The US education system is dumber than the students and does not work. Basically, and I know for a lot of you this has happened, a student will study for a test, and once it is done, and you get your grade, your forget everything. 2 years ago we memorized state locations. Until they made us re-test on that this year, i remembered maybe 14/50? Plus for math, common core bull crap, we are learning how to simplify an equation with variables. No one in the class, included advanced students (such as myself *finally have somewhat of a confidence for an ego*) knows how to do that anymore and it was literally the last thing we learned before solving the problem. Also, slightly unrelated, but why do people learn to estimate? JUST SOLVE THE PROBLEM! Anyway, I am in 7th grade now and have had to several essays, both in normal and online school. I never did any of them. I never got one turned in. I know the format, but where am I supposed to get the information from and how do I make sure it is correct? And how do I compare and contrast two things that are completely unrelated? And how to I keep it from sounding like my usual monotonous self? Oh, i am supposed to have an opinion? Never had that before. I am a perfectionist when it comes to my schoolwork. It must be the correct answer, no less is acceptable. If I get something wrong on a test I am genuinely shocked. It must be perfectly correct, and it normally is, by when I went to k12 it hit me with a curveball. It allowed me to have an opinion and forced me to. No teacher help once any time in the year. I have strong opinions ON CERTAIN THINGS. For example, bullying, discrimination, tide-pod-level idiots, equality, ect. I DONT CARE ABOUT TWO CAT POEMS OR WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A GOOD KID. I can't write when I don't have an opinion, what am I SUPPOSED to say? I only have a strong opinion if it is something I can relate to, like bullying, discrimination, and I know a guy who sucked ink out of pen into his mouth, twice. Also, I have teachers who make everything open-book. To all future teachers, don't do that. Yes, the students like it because they literally copy the book into the worksheet. Make them think for themselves, study, and know the answer, not the book. One time, my teacher for SS did not make it open book. It was a written test, the states, territories, and provinces quiz. I studied, hard, for that test, I used different methods, like mnemonics to remember them all. I aced that test with 63/63 because I buckled down and put some effort in. No one else does that in my grade or quite possibly, school. Everyone knows how to remember it for a short period of time, then they forget it. I try to remember what I need to, I use things like mnemonics and I am pretty sure my class does not know what that is. I get behind on stuff because I try to get it right, everyone else does not. My school is crap. The other schools I have gone to are crap. 3 schools, I never learned anything from them. My mom taught me different methods and I used them. Even when I studied for that SS test, my family helped. School has taught me nothing but a load of bull.