frustrated...

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lol, not frustrated enough to vent on the haven, frustrated to the extent of just not wanting to feel alone with this.

I feel kind of like... well, an idiot, lol. I'm working on this essay I've been working on for 3 weeks, and I finally ask the teacher before making a final copy. It's ethics class, so lots of different philosophical ideas as to how morality came about, lol. LOTS to think about. So I finally pick a topic, and ask the teacher before writing it out... I told him I hate David Hume's theory, as it seems too open and there isn't enough structure to it. Then, I go on to talk about how Hume contradicts himself (based on my own personal understanding from what the teacher had told us), and the teacher immediately corrects me, because there were a lot of underlying things in the theory that I COMPLETELY missed... so my essay is due tomorrow, and I'm still trying to come to terms with how the heck I managed to miss so much! lol. It's funny in ways, but frustrating in others. Sometimes I wish I could read between the lines, so that I would pick up on these little things, lol. I feel like my views are incredibly distorted because I'm missing so many of the "in betweens".

Does anyone else ever have this type of thing happen? Where you think you understand something perfectly, go to argue it, and realize that you are arguing it for the wrong reasons, just because of a simple thing that was never said but implied? It's like I knew everything about it one minute, then dwindled down to knowing NOTHING about it really really fast, lol.

Learning can be a real b!tch sometimes, can't it? New information arrives, invalidating many of your previous assumptions, and you must rearrange your mental "furniture" accordingly. I'd be candid with your teacher about this. It seems a bit unfair because you've already put three weeks' work into it, but maybe he will be sympathetic enough to grant you an extension.

lol, he might, but I doubt it... he's very strict about things.

He did, however, look concerned for me when I left, because I just kind of said "oh wow... okay, that gives me a lot more to think about... I'm very confused now" ( I was thinking out loud, lol ). Then, after saying that, I remembered I should probably thank him for explaining it to me, and I said "thank you for clearing that up. (then without thinking) I'm confused as all hell right now, but I'm sure I will figure it out"... lol.

He just kind of looked at me, and I guess he kind of looked worried-it was either a look of worry, or a "geez, what the heck is wrong with her???" type of look, lol. I'm very persistent, he's seen that.

Maybe he is just as confused as I am, lol, come to think about it. As when nobody in our class is responding, he always looks to me to answer his questions, lol. "Brown, save me here" is often what he says, lol. So maybe he's just bewildered that I aced the midterm, answer all of his questions correctly, but am having such a hard time grasping at the same time, lol. It would be kind of confusing if the person you could rely on to answer correctly most of the time (not gloating, that is just kind of how it winds up every time, lol) has no clue what is actually going on when left to their own devices to interpret. Maybe that or he's amazed I care enough to ask and make sure I clear it up so that I can respond accordingly when most people just get up there and say a bunch of things but really don't know what they are talking about, lol. He has no clue how much thinking I do on a daily basis if that is a shocker at all, but I'm sure he's not used to people actually worried about these things, as most just kind of bs it.

The majority of people who have gotten up in front of the class to read these things can no longer defend their views after they give the report, lol. It seems they do it just to get it out of the way, but really don't care that much.

Me, I think about it for 3 weeks before writing anything and am DISTRAUGHT when I realize I don't know the things I thought I understood, lol.

LOL, I work at a college and sometimes what the teacher thinks is there really isn’t. As far as your interpretation, it is your opinion, so how can someone tell you that your interpretation is wrong? On the other hand, if you really missed something (which I do when reading, I only pick out what interests me), than it is a good thing you asked for review. Do your work, turn it in and tell your teacher you put 3 weeks into it and want an extension to address what you missed. Let him/her know you worked hard and you can do it with more time. Tell him next time you will ask for input earlier.

Most colleges have something called SSS or Student Support Services. If you have an official diagnoses you can receive special accommodations and tutoring for no cost. They also sometimes give you a test to determine your strengths, weaknesses, abilities, interests and skills. Even if they don’t have official SSS, you can get special accommodations. Talk to someone at Student Affairs.

Good luck, as I HATED class work and papers and all that. I know you want to do the best you can do, so keep working! In the long run it seems like torture but is in reality such a short time of your long life. Benefit is better job if you stick to something you hate (or like) and just plow through it.

Don’t take other’s opinions to heart in all your classes. In the work world, you will be valued for your talents!! Remember, those that can’t do, teach!!

lol.

He is most definitely an awesome teacher-he really knows his stuff. I just really did miss something. I missed that Hume is using reason as utility, lol, so it is okay, but is still not more important than moral sentiment. So I did miss something pretty big-heck, most of my paper was going on and on about reason being more important than moral sentiment, while under the impression that Hume didn't value reason one bit, lol.

He meant formulas as reason, not reason backing up an experience-at least, that is what was cleared up for me. I cannot argue that it's wrong, or that I wouldn't have caught it if I understood the reading better, lol, or could keep up with all of it for that matter (that is a heck of a lot of information to take in at once bouncing from philosopher to philosopher, lol). So I just accept that that was probably what Hume means and trust in the teacher I'd rather look like I know what I'm talking about than to get up there and explain in a long drawn out rant what I think about the guy then be corrected, lol. So even if there is a chance I really did just completely miss it, I'd rather avoid that.

About the extension, we only meet for one or 2 more weeks, so it isn't worth asking for since we only will have 4 more classes in all actuality. I thought I was doing great in the class, and apparently still am. It was just when I was addressing what had not been addressed before that I ran into problems. That must have looked so ridiculous to him, LOL! I laugh every time I think about it now... the question answerer of the class, and here I am under a false impression to an entire theory while still able to explain the theory correctly to him, rofl. It's rather humorous.

I'll probably take another class of his next semester-I really like him as a teacher, lol. At first he was very intimidating as he is pretty strict, and mentioned he doesn't really wanna talk to any of us, lol, so don't need help. But through the semester, I've figured out that he will help though, when it is needed, and he will explain any questions you have, which is nice. I just didn't think I was wrong on this until last minute, rofl, so I didn't ask until then. That was my own fault not questioning myself more, lol, or at least sooner.

I think I can still argue that experience is pretty shaky ground to base morality on, as everyone experiences things differently. It would take a catastrophic event that affects every single person on the planet EXACTLY the same for morality to come about based on that assumption. I can see what he is saying everywhere else now that it was cleared up, and this seems to be my only beef with the guy now, lol.

Philosophy is rough-they all make sense to some degree, and can all be argued to some degree, lol. It's rough to find a firm standing point in any of the theories and not question your own opinion So I think it's best I don't drift too far from that angle, since I do have strong opinions about it. Now I'm off to try to figure out how to express what I think about it... in a comprehensive way, lol. I hope I don't get up there and say a bunch of stuff that only makes sense to me XD but alas, it is philosophy after all, so that is okay if I do that, as long as I can explain what I mean when questioned.

I absolutely LOVE this class, it is so challenging. I just wish I could keep up with the things that are implied rather than said

btw, thanks for the support guys

Last edited by nobodyzdream on 13 Nov 2007, 9:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Does your school have a writing lab with teachers who can help you understand your research material and compose it into a paper?

I hate writing papers...yet, the writing lab at school always helps me to get good grades on my papers.

They do, but it seems I can only get it if my diagnosis has been put on paper, lol. My therapist isn't doing it... not sure why, though he brings up AS when I ask him about my diagnosis or what he thinks, lol. It's always in there somewhere, along with ADHD as a possibility.

So I'm going to get an assessment one of these days when I can... it will still take a bit to get in though, so it'll be a while before I actually get a diagnosis on paper. Until then, I'm on my own.

I can explain things to the teachers, but only to a certain extent-I tell them right off, then explain as things become problematic. I didn't quite realize how problematic it is in this class until yesterday when the teacher corrected me, lol. Then I started wondering how much I miss in my other classes and if that is why I do so poorly in some of them, lol. The teachers don't know what to do to help though... I mean, I have absolutely no direction with it until I get my assessment done, where they actually list my difficulties.

I can only verbally express so many before I start losing track of what I have told them and what I have not. Most teachers are willing to work with me, but I have not gone into depth with this teacher much on it. I'm going to write the paper after the kiddos go to bed tonight, when I can really focus, and I'll probably do well-I usually do. I just might not come at it from the right angle is all, lol, and I'm sure the teacher will let me know if I have not I don't mind that so much, I just hate not knowing for sure whether or not I know what I'm talking about, lol.