
I think this is absolutely true. I think that what goes around comes around, so you better put good stuff out so that good stuff will come back in.

What kind of charity would I create?

I would create a charity that helps save the rainforest because there isn't enough of those out there. I would go and educate people about easy steps to help conserve the environment. And then I would party with pandas and quokkas because that's just how we roll.

How are you going to make today a good day?

I don't know. You know what? I have an exam tomorrow morning. I'm going to get home, review, and go to sleep. Yup. For the rest of the day, I will chant "FIVE FIVE FIVE" my head.

What are some flaws in our education system?

The flaws in our education system includes the reality that the kind of learning we do at school isn't the best for everyone. I know we don't always do one method, and teachers try and do projects or watch videos and stuff, but that doesn't apply to everyone.

OK. The thing that REALLY REALLY annoys me is that teachers don't give us all the tools we need to succeed. As if it would be "too easy" for us. Isn't the point of school to LEARN things that we will need in the outside world? And less broadly, TO PASS TESTS. 

It really freaking pisses me off how my AP teachers give me all of these charts and cheat sheets at the END of the year when we're about to need it the most, and NOT when it was the middle of the year and I was struggling with the exact same thing on tests as we were learning them. WHAT THE FRICK. And I asked one of my teachers "Wow. Where were these when I was failing those daily grades?" I MEAN WE NEVER LEARNED THEM AND NOW WE GET THIS MAGICAL LIST. She just said that we would depend on that list and not really learn on our own. 

So she's afraid of us gaining knowledge in a short amount of time? Wow. That would be awful if students gained knowledge and got 100s on all of their tests. IT'S NOT LIKE THAT'S WHAT THE SCHOOL WANTS FOR THEIR STUDENTS OR ANYTHING.

And I don't freaking understand why I need to be at school for at least 12 years of my life. Back in the Philippines, my cousins that are 2 years younger than I am are already in college. And they are geniuses. OK AMERICA, KEEPING YOUR CHILDREN IN SCHOOL FOR A LONG TIME TAKING EASY CLASSES AREN'T GOING TO MAKE THEM ANY SMARTER. If anything, it'll make them dumber and lazy. Is that what this country wants? 

Honestly, in some of the classes I'm in, I just feel stupid. Throughout my high school life, I've had some really crappy teachers who are just there for God knows what reason, who do not help their students in any way either because they're too arrogant or don't know anything. 

I know there are always going to be teachers that you don't like, and that's something that you just have to deal with, but does it HAVE to be that way? Can't schools--schools that have reputations and morals to uphold and want their students to succeed--I don't know, HIRE DECENT TEACHERS? Not just decent teachers, but GOOD teachers. Teachers that will motivate students and teach them the subject WELL. 

Now we move on to the actual teaching process. Let me explain this very clearly.

YOU CANNOT JUST GIVE A STUDENT A TEXTBOOK AND NOTES, MAKE THEM MEMORIZE AND KNOW THINGS, AND TEST THEM ON CONCEPTUAL USAGES. IF YOU'RE GOING TO HARDWIRE STUDENTS' BRAINS TO MEMORIZE TERMS, YOU CAN'T JUST SPRING UP "HOW DO YOU USE THIS IN A REAL LIFE SITUATION"; WE DO NOT WORK THAT WAY. 

And isn't that the point of school anyway? To teach young minds the skills that they're going to need in real life? I mean, give students a little help here! It's like, giving Bear Grylls a knife and dropping him in the middle of nowhere and expect him to survive. Sure, there are those Bear Gryllses that will survive in this type of environment, but you know what? AMERICA ISN'T MADE UP OF FREAKING BEAR GRYLLS. IT'S MADE OF STUPID PEOPLE AND AVERAGE PEOPLE AND RELATIVELY SMART PEOPLE. AND THEN THERE ARE THE BEAR GRYLLSES. AND MOST OF THEM ARE ASIAN AND INDIAN, AKA NOT BORN IN THE USA. 

And this is why China beats us every time.

I'm freaking pissed off now, so I'm going to end here.