Taylor the Teacher

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Kaelie,

I had a mentor once. They’re overrated. That’s why you need three or four of them. I’m proud to be one of yours. Didn’t know I was teaching all those things you attributed to me, but I’ve learned so much myself this year from knowing you that I suspect it was all you. ~case in point: i didn’t introduce you to blogging. i mentioned blogging as extra credit once and gave you the URL for wordpress. you took it from there.~

It’s all about the learner.

The reason I was the only adult that saw the real Daniel is because there’s a shortage of adults who know both you and Daniel ~and because daniel doesn’t cooperate with some of his teachers~ But adults don’t see everything, either. That’s why there’s no substitute for thinking for yourself & consulting with people who have some sense. Whatever their age.

Some experiences really do look different from the other side. Life is more complicated than it looks when you’re sixteen. And more simple than it looks when you’re twenty five. When I was sixteen I was looking at the wrong data a lot of the time. My life isn’t DESTROYED despite what they want you to think. But things would have been easier if I’d seen some things sooner. That’s why adults try to tell you what to do. The ones that care about you, anyway. Some people are just acolytes for the power hungry.

And it’s the Acolytes that don’t tell the truth about life during school hours because the institution itself is set up to mold the way you think, not help you think for yourself. They think they put on a good show, but it’s clear who they’re serving.

And that’s my real reason for getting out. Unacceptable happenings daily in this joint, but for me it only serves as an example of something I knew all along: the whole system is irreparably broken. I cannot perform magic tricks in service of unearned authority seeking to extend itself. I’d rather eat peanut butter for the rest of my life.

But I don’t believe it’ll come to that.

Your best bet is to do the best you can to take charge of your own learning. You need your high school diploma, but it doesn’t mean anything. The Acolytes at the school do not have learning to offer. But you need their damn piece of paper. So get it, then move on quickly.

And work for change.