School and the gradual individual

We are taught to be individuals. Everywhere you go you see it. “Be yourself.” “Go your own way.” “Follow your heart.” Even fast food tells us to “Do what tastes right.” From the first day of preschool, we begin to learn to be individuals. Take Johnny and Kendra for example. Johnny and Kendra go to preschool. They are taught the same things, do the same crafts, and play with the same kids. Nothing separates them from anyone else in the class, not even their gender. Early elementary school starts and Johnny and Kendra begin to differentiate. Johnny starts hanging out with boys and starts to gain an interest in playing sports. Kendra starts playing with mainly girls and they enjoy dressing up and playing jump rope. Neither Kendra nor Johnny talks to each other anymore because they think that each other are “gross.” Late elementary school brings a few changes. These are simple steps in individual development: picking out their own clothes, packing their own lunches, etc. Once middle school starts, things begin to change. Kids begin to develop at different rates both mentally and physically. Johnny and Kendra begin to start talking again, but for different reasons. Kids begin to pick out their own friends and make decisions on their own. High school brings the individual more options to express himself/herself. They are able to make their own decisions, pick their own friends and classes, and make some life changing decisions. College is where the first real freedom of change happens. Kids are finally released from parental discretion and make decisions for themselves that will affect their lives. It is even encouraged by the college professors.

Small schools...the death of the individual

Please excuse the tardiness of this post, but good things take time! Just Kidding (Sort of)

Julie went to a large public high school in an average American town. She loved her high school very much. Although the large size made it slightly more difficult to know her faculty, it did give her the chance to meet a wide variety of people form all different walks of life. She had the option to express herself how she pleased through her choice in music, clothing style, and class choice. She could choose classes she wanted to take, such as interior design. Of course there were some conflicts, nowhere is perfect, but overall, Julie was satisfied with the way high school was going. One afternoon, after a long day at a school, she came home to find her parents sitting on the couch. She wondered what was going on. They told her that although she was doing very well in school, they didn’t think it was challenging enough for her. They had decided to send her to a small private parochial school that had a “stronger academic program” than the school she was attending. She was very upset, but being the chipper young girl she was, she had resolved to make the best of it. She was slightly concerned about attending this new school mid semester. She was going from a school of 3,000 to one of 150. This was going to be a huge adjustment. She was also worried because she had heard stories about this school. She thought that these must be exaggerations since the school was supposed to be a religious school. People had said that the students there were very cliquey and didn’t accept new people very easily. Julie wasn’t too worried about that. She was a pretty outgoing person and had never had trouble making friends before.
The time came for her first day at the new school. She drove into the parking lot and already noticed a big difference. This school had a very strict dress code that would not allow Julie to express her self through fashion, something that was very important to her. Also, she noticed that there were absolutely no minority students and that almost every that could drive had vehicles more expensive that even Julie’s parents’ cars. She walked into the office to prepare a class schedule. She was shocked to notice that she had only one option for class selection: Band or Choir. All the rest of the classes were chosen for her. There were no elective options. She deiced to let this roll off her shoulders and try to make the best of it. She stepped into her first class and started her day. She felt very uncomfortable throughout the day because no one would approach her. Being the outgoing person she was, she tried to talk to some of the students, but many of them were rude or would not respond. Julie was very disheartened by this. She had done nothing wrong and already she felt like every ounce of her being was being judged. She went home that night and told her parents about her day. They told her that it would all get better and to just try and stick it out. She agreed and continued to go back and experience the same results day after day…
After a week of this torment, she had almost had enough. She was in the bathroom stall when a group of girls came in. She could not help but overhear their conversation. Shockingly, it was about her! One girl said she heard that Julie was a drug addict that got arrested and this school was her last chance. Another said that Julie was overly promiscuous and had an oral STD. Julie was horrified to hear such awful rumors. She knew that those things were absolutely untrue. She now knew why everyone was giving her cold looks and why no one would talk to her. She had had enough. She couldn’t stay at this school anymore. She left the bathroom, called her parents in tears, and withdrew that same day.

This may sound extreme, but besides her name, Julie’s story is a true. It happened at my school. It was not just Julie. The sad thing was that there was at least one Julie every semester at my high school.

Words...What's in a name?

Language is the basis of society. It is what drives society and its people in their everyday lives. With language, comes the written word. This is how language can be communicated throughout the years from generation to generation. The written word, however, can become more complicated and confusing than the spoken word. Many times, the labeling of things makes them more complicated. Things such as time, we can understand as a concept. Once we label it with a word, calling it “time,” and try to describe it through words, it becomes infinitely more complex. Understanding things through description is much more difficult than through careful thought and imagination.
Another issue brought forth is that of connotation. The meaning placed behind words. A good example of this is words that are considered vulgar. Many of these words have relatively neutral meanings, but the society places meanings on these words. One example of this is the word “bloody.” In the Americas, this word has no particular meaning, but overseas in countries with British influence, this word is deemed inappropriate. This is not due to the meaning of the word, but rather, the meaning placed n the word by society. Connotation can also be considered in the use of words in the spoken language. Emphasis and word stress make up the majority of word meaning. In other words, it’s not what you say; it’s HOW you say it. Someone could say something as simple as, “You look nice today,” and it might not be a compliment at all. It could, in fact be a cutting and sarcastic remark. Learning to master stress and tone quality is very important in the use of language as a tool.
A third concern with language also stemming from the labeling process is that of naming. If something is named, it exists. I have a pencil in my hand. The pencil has a name, it is an object I can see and feel, thus it exists. What if something lacks a name and description? Does it exist? We’ve never seen it, felt it, looked at it, described it, etc. We know now that there is such a thing as gravity. Hundreds of years ago, people did not know what gravity was, they had never seen, felt, or described it. Today we have discovered it, named it, and described it, and thus, to us, it exists. How does language make something exist? Description makes things real to us. So to make things real to ourselves is to make things actually real. Gravity to those before Galileo didn’t exist, and things that do not exist to us, may soon exist in the future. Crazy thought, huh?