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Seeing as this is my 24th entry (if I can count correctly) I should probably archive this thing sometime soon. I've been working hard on my AP US textnotes, but I'm still only 67% finished right now. Why am I typing a journal rather than working? My hands hurt! Textnotes done by hand in my handwriting generally total 6.5 pages, and I've done about four, mostly within the past few hours. Whee, procrastination sure pays off, doesn't it? Aagh, forget my previous two entries, I was still far too angry during the long, verbose one. If you are in my class, please join me in recording any incident you may find objectionable, in case we ever need any sort of documentation of what sort of teacher he is. If you dislike him, well, that's not even enough grounds to transfer into another class, so I cannot do anything else for now; I think I have finally accepted that. Anyway, starting with today's little refusal to explain the Warm-Up because part of the class was not paying any attention, I will be writing down as much as I can. As calmly as I possibly can. I will also be gazing far off into space a lot more in that class, attempting to keep a hold on my sanity. Okay... the previous entry was written minutes after math class, so I was still very, uhh, excited at the time. Anyway, I feel calmer and a little more rational now. Not totally. First of all, I recall disliking my math teacher from the first day of class. He said in his little self-introduction that he prefers that his students talk to him first, rather than the entire math department or the school principal, when his students have a problem with the way the class is going or with something he is doing or saying. Obviously, he either knows that his past students disliked him, or he has some sort of black mark on his record; why else would he ever have to think about that sort of thing? Having taught around 12 years (I must check the facts on this, I'm mostly guessing here) I'd think he has had time to collect strikes on the record. Anyway, I think my original point was that I dislike his teaching style; to put it one way, he focuses heavily on remembering trivial things like bringing one's textbook whenever told, and staying totally focused during all 47 (?) minutes of class. To put it another way, he has an awful temper (for a teacher). Now, he isn't exactly doing anything that violates his rights (to discipline and such) as a teacher, he isn't mistreating students, and he is actually covering math topics, rather than US History or Computer Programming. However, I don't feel that he is teaching very effectively; students usually (and by usually, I mean whenever I seem to notice things) either do not understand what he is trying to explain, already knew the concept, or simply point out trivial errors in his calculations. Making simple calculation errors is not very important, as we all do that (including me, especially when my mind is numbed from the power trips some teachers and authoritarians go on...) sometimes. Er, maybe it's time for more concrete examples. Last Friday, as the bell rang, he told the class to bring textbooks the following week, as they would be used for class activity. However, the first day of the school week (Tuesday), there was no mention of textbooks during class. The next day (Wednesday), about 1/2 - 2/3 of the class did not have their textbooks with them (mine was in my locker, in all my "enthusiasm" for Debate Team during lunch today, I forgot to stop by my locker to pick up my afternoon textbooks). And he was surprised by that. Technically, it is the student's responsibility to remember such trivial matters, as the classes are taught by the teacher's plans (which are written in advance), most teachers know from experience that it's nearly pointless to lecture students on something they have been doing all their lives, if it does not affect the current situation directly. Lectures on staying focused during class, not passing notes, not talking to others during class (when the teacher is not lecturing), and other such topics have basically frustrated myself and many other students in the class (I've only talked to the sophomores so far). I personally feel that I might be learning more efficiently if I solved problems alongside a few peers of my own choosing; in the past, this allows me to do my own work as well as consult with other very knowledgable and thinking students when I am stuck or have questions. The teacher claims that he does not want us to just sit passively and be fed the answer and formulas. Well, I would like to say that I do not wish to sit passively and be fed the answer and formulas either. Learning in a particular subject is usually accomplished once one has a solid basics foundation. Without the foundation to draw from, most students cannot come to solve more complex problems without hints or further instruction. A good founation allows students to think for themselves when problem-solving; teaching this foundation and encouraging free and active thought is the very purpose of public schooling (to paraphrase the words of a classmate). Oh my fucking god, my math teacher is the worst teacher I have ever met. He doesn't even have a good personality, so he's not a very interesting person. He's a control freak who spends half of our class on a power trip, restricting us from talking to our classmates about math. If I learn anything this year, I honestly think it will be from my classmates (friends), not the teacher. Blink 182: Stay Together For The Kids I haven't taken any more online quizzes, I haven't done anything exceptionally noteworthy, except fail miserably in It's Academic today... (and yet it's a much better alternative to being at home, so I enjoyed myself very much). I would like to note to myself that I managed to squeeze in my 20 minutes of walking / jogging today, but not yesterday, mainly because my brother is a demon from some mythological place called "hell", and does not deserve the spoiled position he currently resides in. Thanks mainly to him, I not only did not manage to start my textnotes this past 3-day weekend, but even am questioning my very identity. Deep stuff. And I believe it's all his fault. Regardless of whether it can be proven that he does not have control in a rage, I will blame him. I do not want to have the power to calm him, I want to run away and never return. (Don't worry, I won't. I'm not giving up my "home" in the area, he's the one who'll have to leave when I'm 18. If all goes how I want it to, which it very well may not. I'll deal.) Spirited Away is coming to select theaters this Friday! I wanna see it, but select theaters usually means nowhere near me... hmm... I actually did see a tv ad for it, on that channel... whatever it is... it's channel 29 here, and has this little eye thingy for its network symbol... damn it... what's the name of the channel?! I have no idea!! The total ugliness of the gray-background table code from those quizzes makes me sick... as does a lot of today's other occurences. Don't ask me about it, because I probably wouldn't be able to tell you. However, I dreamt a strange dream last night... one that involved one of my friends in my situation. I didn't know what to do. It was so sad... I felt so helpless... (I got rid of the three quizzes I just took, they were... stupid. I'm sorry, but I dislike mainstream personality tests.)
I've a few new sites for you to ponder, unless you'd be offended by them (I don't see how, but I guess I wouldn't know). Eh... whatever. Just read them. I won't say whether I agree or disagree just yet, though I have made up my mind. The Pledge Restoration Project gives a bit of history about when America's values really went downhill. Pledge Talking Points lists some facts on why the pledge should not have been changed in the first place. Other Pledge of Allegiance links may be found there, so that I do not have to repeat every single link in this entry.
Well, after reading a little bit more of BettyBowers.com, I have to confess I'm a bit uncomfortable with religious humor. I take Atheism seriously, so I don't really see the humor in the holes of Christianity. I don't know, maybe I'm just too uptight today, but it doesn't seem funny. Maybe you'd like it, go ahead and see the site for yourself. However, Atheists of Silicon Valley, is neat. So, uh, if you don't mind your religion or others' religion being mocked, or the holes in them pointed out in a witty manner, go there. Then there's George Carlin on non-belief, which is really great... well, I dunno, but I like it. It does have strong language, but it's funny, unlike that web page (I'll find it later) on George Bush's opinion of Atheism... ugh, that was painful to read. Chinese lessons were okay today, except that my brother attends them too, therefore he 1) gets super stressed out, which leads to 2) him punching me. Anyway, yeah, I keep alternating between feeling stupid and feeling smart at the lessons, so whatever. I was going to say something about the hatred I feel towards my brother, but it's probably not a good idea. I used to say I wouldn't hate anyone, and never have, but now I have, and the easiest part of it is swallowing my own words. I can't wait until I'm out of this shithole. Hehe. I didn't know I was in your ('the') tribe. I didn't know I only exist in the context of Nick or Jai. Then again, I didn't really know you until this year, I still don't really, but you seem really cool... don't be depressed!! AHHHH... bug bites! Does anyone kno' why my left arm and my left leg itches so badly?! It's certainly not outdoor exposure to insects, I wore all-black long sleeved shirt and long pants today (yes, it was a hot day.. yes, it was picture day..) Oh, no, the reason is my stupid family left the front door open! Fuckin' stupid thing to do in mosquito season, I think. I hate to go back on my word this way, but... I didn't go to Best Buy today. Yolanda couldn't make it, and no one could go on one minute's notice, so I went home instead. I've now recently watched both the FF8 and FF10 endings. The FF8 camcorder bit is awesome, I like it better than any of the other cutscenes in the game... (except the thing at the end of Disc 1, that was painful!!) Rewatching the FF10 ending has taken away some of its impact for me, I didn't cry when Tidus cried, I didn't cry at all or even start to hurt. It's a miracle. Though, to be honest, I feel really numb today, ever since I arrived home at least. Oh, and, this is totally unrelated, but Mme. Johnson is so sexist... ~_~ Honestly, I'd feel horrible if I were a male student in one of her classes... Whee, I'm in Computer Science 2 right now and have finished my test and assignment early, congratulate me! Anyway, I have to go take a French quiz now, then run (and by that, I mean "walk cautiously") to Best Buy to buy a cd, because this here cash is burnin' a hole in me pocket... *desperately needs another Metallica cd* Yippie, I just got an envelope in the mail from myself. Or rather, from Jessica L. So this is "my" collage from art class! I love it! ^_^ How did you do this, Jessica?? (Aww... mine's not very interesting... it so pales in comparison...) It's actually uploaded, if you wanted to see it. I just read something on Penny Arcade, while still somewhat hyped up after my hamster wheel session for the day: Well well, I'm actually home. Later than 2:30 pm. Where the hell was I? At It's Academic! It's where I very much (excruciatingly?) enjoy feeling stupid for 1.5 hours since last Thursday, hopefully until the end of high school. As long as I don't lose interest. Which I won't. There's a near-infinite number of possible questions to be able to understand, and I want to get more than one question right per day! Not necessarily good enough for filming or even to go to tournaments, but damn it, I only got one thing right! Anyway, it's okay, it was an easy question and that made me feel a little better. I feel remarkably stupid. I've spent so long trying to get Adobe Photoshop from a disc from friends that I never stopped to notice my Sony VAIO comes installed with a copy. Go figure. Now I lack excuses for lack of a layout... Today was a surprisingly good day, considering I zombie-walked through most of it. I'm ashamed to say I tried to talk during our Moment of Silence, but it was just so boring... Most people left the room to watch the broadcasted Chorus / Band performance of America the Beautiful, but I didn't... about 9 of us stayed in the classroom. It was interesting. Anyway, Debate Team and Fine Lines were both okay today, nothing I'm excited over but a perfectly acceptable way to spend my afternoon, considering how much I dread getting home. Most of my thoughts have leaked out of my mind by late afternoon, but one thing that keeps repeating is the Green Goblin. Please don't ask me why, because I really do not know... Well, due to my immense inability to use user-friendly interfaces (especially graphical ones... what's the matter with everyone else, isn't text easier to use?) and the sheer confusion of using Blogger, I'm trying out Pitas.com, recommended to me by min. Let's see if this entry shows up. |
may answer to? is not paid for? addicted to? enamoured with? frightens? i sold my soul to...
i have yet to save the world of... religious texts? bishonen? guilty as charged? |
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