Our school days are meant to be the happiest times of our lives.
But I'm not so sure. They were and still are simply public institutions where kids have to go, sit still, be quiet and learn by rote.
I often think the adage that school is the happiest of times is really about childhood in general, those tender years up to age 18 when our life was spent in the warmth of the family nest, when summers were endless and toys, books, TV, music and our beautiful obsessions filled our carefree days. School was just happened to be a part of it.
Looking back I can find little evidence in my own memories that school made me happy. I have a feeling I was quite stressed with the whole thing, especially secondary school. I enjoyed meeting girls and dating them but I feel that was more to do with age rather than school.
No, my own happiness in childhood began when I got home from school and again I probably mean Secondary. I just can't recall enough about my Primary days to comment. My 'world' was at home and largely in my bedroom, where all my stuff was: toys and books and later on albums and posters and friends. I adored my childhood world of space and monsters and I think it made me the person I became rather than anything I did at school.
What do feel readers? Did you enjoy school? Were you happy there?
I think I largely share your view. School was okay but it was mainly something that you had to do. I didn't mind it at all but life was outside it.
ReplyDeleteIn my day and age, school was not in any way supposed to make you happy. But here's the trick: It made the time off-school so much sweeter.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for some of the skills I learned at school, but I hated it. Like you, my interests outside school shaped me more- and in the end, helped with my career.
ReplyDeleteMy birthday is early September.
ReplyDeleteI stopped celebrating it when I was 8 having realised that looking forward to my birthday was also back to school! Sometimes school began ON my birthday.
Living in NYC now, I have the added pain of 9/11 being my birthday. Sometimes you just can't win.
School was just an annoying intrusion into my life.
I generally hated school. I was bullied, and it was only eventually stopped by a kindly teacher who had faith in me as a broadcaster and studio engineer.
ReplyDeleteEssentially what I had to put up with was a kind of child abuse perpetuated by children. To quote Terranova; School was an annoying intrusion into my life.
I did enjoy school and was happy most of the time.
ReplyDeleteI liked finding things out, especially about science and history, and loved being in school plays and art competitions.
Blimey, there's a trend here of disliking School with some exceptions. What is it about it that is generally so unpleasant?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed primary school. In Infants - learning to read and write , making things (tie-die, art straws, sewing and stitching from simple cross-stitch to making stuffed toys) it was all new and exciting.
DeleteIn Juniors it was extending your knowledge- long division, proper books.
By secondary school it was just the same tedious stuff day after day. I dont think I learnt anything new until 3rd year. O levels (except for English) were fine - at least you got a choice of some of the subjects you studied.
I think that one of the biggest problems regarding schooling is that you have no choice. You have to go and sit for hour upon hour of stuff that you have absolutely no interest in and has no real-world application. Do you really need tò know the future imperfect tense of whatever? How many times did you need to use SOHCAHTOA today?
Thats not to say knowing stuff isnt useful - I'm still learning but its what I want to learn, not imposed on me by someone else.
Hmm, interesting insights Timmy. You have a good memory. Tedium is a killer. The Uniform as well, the sausage machine. Anyways, whats SOHCAHTOA when its at home?
Deletesimply put - school was a sad time and I'm glad as hell I'm out. it made such a bad impression I had little desire to further my studies. I only got my Associates by sheer force of will but it took me many years just do that!
ReplyDeleteBlimey, Ed it sounds bad. Glad you got what you wanted eventually.
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