I am relearning how to balance my schedule. Most people would think that working part time in addition to school is pretty tough, but I have met many people who undertake this responsibility, so it does not seem to me such a big deal. Of course, there have been and are currently many other things which occupy my mind. Then again, does not everyone?

So that is my excuse and furthermore, I feel that I am doing better. I really am getting sick of grades and I think I am starting to get this anti-”A” thing. What really pisses me off is how grades drive students. I am not just referring to how everyone wants good grades so that they can move on to better things in life, but I am talking about the self esteem that is built into receiving a good grade on an exam or a paper. First of all, exam grades clearly do not dictate how much one has learned. Certainly there is a correlation, but if you know the material but then did silly things on the test and got a bad grade, what does that really tell anyone? That you don’t know the material, or that you misread one or two problems on the exam? No one except for you will know this, but then it is not like you care about the fact that you know the materal…all you care about is the stupid “C” on your exam.

With papers, this topic is a bit trickier and even more convoluted. The subjectivity involved in grading papers makes grading quite ludicrous. Again, there is (less, but still existent) correlation between grade and knowledge acquired, but there is a sense of necessary parroting in order to receive good grades. If you repeat what the professor has taught, you will do well. I do not think I need to illustrate this point further, so let’s look at some positives in school.

Projects in particular inspires me to think there is hope. The exultation of figuring out something (I realized that this is a computer science bias here) gives learning a better name. In projects involving groups of people or presentation where you have to come up with something original (i.e., a topic not discussed in class), learning is facilitated through a much better medium. I am sure there are other ingenious things, but I am afraid I’ll have to stop here, though I promise to finish this idea this month.

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Motivations

1. There are such things as false motivations. I guess they are not entirely false, but they are more ephemeral. For example, people doing medical or law school for the money. I do not think an explanation here is necessary.
2. Of course, such a motivation cannot be deemed as bad or poor. I mean for each person, the motivations are different. However, certain motivations last a lifetime and certain are bound to disappear and reappear in one’s life.
3. The suggestion is one to find one that is eternal, but to recognize these motivational “states”. That is, look at why you are motivated and how long this particular motivation will last before doing something quite silly.

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