That's Crazy Talk Girl!
Posted: July 25, 2010 Filed under: school 6 Comments »
School is good.
Right? If you’re reading this post on my website (which you so obviously are….), then I’m going to assume that you’re a little bit like me. Probably a weirdo. Someone who doesn’t want to conform all of those imposed societal rules that suck out your soul. Truth is, I don’t want to go to school anymore. “But Leslie, no one wants to go to school… You just have to. For the good education that’ll lead to college and then some sort of paper pushing secure job that makes a steady income (and to pay for that darn blasted college debt)…It’s all for the future! Use your eyes dammit!”
The Teenage Liberation Handbook
No, I don’t want to go to school exactly because I’m using my eyes. I’ve been digesting the Teenage Liberation Handbook (don’t be like me kids and stretch out a book over the period of 3 months. I have this thing where I might be juggling 5 books at a time. I know, bad habit.) which is an absolutely phenomenal read. I always knew I didn’t like school but this book has solidified all judgments and reasoning toward it. Don’t read this book if you want to stay normal and unaffected. It will change you and the way you think. My only smallish qualm about the book is it’s a bit outdated, written in 1999. I’d love for the author to release an updated version, but she provides so many in depth examples, I know it’d be hard to gather so much information again. It’s easily applicable to 2010 anyways. There’s an even larger wealth of opportunities and information about unschooling nowadays.
I Believe in and Wholly Support Myself
My parents don’t want me to do it, my teachers don’t want me to do it, my adult acquaintances who I barely know don’t want me to do it, and some of my friends don’t want me to do it. I’ve been so used to alternative thinking that when I snaps conditioned beliefs of the real world into my face, it gets me every time. “Really? Is that what you think? It makes absolutely no sense.” No one believes in me, they all want me to go back to public schooling once summer vacation is over. IMO summer vacations are designed to be long enough for kids to become sick of video games but short enough so they don’t realize their potential to do better things. The mindless vacation is a purging state kids have to go through to cleanse themselves of that jail institution.
I don’t hold any obligations to anyone else
Guess what? I’ve decided that I have one life to live, and I’m not going to live it for anyone else. I’m not going to make my choices to fit into the status quo so people can feel better about their choices. If what I’m saying makes you uncomfortable and causes you to question yourself, then oh well. I’m not going to sell my soul and float along aimlessly, fitting into some little box the government and corporations have carved for me. Public schooling was literally made to churn out factory workers. I’m going to think for myself and do what I do based on my own judgments. So no matter how many people try to push me down and hide my inner shine, that’s not going to happen. If I eff up my life (read do something not considered mainstream successful) then fine! It’s my choice to make, not yours.
Holy shit I hope your parents don’t ready this, see the link and call the police! Actually, no worries, it’d have to be interpol as I’m an Aussie.
No seriously, I didn’t get much out school either. In fact the main reasons for going to school aren’t actually the education. The school I went to was exclusive and high class, and meant to create bonds of loyalty with the alumni.
I’m long over my bitterness towards school – having just turned 30. So I think I can drop a few words here for you.
You can educate yourself. But once you take responsibility for your own education, you need a world’s worth of discipline. You need vision. And you need to be able to stand up when you’ve failed and recognise failure as part of life. It takes a lot of faith in yourself, a lot of flexibility and a lot of endurance to make it on your own, your own way, in a world that isn’t designed to support you to do that.
And you may need to get a job to support your personal development.
And you’re going to have to be patient with all those people who see you as unstable. You’re going to have to go to the next level there.
My advice right now is take what talents you have and make stuff. Just make and make and make stuff until you are brilliant at it, do it as second nature and have a huge folio of your talent. Whatever that is.
For me it’s music, writing and visual art. I haven’t practiced these enough because I’ve been lazy. Now I’m 30 and realising I needed to – you loose sparkle/mojo as you age, if you don’t keep practicing. We come into this world full of infinite potential – but we talk ourselves out of it as we go on.
Be generous, ambitious, dedicated, patient, flexible. Appreciate menial work as a part of your growth. You can learn a lot on a job, just like you can at school. Just stay away from slaughterhouses and the meat/dairy industry in general because that’s baaad spiritual mojo. The wrong way.
Holy shit I hope your parents don’t ready this, see the link and call the police! Actually, no worries, it’d have to be interpol as I’m an Aussie.
No seriously, I didn’t get much out school either. In fact the main reasons for going to school aren’t actually the education. The school I went to was exclusive and high class, and meant to create bonds of loyalty with the alumni.
I’m long over my bitterness towards school – having just turned 30. So I think I can drop a few words here for you.
You can educate yourself. But once you take responsibility for your own education, you need a world’s worth of discipline. You need vision. And you need to be able to stand up when you’ve failed and recognise failure as part of life. It takes a lot of faith in yourself, a lot of flexibility and a lot of endurance to make it on your own, your own way, in a world that isn’t designed to support you to do that.
And you may need to get a job to support your personal development.
And you’re going to have to be patient with all those people who see you as unstable. You’re going to have to go to the next level there.
My advice right now is take what talents you have and make stuff. Just make and make and make stuff until you are brilliant at it, do it as second nature and have a huge folio of your talent. Whatever that is.
For me it’s music, writing and visual art. I haven’t practiced these enough because I’ve been lazy. Now I’m 30 and realising I needed to – you loose sparkle/mojo as you age, if you don’t keep practicing. We come into this world full of infinite potential – but we talk ourselves out of it as we go on.
Be generous, ambitious, dedicated, patient, flexible. Appreciate menial work as a part of your growth. You can learn a lot on a job, just like you can at school. Just stay away from slaughterhouses and the meat/dairy industry in general because that’s baaad spiritual mojo. The wrong way.
RT @LeslieCao: That's Crazy Talk Girl! http://bit.ly/bhC541
RT @LeslieCao: That's Crazy Talk Girl! http://bit.ly/bhC541
Thanks for the comment man!
I have some different plans for school that I’m working out right now… Next year I want to do a foreign exchange!
I was planning on working on a nearby hog farm though :/
Nah actually that place really Stinks
Appreciate and taking in your advice =)
Thanks for the comment man!
I have some different plans for school that I’m working out right now… Next year I want to do a foreign exchange!
I was planning on working on a nearby hog farm though :/
Nah actually that place really Stinks
Appreciate and taking in your advice =)