Why Classes Are Important in Everyday Life

Teachers are going to present their own challenges. The problem is that they are going to be the most obvious authority figures for you to rebel against, mostly because you don't see the value in what they are teaching. It's just difficult for you to see how your classes apply to real life. The problem is that you are still looking at the short-term rather than long-term, and that may let you survive but that's about it. In order to get ahead, to obtain the dream of fame and fortune, you need to start developing the ability to look at things long-term, and here is where you need to start. Here is some additional food for thought...

English and any Foreign Language: This obviously has the most practical value. English allows you to communicate better and more effectively, while foreign languages allow you to communicate to those that don't speak English. The best language classes also give you a glimpse into the life of those that speak the language, and that additional perspective has value as well; it allows you to put yourself into another person's shoes easier as well as making life easier beyond just language issues.

Physical Education: These classes are straight practical value, and keep you healthy. Learn what you can, and take advantage of them. You'll also find that physical exercise helps cool your temper a bit, something that you'll find helps make things easier.

Music and Other Arts: For those interested in a musical career, even rap, this classes have a straight-forward practical value. However, they also give you an appreciation of how valuable things are, nd how sometimes obvious value is anything but. They can also help you make the best out of marketing yourself, another practical area. They can also give you an appreciation for life in general, and makes things a lot more fun.

Science: Even if you never get into science, these classes give you an additional understanding into our world. There is a more practical purpose to these classes as well: They enable you to understand information you are given far easier. You can understand the information a doctor gives you much easier as you have a basic understanding of how the body works. For physical training nuts, it gives you insight in how to make the most of your workouts, and even helps you from falling for basic scams. It also helps you realize how things are part of systems, and how one thing affects others, even if they seem unrelated. That insight alone is worth sitting through those boring classes.

History: Yeah, these classes are probably the most boring you'll have to sit through. There's no real helping that. However, the pay-off can actually be immense: Not only do you gain a little more respect for those that came before you, you also get to see what ideas worked and which ones failed, and how to apply that knowledge so that you don't make the same mistakes. If you really pay attention, you'll figure out how the legal system works and how to better be able to apply that legal knowledge to your own life. That knowledge gives you a lot of power. You also learn how to research, document sources, and debate if sources are actually good or not, something that pays for itself when it comes to making decisions: You can figure out which sources of information to trust and which should be ignored in a given situation, making sure that your decisions work out for the best.

Math: This one gets a lot of flack, especially from Facebook memes. The problem is that a lot of people don't really see what math does for them, and so discount it. The reality is that math does quite a bit beyond just show you ways to manipulate numbers. Sure, there's a lot of that, and it's worth it; being able to solve for "x" and convert statements to math problems is worth it later on when you are trying to figure out how to spend your money the most effectively. However, math also teaches you how to think things through logically; you learn how to break problems down, to solve those smaller problems, and then apply that to the bigger problem.

So...all of this just means that the classes may be incredibly boring, but the knowledge you gain gives you some really nasty power later on. Hopefully that makes it worth sitting through those classes worth it, as well as giving you some respect for your teachers. Your teachers are not the ones that you want to get into running fights with, although it can be good for sharpening your claws on them. Just remember as you target your teachers that they have their own claws, and that you may on the receiving side. At least until you develop your own set...

Blaming Your Psychological Problems on Your Family

Boys have a lot of daddy issues at this age. With all of the changes that you are going through there is a certain degree of understandable curiosity about how you will turn out, and the best indicator of that is your dad.

The curiosity aspect is something that gets a lot of kids. There is a lot of the nature versus nurture issue present here: You're never sure how much of who you are comes from the environment you are raised in or from your parents. At this age you stop listening to family histories for events and start listening for character traits, such as how is athletic, bad tempers, or the ones that rebelled; you want to see who has something in common with you and how they turned out. Of course, you are looking more for those who suffered from the same as you and whether or not they survived.

If you think it's neurotic, it's not not. It's normal, and there is nothing wrong with that. A lot of weird things are happening, and no book ever seems to have the answers you are looking for, so you start raiding the family histories for signs of your imminent descent into madness or worse. You're sure that you're suffering from some weird psychological disorder and that if you look at your family history long enough you'll find others that suffered from the same disorder. Odds are good you'll find one of your relatives suffered from something similar, and odds are good it's the one you are scared the most of becoming.

And if you are looking at your family for weirdness, they are looking at you for the same. They have no idea how bad any family illnesses will hit you, and how much is just you being a kid. If you start demonstrating some of the signs that they are looking for, you may told about it or sent to counseling for it; if they start suspecting you of kleptomania or drugs, they are likely to act on it rather than backing off. It's aggravating, but it's a sign of how much they care. This is one time when it's better to care more than not at all.

There is some good news/bad news: No one suffers from the same disorder the same way. Just because someone else in your family suffers from the same disorder as you do, does not mean that you will suffer to the same degree: You may suffer more, you may suffer less. You never know, and sometimes you only think you are suffering from it. As such just remember to watch out and if you are having problems let someone know so you can at least talk about it. Some problems are going to be just a matter of talking them out, while others need some actual therapy; if you have questions about what's going on inside your head, it's time to discuss things. You may be doing better than you think, and if you aren't there are things that can be done about it.

You have enough to stress over. Your family's history should not be one of those things so now may be the time to talk about it. Not only will you get some great stories out of it, but it may explain a lot. 

The Importance of Staying in School

This is the obligatory “Why You Should Stay In School” post, where we discuss the advantages of the classes you can take. Keep in mind that most junior highs (roughly 7^th and 8^th grades, sometimes 9^th) allow the taking of electives, usually woodshop and the like. I’m only in the core classes here in order to simplify the conversation. Obviously taking them is a great idea, as they expand your skillset, and you never really know when those extra skills will come in handy, especially electronics, woodcraft, and home economics. That said, let’s look at math, English, foreign languages, gym, and science.

English: You may think you know how to talk, but you can always get better at it. Any language class is going to let you talk in that language, but with English you also gain an upgrade in your language skill. The better you can communicate the more likely you can get your point across to someone else, and are therefore are wasting time just talking. This also allows you to understand the rules and regs a lot better, allowing you to avoid trouble if you can read up on the laws ahead of time, as well as communicating why it was necessary to do whatever it was that you just did. Better communication and the ability to get away with more: This is not a bad combination.

Foreign Languages: The same as English, but with people who don’t speak English. There is the added advantage that you also get a glimpse into another culture, broadening your people skills a bit. Just don’t cheat; try to avoid taking a class for a language you don’t already know. Admittedly you can sharpen the language skills you have if you take the class and pay attention to it, but there is an advantage to adding a language you don’t have, especially if you are looking for more cultural awareness.

Gym: This is a class avoided generally because weaker boys hate the abuse and most boys hate the showers. However, the physical exercise and chance to get out some aggression are not bad options, so take advantage of it being offered for free.

Math: This is arguably one of the least favorite classes, and it doesn’t help that its effects are often invisible. The obvious effect is that you gain better skills at math, giving you more options later on. The more invisible effect is that you get better at solving problems, and that’s the really important part here; the more math you do, the more tools you have to solve problems. Also, because taking math classes teaches you logic, and that logic can help you solve problems, it helps with problem-solving. The more math you take, the better at problem-solving you become, and that’s a major advantage; if nothing else, it allows you get work done faster giving you more time to hang or have fun.

Science and History: Another least favorite, mostly because they is no short-term benefit. However, the advantage here is the long-term; eventually those facts and figures you accumulate from the boring academic classes will give you an advantage down the road. For those into doom-prepping or survival you learn which plants have medicinal value, how hydrolysis works, and how leverage works, all major survival skills. For athletes, you get a better sense of how your body works, giving an advantage over your competition. Just bear in mind that there are some decent long-term results and the classes are bearable.

The bottom line is that there are some advantages to those boring classes that you would prefer to avoid. Just stick with them and you should be able find out the advantages on your own.