Posted on 01/06/2005 7:58:45 PM PST by Kevin OMalley
One of the reasons why a lot of people don't go to grad school (myself included).....
I was such a slow learner that I did 3 years of graduate school before I finally understood how worthless it was. I did all but the dissertation. PHds in the social sciences such as education are a FRAUD. Works in the hard sciences though.
When I was a Sophomore in HS, I had dropped out and ended up in alternative school. I begged my principal to let me take the GED so I could go on to college. He refused. I went to my regular high school principal and he refused, also...but let me do a program called "Running Start" where I could take all my classes at the community college and get credit for both. I ended up getting my HS diploma and Associate Degree the same month. It was the best move I ever made. High school was such a waste of time. I will be offering that option to my children, too.
Good points and good post
"High school was such a waste of time. I will be offering that option to my children, too."
I have to admit, this is tempting option for a lot of reasons. You guys are making a LOT of sense.
Credits in the district were awarded based on hours spent in the classroom, and NOT demonstrated knowledge.
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The same thing happened to my brother. He was quite gifted as well, but he was so bored by the whole thing he skipped class a lot. They were going to make him re-take his senior year because of it, even though he had straight "A"'s. He ultimately dropped out and got his GED instead of retaking his entire year.
He wasn't black, but the liberal mind set that ran his school was trying to hold him back as well. Good thing for both of you that you found ways around it. Although I have to say, I think your approach was a lot more responsible than his. :)
One thing I did was take a job where I was working on swing shifts as a security guard. Everyone else was bored stiff, but I was able to take advantage and study on the job. Unfortunately, the supervisors saw that I was someone trying to improve himself and jealously sought to hamper this activity. Reading magazines -- OK. Reading text books -- not allowed. I had to photocopy my text books.
I would encourage you to take that GED test and focus on some kind of strategy such as this one. There are scholarships available which come to your advantage. When I was working my way through college, there was no such thing as a 529 fund. If there were, I wouldn't have paid any income taxes whatsoever. Every little bit helps.
Also, keep in mind that you have a support structure of more than half a million people here in FR that would be rooting for you. GO Girl!
Get your GED. My brother did. He then got an Associates degree at the local community college, went in the Army for several years and now runs product development at Dell Computers.
Me, I sit here with my almost MBA (I need to do the electives and the school is a 2 hour drive away) with huge student loan debt.
Bro owns his home, has one of his girls in college and is getting ready to build on his new property.
Because it challenges the liberal's sacred cow of equality. If some kids can do it faster, that means they're smarter or more ambitious...and the class clown might feel stupid as a result - which we just couldn't have /sarcasm
A couple of visits to Free Republic will wipe out that liberal brainwashing. Don't worry. ;-)
Yes, I am interested in that. I guess I am opposed to the GED because in my mind there is a stigma attached. It is perhaps unimportant in the long run, but I'd like to explore every other option first.
"not too much they can do about math for instance"
I'll give you one chance to retract the above statement. If you don't you may in for a firestorm here.
If you have an AA, no one is worried about what type of H.S. diploma you have.
No, a GED isn't the only option. There are a lot of
online high schools that will accept older people. For
starters you can try American School.
"If you have an AA, no one is worried about what type of H.S. diploma you have."
***Actually, I found that employers stopped asking about high school well before I got an AA degree. As soon as I had a few college classes under my belt, high school had become completely irrelevant. Just by saying you attend a certain college, their assumption is you have a high school diploma.
And there is no stigma attached whatsoever. I actually bring it up as a point of pride that I never graduated from my ridiculous high school but I have a college degree.
My high school was among the worst in the nation at the time, even though it was in a "good" neighborhood, because there were forced busing policies from the areas that had high concentrations of minorities (and they closed down the schools in the minority districts). It was a mess caused by well-meaning liberal administrators. Basically the school had the same problems as inner city schools without the teachers nor administrators having the slightest idea of how to deal with it.
A woman who taught in my school wrote a book about her experience, titled "My Posse Don't Do Homework". It became a hit movie: "Dangerous Minds" with Michelle Pfeiffer.
I have no comprehension of your statement.
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