My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

AIBU?

To think i have learned more in 4 months on this site than in 12 years of education of school.

18 replies

soul2000 · 10/10/2013 13:59

This may seem an odd statement but the more i am on this site the more i realise i dont think i was actually taught anything at school.

Everything i have learned has been since i left school i really think the 12 years of formal education i recieved were useless.

As for this site my grammar,punctuation,spelling vocabulary have improved immeasurable since i have been on this site.

This post is thank you to mumsnet as much as a question as to why did i recieve such a poor education 25-30 years ago.

This post is also in response to the just published report that states literacy and numeracy in the U.K has not improved though out the last 25 years,this i found odd . The reason i found the report odd is that when i look at the work my 19 yr niece and 17yr old newphew did in yr10/11 it was far more challenging than anything i or any of my friends did. Maybe this is because they were both at grammar schools i dont no.

OP posts:
Report
WorraLiberty · 10/10/2013 14:06

My spelling has taken a turn for the worse Grin

I've seen the word 'loose' instead of 'lose' typed so many times, I actually question myself when I type the right one!

Report
Rufus44 · 10/10/2013 14:18

I agree worra lose never looks right anymore

soul I really try and get spellings right anyway so that has probably been helped being on this site. But it does wind me up when people criticise spellings and grammar, sometimes you are in such a rush you don't notice and it does seem a bit harsh to take the piss.

Especially when you know it was just a typo

Report
Rufus44 · 10/10/2013 14:19

I also find the site very educational in general, discussions on budgeting, disabled toilets, etiquette in shops, benefits! The list is endless

Report
TooOldForGlitter · 10/10/2013 14:23

Have to agree I have found it to be a very educational experience being here Grin

Report
TooOldForGlitter · 10/10/2013 14:23

and admit to having my mind changed massively about quite a few things too.

Report
ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee · 10/10/2013 14:27

What a lovely thing to hear :)

I don't know why your schooling was so crap. I'd say we were at school at about the same time so I don't think it was a 'phase' of crap policies in schools or anything like that.

Do you like people telling you when you have made an error or do you just like to learn by noticing things and other discussions?

Report
soul2000 · 10/10/2013 15:28

Chipping. I learn from looking at how other people paraphase things. I have benefited when people have made snide remarks about use of capitals in the wrong place for example.

That does not excuse it though just i have used it to help myself understand english better.

Before i joined this site i had not really written anything for 25 years, so it is a learning experience.

Even though i "USED TO HAVE" a succesful business, i have not done anything academic since i left school..

Coming back to my education i dont think i was taught grammar,punctuation, spacing or correct use of language. I dont think i was taught anything about maths either, though i suppose i must have been taught very basic stuff because i got some Es and 1D at Gcse in 1988.

Since being a member on this site for 4 months and having read posts for 6 or more months my confidence has grown.

The result of the extra confidence gained has meant that i feel capable of higher education now, that is the reason i have enlisted on a open university access course that hopefully will lead to a social science degree.

Lots of people have encouraged me for a long time to undertake a open university degree or attend a red brick university because they have felt i could do it and would benefit from it. The reason i have only just decided to do it now is because the confidence i have gained from contributing and reading other people's posts. This site has enabled me to believe that i am capable of higher education,for that i am grateful.

OP posts:
Report
CommanderShepard · 10/10/2013 17:06

I've learnt more swearwords in 2 years here than I ever did at school! Grin

Report
ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee · 11/10/2013 01:01

Soul that's really interesting :) What made you join the site in the first place?

When do you start your course? You must be excited about that?

What job would you like to do when you finish your degree?

[I when talking about yourself, is always a capital letter :)]

Report
BoneyBackJefferson · 11/10/2013 06:23

Everything i have learned has been since i left school i really think the 12 years of formal education i recieved were useless.

Do you include reading and writing in that?

Everything is a very broad statement.

Report
BraveMerida · 11/10/2013 06:42

MN is certainly educational on many levels, especially if you take a deep breath and actually post.....it sharpens your wit, your critical thinking skills, constructive arguing skills and writing to skills to know that the fellow vipers MNs will quickly pick you up on anything...

And just this week I've learnt about penis beakers and post sex clean up stations, as well as spelling support, what colour to paint my house....

Report
GoldiChops · 11/10/2013 08:09

I have to say I feel quite similar, OP. It wasn't until I left school that I learnt what one of these ' does, as in don't, can't. It's not just Mumsnet, a few other sites too, but discovering how language works, and new words, has mainly been since I left college (2001).

I honestly think if I hadn't been such a voracious reader as a child I'd be pretty much illiterate- I learnt everything from books initially. To the point where I sometimes know a word I was to use but I don't..... because Ive only read it, never heard it, so don't know how to pronounce.

Another point is grammar- I find I now spend so much time on MN and other forums where decent spelling and grammar is the norm that I take much more time to spellcheck and look words and grammar points up.

Report
NotEnoughTime · 11/10/2013 08:16

What a lovely op.

Fair play to you soul2000 and good luck Smile

Report
EBearhug · 11/10/2013 08:18

I think I learnt a lot at school, but I have a very good memory about some things, and can remember particular lessons (like number bases, and who thought I'd end up in IT?)

But things I've learnt here and on other message boards are mostly things I am not sure would be covered by the syllabus anyway (there probably should be more about relationships at school though). So I suppose we all take different things, according to our backgrounds and interests and needs.

Report
Longtallsally · 11/10/2013 08:30

Hmm - I agree, but I think that I have learned an incredible amount about Life from here. I really value many of the discussions and chances to see what other people think. It has particularly helped me to get to terms with IT, improve my cooking and to hone my ideas on relationships and on drawing appropriate boundaries . . .

I think that we learn all of our lives and we learn what we are ready to learn. I am hugely grateful for all I learned at school 25-30 years ago, but spelling and grammar were not top of the list then - I think I was far more focused on getting my head around the big issues in life in my teens: politics, boys, philosophy/religion, best friends, literature, how to kiss, learning to ski/sail/play squash/hockey etc. Spelling and grammar really became a focus for learning in my twenties.

As long as we keep on learning in life, does it really matter what order we do it in?

Report
AllThatGlistens · 11/10/2013 09:09

I've learnt so much since I've been here, I wouldn't know where to start!

Advice on miscarriage and early scans, the SN board in particular has been a lifeline in getting DLA and a statement in place for my elder DS, and been a comfort when I saw red flags in my youngest, gave me the courage of my convictions to alert it and he's just a few weeks away from final ASD assessment now at age 3.

I'm currently saving a fortune on my Christmas shopping thanks to Reasties fabulous bargain threads..

And I learnt the term 'Wankbadger' and have used it in RL to great effect Grin

Report
shewhowines · 11/10/2013 09:22

Did you apply yourself at school though?

In a typical class I would say that

Some do well because they work hard.
Some do well, despite not applying themselves, because they are naturally bright.
Some don't do so well, but would have done if they'd applied themselves.
Some don't do well, despite trying hard, because they naturally find it difficult.

And some just have shitty teachers or can't learn because there is too much disruption.

Report
Longtallsally · 11/10/2013 12:00

shewhowines - you forgot to mention that some don't do so well at school because of all the sh*t going on in their lives outside and that just getting there each day is a major achievement.

And others don't do so well because of health problems, or behaviour problems outside their own control.

And others because the current education system as defined by the National Curriculum has imposed a narrow band of skills which it defines as learning, and a wide range of paperwork to be completed, which does not allow some teachers the chance to teach things which they could, or some children to focus on things which would inspire them.

All in all, learning is a pretty mixed bag. There are a wide variety of reasons why some people succeed and others don't. The important thing to remember is that when you leave school, you still have the majority of your life and your learning ahead of you. MN is great for filling in some of the gaps.

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.