Tell me about self-education.

Or autodidactism, as it is also known, but might be a less catchy title for the thread. :)

I'm 17, and finishing my junior year in high school. Since the fifth grade I have had abysmal grades in school. I usually fail the majority of my classes and end up retaking them in credit recovery classes. However, I absolutely love learning. I understand the importance of an education not just for advancement in the careers of modern society, but in any situation you may ever find yourself in. I believe that intellect is the most important thing a human can possess, and I wouldn't dare stop learning at any point in my life.

In my spare time I enjoy books on Enlightenment, Napoleonic and Roman history, speculation on current events, watching and critiquing films (which I plan to later make myself, as a director) conversing and debating on almost any subject, such as religion, philosophy, and current events, and playing video games. I usually play for a few hours a day and enjoy games like Empire: Total War, Halo 3, EVE Online, Call of Duty 4 and occasionally World of Warcraft. I'll also add I am proud to be a member of the gaming community, and love the whole gamer inter-web culture that almost no adults understand or grasp.

As you may have guessed, I don't find the conversation at the grade school level very engaging, and although my family is, after all, my family, I have woken up to the same people every day for 17 years, and they have a tendency to be unreasonable and limiting, not to mention I loathe having my privacy invaded, and they are the type that watch me at all times. But to be fair, I won't settle for anything else than complete personal freedom or none at all, so complaining just makes it worse. I look forward to meeting them as an adult one day, instead of a child who apparently knows nothing. I'm sure they are interesting people.

While being dashingly handsome and remarkably intelligent (although modesty doesn't make my list yet) I neither want nor have a social circle at my school. However, I look forward to the day where I can converse with adults on even ground and not always being pervaded with the fact that I'm just another teenager. In the meantime I focus on learning about everything, and being productive. There is probably not anything more incomprehensible to modern society than a good looking, reasonably well-off kid choosing an aristocratic path rather than say, skateboarding and getting drunk.

I recently decided to formalize my curriculum, which sounds completely ridiculous being that I am still enrolled in high school, but I honestly know most of the things they are teaching anyway, and filling out thousands of bubbles for a letter grade is not my idea of time well-spent. The simple reason I am not "successful" in school is that I am not willing to sit for six hours in a classroom only to continue homework at school. Instead, I usually load up on the history podcasts at school and listen through class, and read unrelated books whenever I can get away with it. Even in the case I don't graduate, I will never give up until I reach the top of my field, and I love the limelight, so expect to hear my name a lot. My writing is damn good along with my filmmaking, but I am still working on my modesty, and even that is admittedly not so important in young people, I've been told... ;)

I'd like suggestions and comments on this curriculum, but I can guarantee that it will include practical knowledge such as physical and combative training (which again is a solitary venture) such as weaponry and firearms. It might seem a bit silly, but having this sort of knowledge as how to load and fire a gun, as well as how to breathe while running, will definitely not be in vain if you find yourself having to be the one taking charge in an extraordinary situation. I have a subtle hatred for the most esteemed people in society fumbling with a situation that really matters, despite all their degrees and titles, worth nothing in the heat of the moment. Being prepared for all eventualities and keeping a level head is, in my book, of utmost importance. Also, knowing how to pay bills and write checks is obviously going to be necessary later on.

I am especially open to knowledge that lies outside the mainstream, reading the holy books of every major religion if for nothing but historical and cultural value is on my to-do list, (probably stemming from the fact my parents are conservative Christians with a pan-Christian worldview and pitifully miseducated view of other religions) and later on I will travel across the world, (looking forward to the Middle-East and smoking a hookah, or nargile, as it is called in Arabic) and will make sure to not bring any of my American stereotypes or apprehensions with me. I can definitely see myself leaving the U.S. for a life in Europe, but that may me impossible if I want to remain a part of the American film industry without impractical travelling.

The reason I posted this in Dreamviews is, well, I can't find any other site or community that is as open or supportive, rather than a nonprofit institution populated by adults who treat me as a kid to be subjugated into a system rather than a person wanting an effective education. Be honest with yourself; in the back of your minds my age is the only thing keeping you from thinking I might actually be credible. To ease your mind and prove I am not just deluding myself with visions of grandeur, I have teachers whose classes I have failed calling me years later to check up on me, and constantly send me information on writing and film contests in the mail.

Before the posts come, I'd like to add I understand the importance of school if only for the importance that all institutions place on that letter under your name and class. For kicks, I decided to get straight A's this senior year. I realized late this semester (too late to do anything about my grades) that school is going to be important (not to me, but to everyone else) and decided to graduate and do my best to improve my prospects from this moment on. This means I'll have to work until my hair falls out, but it's better to get it all over with at once than having to sit here rotting, punching the clock to adulthood and the start of my career.

So on the matter of school, just know that I am in the process of doing all I can to reverse the past years of "slacking," and playing the good boy and doing all his homework and being on time to class, to get that A. Also note I have a head-start on my career already, I am producing professional-quality videos for the gaming community and am in the process of setting up a website that I may profit from if all goes well. Construction should be completed this summer.

I understand how hard it is to wrap your head around the fact that school is different from an education. Everything in your mind screams out against slacking in school with such force that it confuses you. If you are here to tell me that life revolves around that grade, I would agree with you, but for entirely different reasons. It matters to me on a practical level. I am not one to duck the system, so as long as I live I'll have to just face the fact that that grade is what they want and that's how the world works. I'll give them that grade and magically get what I want in return. Just try and see my point, that a person could have ditched school every day of his life and still compete with the people who attended.



Anyway, comments, suggestions and yes, criticisms are welcome. :)

You're the smart guy that doesn't try. A lot of people have the potential to get the grades, often it is their outlook getting in the way. Fact is, you need the grade to get in to university. I agree with you, and totally understand when you say that "school is different from an education".

Perhaps a little modesty would help. It seems like you feel you're stepping down to 'their' level now that you've realized that grades is all the universities want to see. You shouldn't look at it that way, and if you're not than I've misunderstood and I apologize ahead of time.

You seem to have some semblance of what you want to do with your life, film-making, and this is impressive at your age. I'm 20, and still am not sure what I should do with myself, and it has put me in a situation I'd rather not be in. My advice is to do your best with whatever you have left to do. Get the mark that you need to get into the college of your choice. This will make you much happier and content than if you continued to read off-topic books while the opportunity presents itself.

Do what you have to do.

Is your name Ray? lol You sound just like my oldest son, but his spelling isn't nearly as good as yours :D

I'd like to applaud you for having such a well-rounded, reasoning view of the world and your future.

As you learned late last semester, conforming to the necessities of societies standards is often unavoidable. There are times everyone has to do something they don't like, and by suffering through it when we're young we learn how to do it when we enter adulthood.

Keep your eyes on the prize. With your attitude, a strong love of learning, and your willingness to learn about other religions and cultures I'm sure you'll have a lot of happiness in life even if you end up in a different career than you're working toward.

**Edit**
But I didn't answer your question did I lol.
The only thing I can suggest is the religious aspect of your studies. I've studied and practiced so many different beliefs that I've lost count. And though I'm not practicing at this time, I can't recommend studying with Jehovah's Witnesses strongly enough. They use the Bible as the highest authority.
For a list of educational topics check out their webpage at: http://www.watchtower.org/e/archives/index.htm#animals

Much success to you on your journey through life.

Wait why aren't you getting good grades? :?

I agree with grasshoppa. Well said.

He refuses to do homework.

I'm partially with the students on that one. In the States, you can expect to have homework which matches per hour your grade in school per class each week. So if you're in the 10th grade and have 4 major classes, you can have as much as 40 hours of homework a week. Which is absolutely ridiculous! When is there time for anything else.
My kids leave for school before 7AM and don't make it home until about 4:30PM. We have "Church" for 2 hours once a week and once during the weekend. Then they have to eat, do their chores, and RELAX and get to sleep in a timely matter.

My 16 year old refuses to do homework and he makes bad grades because of it, though the rest of his grades are decent.

Yeah, whatever.

Traveling abroad has taught me that the States (despite all the hours of homework that some students may or may not have) have the easiest school curriculum I have ever seen.

Maybe you're too brilliant to waste your time with homework, but you must do it anyway. No one is going to just take your word for it when you say you're some genius. Unfortunately, you need the docs to prove it, so start getting good grades.