I had a super idea a few months ago while I was walking to the bathroom. I thought that it has been quite a while since I left school. I did my HSC (year 12) in 1992 and from time to time, I think about times at school and how much things easier appear in hindsight. As anyone who has done year 12 will tell you, your teachers try to do their best to prepare you for your HSC but some of them make it out to be the be-all and end-all of life. However, it isn't.
Now to my idea........
Seeing as though I don't have any of my former teachers here and I couldn't be bothered to quote some of them based on what they wrote on my reports, I thought I'd write my own. Why didn't I think of this 15 years ago!
But instead of writing about how good I was at school, I thought I'd have a look at the subjects that I did at school and see how I use them today compared to what I learnt back then.
Year 12 Subjects:
Maths In Society (2 Unit) - In 1992, Erk was a reasonable Maths student who could have performed better but generally chose not to as he was seemingly bored with the subject matter. In hindsight, he might have been right. As he predicted, he has not visited outer space, entered the building industry or had a use for algebra. He uses basic maths sometimes making errors however most of the time he is competent.
English (2 Unit General) - In 1992, Erk enjoyed English. He enjoyed debating, writing and reading. He enjoys writing and often tries to use humour in his writing. At one stage, it was thought that he would be a good journalist. In his adult life, he has continued his love of reading, debating and writing but not usually in a formal environment. He made an appearance on TV in 2005 but not as an actor.
Economics (3 Unit) - Erk was a good student of Economics in 1992 but in 2006 he does not remember or use much of it these days. Most of the stuff to do with money and finance that he learnt in years 8 to 10 has helped him usually manage his money without being spectacular.
Geography (3 Unit) - Erk enjoyed the humour of his geography teacher and did not have to do much rehabilitation. At least this is what his geography teacher Mr Atkins would have written. While he learnt a lot in geography, he uses some of it in his outside-of-work activities (RFS and rallying) but I do notice that he purchased a Navman because he is too lazy to get local maps. Maybe that's his Economics training kicking in. Disappointingly, he made some navigational errors in Canberra during his last rally which will result in some marks being deducted.
General Studies (1 Unit) - At school, Erk came first in his school in this subject. He beat a girl who not only went to his class but the class of her friends, this despite him not always turning up to class. In general, Erk has kept a keen interest in current affairs & news of the day. He has also learnt not to believe everything he reads or sees in the media. The skills learnt in this subject may have not directly earnt Erk any coin but when he is passionate about a topic, he can mass debate it convincingly.
Year 11 Subjects:
In addition to Maths, English, Geography and Economics (all 2 Unit), I also did Biology and Computing Studies (both 2 unit) but I dropped them to do other subjects in year 12. I'll only comment on the latter 2 here.
Biology - Erk thought that this subject was all to do about sex and reproduction and the human body. He was disappointed to find out that he spent most of year 11 learning about plants, none of which was of interest to him. He didn't pass on any of the information that he may have learnt to his mum who is a keen gardener. Instead, he spent most of the class mentally wishing he could experiment with several female members of the class. Needless to say, he failed biology not due to the lack of intelligence but due to a lack of interest. It took him some time to get some runs on the board in relation to members of the opposite sex and while he hasn't been constantly practicing in this regard, he does know something.
Computing Studies - Due to an incompetent teacher and crap subject matter, Erk did not learn much but did enough to pass. Since dropping the subject in year 11, he learnt some computer skills at TAFE and a lot of his skills have been self-taught and trial and error. His social life and his circle of friends has increased since discovering the interweb. He knows now that Google is your friend if you can not find the information elsewhere.
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