Asymptomatic

Posts tagged: school

Starting School of Rock
January 19, 2026
music school

Back in November, I walked into School of Rock in Downingtown and asked about learning to play keyboard. The next day, I came back to watch a rehearsal for a show in production. By the end of that night, I’d agreed to play keyboard on a couple of songs I barely knew. A month later, I had my first live rock band performance under my belt.

This is how School of Rock works, and it’s one of the weirdest experiences I’ve had in a while. I take lessons just before my performance rehearsals, seeing a teacher on nights when the band meets. In the past when I’ve tried music lessons, there was always a hard sell—the teacher would push expensive recurring packages. This time, my teacher literally looked at me after the lesson like “why are you still here?” But it wasn’t because he didn’t want to teach. The whole school seems oriented around people wanting to be there because they want to make music. Get your lesson, get to rehearsal, go make music.

8th Grade Math
August 28, 2014
memory school

It's odd how memory works, isn't it?

When the kids started school this week, I was trying to remember my classes and teachers from 8th grade.  I didn't expect to remember the teachers' names, but I expected to remember what courses I had; like, what I learned in math that year.  I could not.

Bus Stop It
August 25, 2014
bus school neighbors

A year or two ago (have I been dealing with this for so long?), I did something that has essentially turned my neighbors against me.  Or at least, it feels that way.

Something happened, and I didn't handle it well.  I frequently don't handle social things well.  Its paradoxical, considering that if people - specifically, my neighbors - took the time to really get to know me (and vice-versa), they might understand why I don't handle these things well.

My Thoughts on Common Core
May 02, 2014
school Common Core stem education

I read a piece by Cory Doctorow called Standardized testing and schools as factories: Louis CK versus Common Core which talks about a comedian who dislikes the application of Common Core.

I'm not writing to defend Common Core, at least not fully.  People around our district that talk about it seem to have a limited understanding or a skewed perspective on what it is.  I think the problems with Common Core are often not what people most frequently surface.