On Succinctness

When it comes to writing, I have heard two very different theologies as to what makes a good paper. The most popular, and probably the most widely known is to simply write as much as possible. As a student, I've had my share of teachers that grade more on length than on content. Perpetuated by assignments that have a minimum page requirement but no maximum, students are taught that the volume of meaningless dribble they produce is directly proportional to their grade. I myself have gotten through eleven years of schooling without having to do much more than write a few meaningless nothings in order to wheedle my way into an 'A'. While I'm not exactly proud of my frequent utilization of this method, I can't deny its usefulness in raising a grade. In theory, the students that write a lot are the ones that put most work into the piece; and that may be true. However, if public schooling has taught me anything, It's how to drag out a simple argument to the point where it seems almost absurd.

The second theory directly contradicts the notion that length has any correlation to substance. The few teachers that emphasize this (mainly English or Writing teachers) place importance on a succinct and orderly writing style. I myself did not encounter this theology until high school. When presented with this style, students like myself balk at the immensity of the task. We have been so trained against writing for substance, that we have neglected the basics of argumentative or expository writing. Ultimately more useful and stylistically easy to understand, this method is more true to the realities of writing outside of school.

So here I am at Seventeen, trying to learn concepts of writing that should have been taught to me years ago, and shaking my head because up until now, my school system has failed to give me the perspective I need to truly succeed.

Procrastination

It's three a.m. and you still haven't written that report due in...four hours now? You say you're going to start typing, but wait! After an hour of refreshing the browser you've gotten a notification. "It's probably important" you say to yourself as you waste yet another hour ignoring that deadline with all of your might.

Let's be honest. No one actually wants to write a paper on the migratory patterns of Swallows or analyze every word of a poem twice to squeeze out every last drop of potential meaning from the piece. It's painstaking work that details information that you're most likely never going to need again. I think that this is the primary reason most kids absolutely abhor school. The sole object of most work that we do as students is (at least in High School) just meant to keep us busy. We are assigned passive learning activities that do little to challenge us and only succeed in boring us to tears. It's no wonder that we push off the work for another half hour playing Skyrim or another chapter of a good book. At least then, we reason, we're accomplishing something. We're doing something we care about.

As an avid and unabashed procrastinator, I want to get to the root of the issue. By all accounts, it's my own fault. Nobody's forcing me to put off work until I'm stressed out of my mind trying to get everything done on time. But in all fairness, I do think that our school system is a bit at fault as well. I mean, it's not the teacher's fault that geometry practically put me to sleep and I have to hold back a lengthy sigh whenever I hear words like particle physics. It's a teacher's job to pass down information, whether it is interesting to one particular student or not, and for the most part our teachers are doing an excellent job with that. What bothers me is that teachers have this vast reservoir of untapped potential. Maybe I'll never love chemistry, but the information given doesn't have to be presented in a way that makes me claw my eyes out. With more active and hands on lesson plans, teachers could get more students to participate without threatening a lower grade or call home to parents.

Thankfully, as I'm progressing in my studies, I'm encountering more teachers that strive to present information and promote growth in unconventional and interesting ways. Things like student led learning and multimedia presentations are sparking interest in fields I would never have considered at all worth my time. Unfortunately, the days of hour long lectures and ten page papers are far from over. But hopefully, with some time, students and teachers will be able to work together to create an active and gratifying educational experience for all children.