Things That Make Me Go Ughhhh

The Education System

The education system. I mean where to start with this pile of shit?

Fact: Most teenager's brains are not wired to absorb information before 9-10 in the morning.

Fact: All schools know this, ignore this, and most still start between 8 and 9 in the morning.

Schools ignore all of the scientific evidence, then complain when they've got a handful of yawning, grumpy, half asleep zombies in their class who refuse to partake in their lessons because really they should still be asleep!!

My sixth form for next year begins at half eight in the morning. The shops in the town centre five minutes away open at ten. This is basically telling me that I shouldn't buy a jacket before I'm properly awake, but I should sit in a classroom and try and absorb A-Level Psychology. Right.

Moving on past the inhumane early start issue, there's the bigger issue of a school environment.

Teenagers. Are. Mean.

They are. You cannot deny it. This whole book will feature the cruel words of at least one teenager in every chapter. I don't know what it is about us arsey adolescents, but we take pleasure in causing each other anguish. It's no surprise that so many children are bullied, when hundreds of really nasty people are forced together five days a week, is it? At least one child in every year group at a school is faced with bullying every day, but when they finally reach out for help, they're told "It's just kids being kids" or "I'm sure you give as good as you get". If education ministers are setting up this crucible of self-esteem they should at least be willing to deal with the repercussions of that! Instead, they act surprised when kids tell them they hate school. Well why would we enjoy spending every day in an environment that just makes us miserable?!

My final point: exams. Exams exams exams. This is all the next two months are consisting of for me. What is the point? What is the point of making me sit twenty one exams in the space of four weeks to get ten GCSEs? You know one of the only times you'll ever be asked for your GCSEs in the future is if you apply to be a primary school teacher? Unless you're one of those few people who hope to do that in later years, GCSEs count for nothing. You need them to get into an apprenticeship, college or sixth form, but it's A-Levels that will take you to Uni. Not ten General Certificates of Secondary Education, no matter how ridiculously hard the government made them that year.

It's all laughable, when you think about it. I have spent the last two years learning how to answer exam questions- AQA if you're reading this, Q4 on the English Language is the second rising of Satan and you're on my list- which I will need to answer once then never again. Have I been told how to vote? No. Have I been told how to buy a house? No. Have I been told any human rights. No.

Just let that sink in.

I had to teach myself my human rights, because my system of education wouldn't.

Oh dear. My alarm for my late afternoon session is going off. That stupidly hard further chemistry exam won't pass itself, so we all know what's more important here...