Pick Your Battle ~ Jean-Roge's: Lack of Boundaries

It has been brought to my attention that I overuse a comma and in quiet reflection I can’t argue with that. However, in my defence I’m generally drinking, Foster the People are pumping up their kicks and things, just, move, slow. If you don’t believe a comma is situationally relevant, then just read it with the appropriate context; imagine I am in the middle of one big monologue and every comma is where I hold up a whiskey glass, swirl and drink before continuing.

So, kids and homework, eh.

As crusades go I’m not sure this is one I either want to run with or defend against. It feels like we are stretching and as I’ve said many times, I really want to join your bland inane offensives - the more pointless, the more excited I become. I mean really, really excited.

This time though I heard a ruckus, I heard the communal outcry and I was the first to douse my keyboard in fuel, light it up and put on my indignation pants. Then when I turned up and asked someone what we were angry about this time, instead of becoming aroused with righteous passion, I kind of felt let down. Also my indignation pants are a misnomer; I actually take off what I am wearing.

Righteous passion.

So let me get this straight, we are angry that schools give homework to the kids and there isn’t any proof the homework is useful? I had a boss once who constantly referred to the smell test. I know what he means now, if stupid had a smell, this would be it.

This opens a whole new science of….Science I suppose. The science of using lack of proof as evidence when almost certainly the only thing this evidences is the lack of science itself. I should have used more commas. However, I’m feeling better about it now, passion righteously aroused and indignation pants back on.

Let’s map this out: school teaches stuff, homework and study reinforces that stuff and compulsory testing determines your rate of retention on the stuff. Unless you are specifically studying rocket science, it isn’t rocket science.

The crux point though is that final method of determining retention; focus on the, fucking, testing. Decreasing homework is going to reduce the ability for a child to succeed in a world where exams aren’t even trying to find out what you know, but only what you can regurgitate. Fix that system of testing and then worry about the homework, you wacky bastards.

I’m no leader so I feel terrible about even attempting to direct this pitch fork wielding, indignation pant wearing, horde of internet denizens but can’t we focus on root problems?