Content in partnership with KCBS

From Knitting To Pop Quizzes

11.16.14
From Knitting To Pop Quizzes

I didn’t even know what a GPA was until I saw my friends mom pridefully taping her daughter’s report card to their fridge

While most kids were taking tests and pop quizzes, I was attending a Waldorf school  learning how to knit, sew, and build goat houses.

All I wanted was to go to a big public high school.  In  my first month at Berkeley high, I realized I was at a disadvantage. At Waldorf, our English classes emphasized creative writing- at Berkeley, creative assignments were rarely even collected. Clearly they weren’t crucial to the curriculum.

Switching to strictly analytically writing made me feel inadequate . I worried I would be ineligible for a four year college, so I figured out which assignments my teachers actually read, and which ones they only scanned. I spent time on ithem accordingly.

I had to let go of good habits, like being thorough, that I had learned from Waldorf. At Berkeley high, I felt pressure to memorize the materials simply to pass test.

I’m not siding with either style of learning, but I don’t think the two were meant to harmonize.

Support the Next Generation of Content Creators
Invest in the diverse voices that will shape and lead the future of journalism and art.
donate now
Support the Next Generation of Content Creators
Invest in the diverse voices that will shape and lead the future of journalism and art.
donate now