School Survival


Has school destroyed your creativity and self-confidence? I'm working on a book called Recovering From School, to help you heal the damage caused. Join the Patreon or Newsletter to be notified about updates. Paid Patreon members will get early draft previews, as well as a free digital copy when it's done.


Articles and Opinions

Stuff about school:

168 Remarks about public schools in America by Maurice Levine
2002.Oct.25

Accepting that you are inferior by Will
If someone asks you why you got a low grade in something, do you tell them it's because you didn't care enough, or that you tried your best but just couldn't do better?
2007.May.05

A closed-minded teacher says by SoulRiser
An email dialogue with a teacher after sending some questions to a teacher newsgroup.
2001.Sep.13

A teacher's comment, and my response by SoulRiser
A teacher tells me I benefitted from public school at some point.
2006.Nov.22

Be a Rebel by Punkerslut
Be a rebel. Because being a conformist means admitting that the parts of you that matter are already dead.
2007.Oct.26

Bullying by SoulRiser
SoulRiser's comments on bullying in school.
2003.Jan.01

Cheating at school by SoulRiser
My comments in response to a teacher calling cheaters idiots.
2002.Jul.22

Communal learning makes headlines by SoulRiser
A school newspaper article about a cheating site that was shut down.
2001.Sep.13

Dolphins and Teachers by Steve Hein
How many teachers would set you free if they could?
2008.Jun.14

Don't get brainwashed by SoulRiser
Me ranting about how schools brainwash people.
1970.Jan.01

Don't let school waste your time by SoulRiser
School wastes your free time so you'll get used to your boss doing the same thing one day.
1970.Jan.01

Dropouts by vanderbilt.edu
2001.Sep.13

Exams by SoulRiser
You cram for exams, then you forget it all anyway.
2000.Nov.15

Feedback from a nice teacher by SoulRiser
Some constructive criticism from a teacher.
2005.Mar.24

Forced Education by SoulRiser
The "right" to education gets forced onto people, which kinda ruins the whole idea.
2001.Feb.27

Forced Education and Dictatorships by S. Hein
"Things work better when people do them because they want to" - comparing schools in Uruguay to schools in the rest of the world.
2007.Sep.20

Freedom is the Solution for Quality in Education by David Holcberg
Government's function should be to protect people's right to pursue their education, not to provide them with one. Education should be a private business.
2008.Mar.10

Good Teachers by SoulRiser
A tribute to the teachers who really care.
1999.Nov.26

Habits by Will
Why all habits are bad for you in the long run.
2007.Apr.01

Harm in the School System by Shaun Kerry, M.D.
A social psychiatrist says school is the root of most mental problems in the world.
2007.Apr.02

Homework by SoulRiser
Not doing homework won't hurt anyone, but you still get punished.
1970.Jan.01

How to inspire students by Wendy Schaetzel Lesko
2004.Oct.17

I may be a teacher, but I'm not an educator by John Taylor Gatto
An ex-teacher talks about how screwed up the school system is.
2001.Sep.13

Insight and Critical Thinking by Philly CheeseStake
Knowledge should be based on individual findings. Memorization doesn't help students understand the material.
2009.May.09

Learning on the Internet (Anti-School) by David Loren Buehner
2001.Sep.13

Lying in School by Geeksta
How schools encourage students to tell lies.
2011.Apr.08

Man I hate school by deanesmay.com
2004.Nov.05

Public school is like prison by John Taylor Gatto
How schools (and prisons) break people down into (almost) mindless followers.
2007.May.06

101 Reasons Why School Sucks by SoulRiser
School sucks because nobody gives a damn what you think.
2008.Sep.12

Schooling: The Hidden Agenda by Daniel Quinn
Placing schooling and unschooling in the larger context of our cultural history and that of our species as well.
2010.Jan.20

School is boring by SoulRiser
School makes learning boring, and all you get in return is a stupid diploma.
2002.Feb.27

School is Slavery by |55555|
You would think that we as a society would have woke up by now to the fact that forcing people to go to school is just flat out morally wrong.
2009.Mar.10

School Survivors by SoulRiser
Once people stopped forcing me to study certain things, I found out I was actually interested in them after all.
2001.Sep.13

Stupid Rules by SoulRiser
A collection of the most retarded rules in school(s).
2000.Apr.12

Teen Rebellion is not just a phase by Home School Legal Defense Association
Teens rebel because society is messed up, not because of their hormones.
2007.May.20

The Good Toaster by Duke Lukem
2004.Jan.22

The price of intolerance by rrcd.net
2001.Sep.13

The School of Tomorrow: Who needs it? by Zaheer Alam Kidvai
2005.Dec.01

Time-Management by SoulRiser
This is about those times when everyone piles work on your head and then just tells you to "manage your time properly".
1970.Jan.01

Uniforms by SoulRiser
Uniforms: uncomfortable and a waste of time and money.
2002.Feb.27

U.S. Schools Are The Real Killers by C. Bradley Thompson
2005.Aug.26

Weirdness, conformity and schools by Geeksta
Why conformity is so highly valued in schools.
2011.Apr.03

WhAt's EduCatiOn tO yOu?? by osbska
2001.Sep.13

What discipline really means by SoulRiser
You know how people keep saying "discipline" is good? Well, they should go look the word up in a dictionary first :)
2003.Jan.06

Who wouldn't be ‘school phobic’? by Sarah Fitz-Claridge
A psychologist says it's perfectly understandable to hate going to school.
2005.Jul.29

Why cheat in school? by SoulRiser
The main reasons why students cheat in school.
2005.Oct.31

Why do kids hate school? by Robert Sparrow
2005.Apr.27

Why Education is Broken by Isamu Fukui
Author Isamu Fukui shares his thoughts on the educational system and why it doesn’t work.
2008.Mar.10

Why I hate school in general by SoulRiser
Me ranting about why I hate school.
1970.Jan.01

Why Nerds are Unpopular by Paul Graham
Because nerds are too busy with more important things to bother "trying" to become popular.
2006.Oct.15

Why do people defend school? by SoulRiser
An open letter to all the people who say that school is good for you.
2009.May.07

Why School Sucks by Terry Everton
2005.Dec.10

You're not worthless by SoulRiser
Just because you don't do well in school doesn't mean you're a failure, it just means you're good at other things.
1970.Jan.01

Youth Liberation: School by Radical Youth
School is boring because we don't get to do what we want or care about.
2007.Aug.08

The history of compulsory schooling:

Government-forced schooling was inspired by Prussia:

The purpose of the system was to instill nationalism in demoralized Prussia and to train young men for the military and the bureaucracy. As the German philosopher Johann Fichte, a key influence on the system, said, "The schools must fashion the person, and fashion him in such a way that he simply cannot will otherwise than what you wish him to will." (from this article)

Compulsory Government Education: Origins and Solutions by Rick Gee
2006.Sep.25

Horrors! Maybe the Schools Are Working Just Fine by Sheldon Richman
2006.Nov.16

How public education cripples our kids, and why (Against School) by John Taylor Gatto
2005.Aug.26

Institutional Schooling Must Be Destroyed by John Taylor Gatto
2005.Aug.26

The Educational System Was Designed to Keep Us Uneducated and Docile by thememoryhole.org
2006.Feb.21

The Nazi Model For Outcome-Based Education by Berit Kjos
2005.Aug.21

The Public School Nightmare: Why fix a system designed to destroy individual thought? by John Taylor Gatto
2010.Jan.19

The Tyranny Of Compulsory Schooling by John Taylor Gatto
2005.Aug.26

Stuff about youth issues:

A Disgruntled Youth in a Divided America by Meistero
2002.Jun.14

Ephebiphobia - The irrational fear of teenagers by Wikipedia.org
Yes, there's actually a phobia for teenagers, and it seems lots of people have it.
2005.Dec.27

Examining Ageist Attitudes by Alex Koroknay-Palicz
Why comments like "Ah, I used to do that too. I was so stupid back then." are ageist, and how to fix it.
2007.Aug.06

Keeping Feelings "Bottled-Up" by Will
2007.Jul.30

Let's abolish high school by Dr. Robert Epstein
Well, not quite. But while writing a new book called The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen, I explored some ideas that go almost that far.
2009.Jul.01

Lockdown: America Treats its “Troubled Youth” Like Prisoners by Misled Youth Network
2005.Nov.21

Maturity by SoulRiser
Maturity has nothing to do with age.
2000.Dec.15

'No such thing' as terrible teens by BBC News
Adolescents are being wrongly branded as moody and troublesome, says a leading child psychiatrist.
2005.Sep.23

Respect by SoulRiser
2003.Jan.01

The great ADD hoax by David Keirsey
ADD isn't a real disorder (most of the time), it's just an excuse to drug people who can't sit still.
2006.Feb.23

The New Demons: Ordinary Teens by Mike Males
“While we sleep, go about our business, leave our doors unlocked, children are prowling the landscape with knives.” - No, not really.
2005.Dec.27

The "rebellious stage" by SoulRiser
Rebellion isn't just some meaningless "teenage phase". That's just an excuse to ignore it.
2002.Dec.17

The Rights Of Youth by oblivion.net
2006.Mar.03

Trapped Flea Syndrome by oblivion.net
How to break fleas (and people) down so that they won't try to escape even if they can.
2006.Mar.03

We Beat You For Your Own Safety by youthrights.org
2006.Mar.03

When Child Protection Looks Like Jail: MacClaren Hall by Kirsten Anderberg
Kirsten Anderberg talks about her time in an abusive "child protection" institution.
2004.Feb.24

Why kids keep secrets from parents by SoulRiser
Kids don't talk to parents because parents try to scare kids away from all the "bad" things.
2002.Apr.19

Other stuff:

Sections:
 : War

Abortion by SoulRiser
2007.Feb.27

Accusation of a righteous by Unknown (Manuscript found in a bottle)
2003.Oct.11

April Fool's Joke by
2003.Apr.01

The Beginning of Philosophy by Michio-kun
How deeply have you questioned?
2008.Jun.05

Christians who disgrace Christianity by
2003.Jan.01

Conformity by
2003.Jan.01

Copy protection by SoulRiser
2003.Jan.01

Courtney Love speaks against record companies by Courtney Love
2000.Jun.14

Guantanamo Bay by colin
2003.Jan.01

Love Society by Druidus
2007.Jan.18

On Coercion by Dragon4Anarchy
2008.Oct.21

Organized Religion vs Faith by
2005.Apr.09

Copy protection is disrespectful - pirates are heroes! by SoulRiser
Annoying your customers does not make them want to buy your stuff.
2007.Oct.28

Racism Survey by nikki
2004.Jan.22

Secrets of the copyright trade by j
2002.Apr.19

The Art of Giving Up by Dyske Suematsu
2007.Aug.07

The death penalty by
2003.Jan.01

Violent games by
2003.Jan.01


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