As said by the wonderful schoolsucks.com, in the age of information, it is more important to know where to find the information and what it means, than to have it memorized. Unfortunately, most classes you have are based around memorization, which is generally a waste of time. In science, for example, anybody (well...) can memorize vast tables of data like the periodic table, but to know what it all means takes a little more skill. This analytical skill is what is needed. You might think that classes such as languages require memorization to be a core aspect of the subject, but knowing a language is more about understanding the words than knowing them (how many sentences translate directly into another language directly, exactly as the dictionary says?).
One way to test whether an exam is any good or not, is to stop and think whether 100% marks could be gained if the student took a page of notes into the exam. If this is the case, something is seriously wrong, as memorization is hardly a skill, more an ability, and those with the abilty will always have it, and those without will not. History is a classic example of memorization - you have to know what the dates are and what happens when. You don't have to work anything out. It's all memory. The problem can only get worse as events happen. In the future, students will simply have more dates to remember. How far can this go? Imagine in ten thousand years time - will students have to remember millenia of dates, or will somebody have bought a pair of glasses for the teachers?
To combat this problem, we suggest having a conversation like the following:
You: [knocks on humanities faculty door]
Teacher: [answers door] Yes?
You: I'd like to speak to the head of history please.
Teacher: Mrs X? I'll go and get her.
You: [waits, ever patient and a picture of reason]
Mrs X: Yes? What do you want?
You: Hello. I'd like to see the sylLabus for this year's history course, please.
Mrs X: No. I'm busy [shuts door quickly].
You: [knocks on door again. It is answered by Mrs X] Let me put it another way. I'd like some help with my education, and I feel that you, as a teacher, should be qualified to give it to me.
Mrs X: [shocked by this unusual display of self awareness] Erm... alright. Would you like to come in?
You: Of course not. But I will. [walks inside]
Mrs X: Why do you want it? Is there a problem?
You: Yes, I would say that. But perhaps I could look through the sylLabus first.
Mrs X: Sure, I'll just get it [rummages through draw that would have been marked 'scrap', had anybody been bothered to mark it 'scrap'. Picks up dog eared piece of paper] Is this it?
You: You're asking me?! What should I know?
Mrs X: [Clearly distressed] Erm... quite. Ahh... here it is.
You: [leafs through it] I see.
Mrs X: What? You see what?
You: [does not answer]
Mrs X: What?
You: Mrs X. Could you please tell me which is more important to you - the need to promote mental development and the pursuit of furthering ones personal analytical abilities, or the need to remember a whole load of dates and events?
Mrs X: [sees the connection to her subject quickly] Well... the need to... remember... the... dates...?
You: Really?
Mrs X: Erm... well you see... there are a lot of things you have to... take into account when... dealing with... the... the... system of...sorry - heirarchy of... educational...responsibility and the fact is that I don't have the means... erm... power... erm... [thinks]... ability to change the....
You: [interupts] Mrs X. Do you have a degree in education?
Mrs X: Erm... no?
You: How about an A-level?
Mrs X: No, but I've got some qualifications in history.
You: How interesting. Do you even have a GCSE in education? How about a failed GCSE? A training weekend? A GODDAM CLUE?!
Mrs X: I beg your pardon!
You: I'm sorry - just like the state of our education system.
Another conversation would inevitably follow, after our gallant You is chucked out of the humanities faculty room.
Year Head: Would you like to explain your outburst at Mrs X yesterday?
You: I would like to, but I'm sure you wouldn't understand, you after all, being one of the perpetrators.
Year Head: I beg your pardon!
You: I don't expect you to understand. You're too engrained in your old, archaic ways to see the futility of your 'lessons'. I say lessons in inverted commas because I also doubt your ability to teach, with only 1% of the teaching staff posessing even the lowest qualifications in education.
Year Head: You should be careful what you say to me!
You: Oh yes. I forgot. I'd better conform to your rules of silence as well. It's ok - I don't mind forfeiting my freedom of speech and opinion.
Year Head: You still have freedom of speech! Just not to insult me!
You: Have I insulted you? I didn't think quoting facts or expressing the opinion of the masses was an insult to anybody. I'm sorry - in the future, I'll only tell you things that are suited to what you want to hear. Is that ok?
Year Head: I've had quite enough of this tomfoolery. You can join me in detention after school right now!
You: You're in here too? I don't blame you - couldn't resist the urge to rise up against the poor quality of teaching effort in this school.
Year Head: That will be TWO hours now!
You: That's fine. What do you want me to do? Mark some test papers? Where are the governors child grade multiplier tables?
Year Head: What?
You: Oh - I thought all governors children had their grades multiplied by a set number - usually dictated by cash amount.
Year Head: Now that's not true.
You: Of course it isn't. How silly of me. I'll just sift through the test papers and see if I can remove any trace of originality, flair, effort or non-conformity in the answers - we really hate having to put effort into reading them - it's much easier if we just mark them wrong, isn't it?
Year Head: That's enough. Be quiet.
You: [finishes placing wire tap around phone line that he had been doing all during his interrogation].
[Exeunt]
Although to be fair, you probably do need to learn a few facts. But ONLY THE NECESSARY ONES.