I've been waiting all my life for your article about dropouts. I am a two-time dropout myself so I relate deeply to every aspect of your piece. What college meant to me was: showing everyone how much you can tolerate of conformity and professorial inadequacy while being expected to find truth and meaning in the mess they call education. …
I've been waiting all my life for your article about dropouts. I am a two-time dropout myself so I relate deeply to every aspect of your piece. What college meant to me was: showing everyone how much you can tolerate of conformity and professorial inadequacy while being expected to find truth and meaning in the mess they call education. I am therefore an autodidact and a nobody today. BUT, that is okay and it is a safe and quality way of life and being that rewards itself mightily as someone like me goes about a real education of life and learning.
Being an autodidact is fine, which is what I am as well, but people learn the most when learning with others from those who really know and love what they are teaching.
And for some reason I’m reminded of my first practical Filmmaking course at NYU. At first everybody pussyfooted around critiquing others’ works. Until the guy who was driving a cab to pay his way through, “bitter” Ed D_______ had no time for dilettantes on daddy’s dime. After he spoke truth, everyone got cut down as appropriate.
Do people learn more when learning with others? I always found the pace too slow while the dimwits around me struggled to catch up. As for those teachers who really know and love what they are teaching, they are rarer than hen's teeth. I have three degrees in different fields, music performance, biochemistry and veterinary science and I have rarely encountered such a teacher.
Maybe I was just lucky with my teachers. While it is frustrating to have slow fellow students, I find that many people have insights or at least views different enough that I find valuable. It is just difficult to pull it out of them. Also, there are subjects that I have trouble with which makes me more accepting of the slowpokes.
I've been waiting all my life for your article about dropouts. I am a two-time dropout myself so I relate deeply to every aspect of your piece. What college meant to me was: showing everyone how much you can tolerate of conformity and professorial inadequacy while being expected to find truth and meaning in the mess they call education. I am therefore an autodidact and a nobody today. BUT, that is okay and it is a safe and quality way of life and being that rewards itself mightily as someone like me goes about a real education of life and learning.
Being an autodidact is fine, which is what I am as well, but people learn the most when learning with others from those who really know and love what they are teaching.
Not everyone thrives equally in a crowd.
And for some reason I’m reminded of my first practical Filmmaking course at NYU. At first everybody pussyfooted around critiquing others’ works. Until the guy who was driving a cab to pay his way through, “bitter” Ed D_______ had no time for dilettantes on daddy’s dime. After he spoke truth, everyone got cut down as appropriate.
Do people learn more when learning with others? I always found the pace too slow while the dimwits around me struggled to catch up. As for those teachers who really know and love what they are teaching, they are rarer than hen's teeth. I have three degrees in different fields, music performance, biochemistry and veterinary science and I have rarely encountered such a teacher.
Maybe I was just lucky with my teachers. While it is frustrating to have slow fellow students, I find that many people have insights or at least views different enough that I find valuable. It is just difficult to pull it out of them. Also, there are subjects that I have trouble with which makes me more accepting of the slowpokes.
Charter member of the club here