What's up?

[KeeperUTX]

Every born child has a genius level of creativity. With time school destroys most of it (ironically) unless you keep being as creative as possible outside it.
Talent, well, that's acquirable through hard work or given as a genetic gift or both.

That's plausible a claim. Depending on what happens in school it can directly affect my flow of creativity, as I usually wrote one chapter per a week or two on the fly. What's "on the fly", you ask? That means that I just construct the scenario while I'm doing other things. In laymans terms:

Good day at school - great flow of creativity.
Bad day - Bad chapter, resulting in its expansion and/or correction or possibly even a do-over.

And for now, I've pretty much figured out how Kain's saga will continue in the 2nd book, it's sequel and the sequel to the sequel. Only problem is that I'm not 100% how the 2nd book's first chapter will actually start.

One other issue used to be this: Whenever I was writing a chapter for my book in a place where... Let's just say "the place for teens", since I can't translate it well, someone would barge in and annoy me for no apparent reason, or even shut the computer off, resulting not only in the loss of the chapter, but also a loss of temper, since - like the majority here, as I can presume - doesn't like getting screwed over by some 12-14 year-old brat who thinks he/she is the boss.

In any case, you're more than welcome to read my book. I'm looking for some reviews, which seem to be few and far in between these days.

[Feralidragon]

The problem with school is that among the "facts" you learn, a lot of them are concepts which are defined by the teachers themselves.
You go to an exam, and for every answer there's a specific answer. Failing to write the "right answer", even if it still states pretty much the same with different words and expressions, may or may not invalidate your answer, but in most cases it does invalidate, because teachers are not able to interpret it, given that in the end at least half of them know as much as you do when you understand what they taught.

Due to this fact, much of what you learn at school is memorizing stuff to throw them up at the tests to always match the teacher's expectations and thus getting a good grade,
You don't always learn facts and such, thus even if you know the same stuff but have other words to describe it, odds are that most teachers will not accept it as the right answer.
And, in most cases, your creativity gets struck down by the rigidity of the teachings.

This has a very critical consequence on your creativity, given that due to this your mind gets disciplined with time to act like a constant growing database relying on info that already exists rather than things you come up with yourself.

Personally, I already left school a couple years ago. I felt this in my skin, and I studied in a ton of different schools in different areas in 2 different districts.
I started to be rather creative before I even had a computer, by doing stuff with electronic stuff, card boards and the like, creating an immense amount of things.
With time I started loosing my "touch" at being imaginative, and I started to wonder why.
After years at school, I left for 2 years (1 to work at an advanced electronic company to repair old-tech and high-tech stuff, and another working here and there), and my creative skills started getting back to me, but mostly because I invested time in doing so by training my own brain to not be as disciplined relative the so said "facts" of life and inherent values of it.

Then I got back to school for 2 more years mostly to get an official bachelor at something (at an university), then left again up until now. It has been 3 years every since I was in school, and month after month, year after year, my own creativity is getting back to me, although such is getting boosted given that my job (also for the past 3 years) was PHP/Javascript/CSS/HTML developing, and unlike other places, here I have enough confidence from my boss to have a certain degree of creative freedom (because things generally work out well, not always, but enough times).

This is actually something that's being debated and studied by some entities in how the current school systems destroy someone's creative and critical part of the mind rather than enrich it, since you have to take everything they teach as law and not be able to question back most of the time.

The class I most hated up until now: History. It's widely known that it's written by the winners, but no History teacher says so and teach everything as undeniable facts, even if they aren't. I hated because it was boring, and I hated more when I realized the latter.

[KeeperUTX]

And that's yet another dent in my creativity: learning. The more I learn in a day, the harder it is to "retrieve" the scenarios. But my memory is now far better than it used to be. In the past, I used to forget what I was thinking of before i.e. taking an exam, now I can at least "store" my thoughts and "resume" them at a later time. The more complex tasks I perform - such as playing complex games and writing various articles - the better my memory gets. The only issue that I'm experiencing is if someone interrupts me in the middle of a sentence, it's quite likely that'll forget what I wanted to say. I wouldn't say it's that bad, as the person I was talking to can usually remind me of what we were talking about.

But regarding your apparently strong hatred for history class, Feralidragon, it's entirely dependent on the person in question. I, for one, liked history, but the most wrenching of all of them was mathematics; I can still solve a reasonable quantity of equations, but if someone tries to explain a new mathematical subject in a rapid manner, then I won't understand it at all. That's why I have a strong dislike for math: The teacher always - and I mean always - explains it in such a way that I either can't process it well or it just gives me a headache if I contemplate the jumbled information too much. It doesn't matter how much effort I put into listening, the outcome is almost always the same: bewilderment instead of enlightenment.

[Feralidragon]

I frequented about 6 different schools, which means I had 6 different History teachers each one with their own way of teaching. I never had a problem with any class at all, I just hated the fact that the whole class was pretty damn boring all the time (not that the others weren't, but this one stood out as the most boring of all), but I never faltered in understanding and memorizing all the info provided on it.
As for Math, exact opposite, it was everything but boring, and I had around 11~12 teachers during all my time in school, some couldn't teach while others taught very well, but the level of a teacher never influenced my own grades at any class at all (even when we got the worse Science teacher in the face of the Earth, while the whole class got bad grades (including the "smart" ones lol), I had a good grade and someone else had a positive one as well).

Like I said, all you have to do is to understand what kind of answers the teachers wanted and follow their own rules in their tests (together with understanding the actual things they taught of course), so I never had a bad grade in my entire life, at any class at all, no matter how boring or how I mentally skipped them until exam day lol
The problem with this however is exactly starting to loose the ability to be imaginative with time.

[papercoffee]

I have two flaws in my mind.
One is the flaw of not taking facts as given ...I have to understand them ...if I can't understand them I ask again and again sometimes getting to the satisfying answer. If I can't get the answer I search for it and read many sources in the internet (not that there is always the answer but sometimes a useful hind)
The second flaw is I can't concentrate on multiple tasks ...but the one task in front of me will get his complete attention till the end. I forget about my surrounding ...I forget to smoke, to piss, to eat... well
But funny part is I will react if you talk to me in this situation and we will have even a slow conversation ...but I will totally forgot about it right after it.

This combination helped me in School to retain my creativity ...I did draw during classes and could answer the teacher the right stuff. But if something caught my attention did I ask till I got my answer or the teacher gave up. Anyway... I could draw again without disturbance.

[Dr.Flay]

I was very lucky at my secondary-school. We were taught with a bit more freedom before the modern exam system.
Under the new system, I would have failed all my exams, as you are marked on your course-work.

My exercise books were all empty or full of massive gaps (except for the pictures. I was good at that).
As long as I understood 2 things, I did not need to write it down.
1) Concept (how does it work).
2) Context (when do you use it).

My Religious Education teacher started the first lesson by whispering in the ear of 1 student and then sitting down.
After a few minutes he asked the last student at the other end of the room, "What did you just hear?"
Once we all understood the concept of "Chinese-Whispers", he felt it was safe to teach us about the vast range of religions on this planet

My History teacher used to tell us exiting stories of adventure, conquest and political miss-deeds.
He would use old slang and get into character as he acted out historical scenes (I won't say what he said about the Spanish armada coming to invade )
He was inspiring, that was the key. It made you search for the answers you wanted, rather than have endless "facts" thrown at you.

My Chemistry teacher was ex-Military Police, and liked to make things go bang. He introduced us to the "Thermite Reaction" http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/pract ... e-reaction
He understood the application and use of chemicals and reactions.
Those were very different times, and today teaching school-kids about home-made car-bombs (not how to make them) would have caused a bit of fuss....OK. more than a bit

My Biology teacher was prone to random moments of "What the hell, why not?"
If she was sat in a hot room with a bunch of sweaty kids, she would suggest we all forget what we are doing, and all go for a walk in the woods.
While in the woods she could then answer all our questions about the world we live in, by pointing at examples growing and crawling around us, instead of in books or jars. We would then all chose something to take back and study.
One hot summer day, she was very brave and asked us what we wanted to do. Someone said "Lets go to your house for a cup of tea, Miss !".
After laughing at us, she thought "what the hell", and ferried us in batches to her house, with her VW camper.
We all has tea and biscuits while watching Tom & Jerry videos. ACE

Without inspiration and examples, knowledge is often wasted as it is hard to remember things that have no importance.

[papercoffee]

Without inspiration and examples, knowledge is often wasted as it is hard to remember things that have no importance.

Sounds like my two "flaws" ...

[KeeperUTX]

Since we're already jabbering on about teachers, let me share my experiences as well.

My history class teacher was always somewhat less of a "get-on-with-the-facts" person, she was more or less into light jokes, which really lightened the mood in class, and she could really motivate you to write the information down.

Our music teacher looked like he'd eat you alive if you did anything wrong. He turned out to be a swell guy, although he was a bit too strict. ("Either write this song down or you can do an exam instead..." )

But the most shrill of them all was my math teacher. She was really nice towards me for some reason, but if anyone else screwed up she'd start yelling like she was in a soap operah XD

Our chemistry teacher was also pleasant, although we didn't make things go "bang", we just made crystals and made magnesium glow IIRC.

Middle school:

Well, the first middle school I visited was a cooking school, which had too students of the kind I don't like (Bosnians), and the teacher for cooking class acted like she came out of the army's ranks. One little mistake, and you'd already get nice little comments like "This entire class is incompotent" or "You are a pathetic excuse for the term 'chef in training' ".... I'd tell her this: You know, not all of us are born with the knowledge you have..

And this is a generally true claim. Most of the teachers I've dealt with apparently think that we already know everything when we're born and that they can ridicule students like that.

[Carbon]

Well, as much as I see that education is largely a business and pretty much a sham (in not truly preparing people for living) that is based on an outdated societal model, I am currently doing post graduate research and can't say I don't enjoy the job and money higher education has brought me.

A lot of it is tough to take and get through, but if you are able, there are many terrific options for you on the other side. I am not saying it is the only way to anything, nor am I saying it is right for everyone, but had you asked me 15 years ago if I was going to be doing what I am now, I too would have laughed. Now, I most certainly don't regret it.

[papercoffee]

One of my most honest teacher I ever had was my driving instructor ...He explained me during a driving lesson "I teach you only the stuff and skills you have to know to pass the driving test" ..."proper driving skills will you learn afterwards on the street."

This is the same for any school ... The exception proves the rule.

[Carbon]

Undergraduate studies are characterized by very limited choice, very little autonomy and a very narrow path which one must endure. Also, the path is only as fruitful as the professor makes it to be. However, to say that professors are trashing your chances is just a cop-out. Even the worst professors have requirements that are typically quite clear (saying nothing of difficulty, simply as directives); get it done and don't look back. Costs? Yes, I graduated in the hole big time (I paid for both of my undergrad degrees with loans), but with some fancy footwork, I did manage to pay them back without keeping me in the poorhouse for 10 years. If I can do it, anyone can.

Graduate school is when things get much, much better; a great deal of self-determination and autonomy, selected study and a strong focus on the major. Professors begin to take a back seat (advisory) roles, which is in many situations, beneficial. I have to say that my graduate work was made better by my thesis adviser, but maybe that is rare. I feel that costs for most grad schools are reasonable (in the cost/benefit analysis). I did manage to pay cash for my grad school, thanks to my undergrad degree and the employment it secured.

Post-grad work is completely autonomous, precision focus and you not only set the rules but have the opportunity top make new ones. Very attractive, but ludicrously expensive.

Sorry if I sound sanctimonious, but as I said, for all that education isn't, there is a heck of a lot there for people with a mind to find it. I just don't like it when discussions get too one-sided, so I am just trying to balance it out a bit here. I met some of the most amazing people at university, as well as well and truly found out who I am and what I am really made of (yes, I finished a sentence with a preposition).

[KeeperUTX]

Sanctimonious? Not really. Enlightening? Well, yes, I suppose.

However, it's still a lot to think about. Even Portal's portal physics sound simpler right now ("Why are you mentioning Portal?" I got it yesterday.), but once you think it through in a thorough way, it seems relatively easy to contemplate. It's essentially the same with learning: at first you don't understand the subject at all, but after you "process" it in your head, all becomes (relatively) clear.

*RANDOM NOTE*: this is my 101st post.

[KeeperUTX]

Well, in any case, how's it going in real life?