I always found school to be more of a hindrance than a help, all
the way from the age of 8 I started to see the problem and more
and more through the years. I taught myself BASIC and binary
logic starting at age 11. I'd get a notion and try. I got books
as I needed but I "learned as I did". In school, everything was
broken down into tiny chunks over long periods of time and yet I
only would remember long enough to pass a test because there was
nothing "in it for me". But I cant compare in general because I
was always self-taught. Even in school, I would TRY to get
interested by finding supplemental materials in public
libraries. Maybe pushing people through identical learning is
good. Maybe they're doing it right. I don't know. But I'll never
forget the day when I was 10 years old. The teacher was not in
the classroom. I went up to the front of the desk and peeked in
her textbook. The other kids were laughing at my
bravery/stupidity, expecting me to get caught. I told them what
I saw and they were amazed as I was: It's EXACTLY the same as
our books, except SHE gets the answers. Before that, I thought
teachers had some special knowledge. Some did. But most? Did
not. All too human. All of it. It's amazing we accomplish
anything at all but I'm glad we're able to do as a species what
we can.
