Learning>Education

It seems like everywhere you go, it's always about How you need to learn, so go to school. I can learn Far more from watching History Channel then i do from going to school. Honestly i mean that 100%. School is no longer about your intelligence, like it should be. Things should be done like they used to be done. The teacher had full control over the classroom, he lectured. you listen, Brains soaked up the Metaphorical Liquid of Knowledge. At the end of the week, you have a Test or a Quiz. Furthermore, if you aren't in class it should not affect grades, or anything else.

Also, what's up with English Essays? I swear, this Is the most annoying thing i have ever seen. Write the answer to an open-ended question, and make it 4 Paragraphs? Are they kidding? English Essays should be about good english, not how much crap you can squeeze out of your pencil.

Useless knowledge is far less valuable to you than practical life skills like good writing, time management, work ethic, and logical reasoning. Yes, you can learn facts from the history channel. But it won't teach you to write. It won't teach you analyze (because it spoon feeds you the answers). It won't teach you to budget time. It won't teach you how to interact with people. And it most certainly won't teach you that sometimes you have to work even when you don't feel like it. Those are all things that school can and does develop. Like it or not, you have to WORK to develop skill. You can't learn to become a good writer by watching a TV program any more than you can become a good pianist by reading a book about it. Those things just HELP you with your practice.

Your education isn't just about filling your head with knowledge - it's about developing wisdom and an ability to be successful in modern society. That entails so much more than what facts you know, unless you plan to become a career Jeopardy player or something.

And you think 4 paragraphs is a lot? :lol: Hope you're not planning to go to univesity. The lengthiest paper I had to write ended up being more than 40 pages long.

I agree with your statement "learning > education," but I do believe that you can get something out of school. t3hrubikscube

But why not Fix the "Education", instead of passing kids who get a 40 on their end exam to the next grade. Then we wonder why the kids are so dumb these days, they'll pass even if they don't study. No child left behind, should be renamed: "No Child Fails Their Grade"

I don't know about you, but I never learned to solve for "x" from the History or Discovery Channel.

Or how to find dervatives or use Poisson tables.

Useless knowledge is far less valuable to you than practical life skills like good writing, time management, work ethic, and logical reasoning. Yes, you can learn facts from the history channel. But it won't teach you to write. It won't teach you analyze (because it spoon feeds you the answers). It won't teach you to budget time. It won't teach you how to interact with people. And it most certainly won't teach you that sometimes you have to work even when you don't feel like it. Those are all things that school can and does develop.

Your education isn't just about filling your head with knowledge - it's about developing wisdom and an ability to be successful in modern society. That entails so much more than what facts you know, unless you plan to become a career Jeopardy player or something.

pianist

nailed it. The history channel is pretty much only useful as a supplement to an acutal education at a university, especially if you study history. You simply cannot acquire the skills Pianist cited otherwise.

And you think 4 paragraphs is a lot? :lol: Hope you're not planning to go to univesity. The lengthiest paper I had to write ended up being more than 40 pages long.

pianist

Good God! That would take me 5 months...

And you think 4 paragraphs is a lot? :lol: Hope you're not planning to go to univesity. The lengthiest paper I had to write ended up being more than 40 pages long.

pianist

[QUOTE="t3hrubikscube"]I agree with your statement "learning > education," but I do believe that you can get something out of school. irelevent

But why not Fix the "Education", instead of passing kids who get a 40 on their end exam to the next grade. Then we wonder why the kids are so dumb these days, they'll pass even if they don't study. No child left behind, should be renamed: "No Child Fails Their Grade"

There's nothing wrong with the system. There's just something wrong with these said people. You get from school what you put into it. If people don't put anything into their education, then they don't benefit.

Useless knowledge is far less valuable to you than practical life skills like good writing, time management, work ethic, and logical reasoning. Yes, you can learn facts from the history channel. But it won't teach you to write. It won't teach you analyze (because it spoon feeds you the answers). It won't teach you to budget time. It won't teach you how to interact with people. And it most certainly won't teach you that sometimes you have to work even when you don't feel like it. Those are all things that school can and does develop. Like it or not, you have to WORK to develop skill. You can't learn to become a good writer by watching a TV program any more than you can become a good pianist by reading a book about it. Those things just HELP you with your practice.

Your education isn't just about filling your head with knowledge - it's about developing wisdom and an ability to be successful in modern society. That entails so much more than what facts you know, unless you plan to become a career Jeopardy player or something.

pianist

No kid analyzes in schools (except for the ones who are serious about their education (1/10?). No kid Works to develop their skills. You should not be forced to become a good anything. after Junior High School you should be able to 100% choose what classes you want to take.

The problem is, schools no longer do things the way they should. if you fail one class, you will be put in all "Special" classes. Instead of doing things the way they should be done.(Everyone is different, no one is better than another student at everything, everyone has a class they are better at than another!) That's what i Meant to say by Learning>education, That the Educational system used in todays' school systems are meant to brain-wash kids more than to actually help them develop their skills in anything.

[QUOTE="t3hrubikscube"]I agree with your statement "learning > education," but I do believe that you can get something out of school. irelevent

But why not Fix the "Education", instead of passing kids who get a 40 on their end exam to the next grade. Then we wonder why the kids are so dumb these days, they'll pass even if they don't study. No child left behind, should be renamed: "No Child Fails Their Grade"

The kids should be the ones to take the initiative in studying harder and improving their test scores. If their study habits are inadequate, they can seek help. Otherwise, I think that it should be up to them to work harder. A lot of kids don't want to do that, and that's fine...that's their choice.

[QUOTE="pianist"]

And you think 4 paragraphs is a lot? :lol: Hope you're not planning to go to univesity. The lengthiest paper I had to write ended up being more than 40 pages long.

omfg_its_dally

Good God! That would take me 5 months...

once you get used to writing papers it's pretty easy to write something 10-12 pages in one night. It obviously depends on what kind of assignment it is though. Something like a 40 pages will probably be expected over a reasonable time period.

[QUOTE="pianist"]

And you think 4 paragraphs is a lot? :lol: Hope you're not planning to go to univesity. The lengthiest paper I had to write ended up being more than 40 pages long.

omfg_its_dally

Good God! That would take me 5 months...

[QUOTE="irelevent"]

[QUOTE="t3hrubikscube"]I agree with your statement "learning > education," but I do believe that you can get something out of school. Jon_To_The_C

But why not Fix the "Education", instead of passing kids who get a 40 on their end exam to the next grade. Then we wonder why the kids are so dumb these days, they'll pass even if they don't study. No child left behind, should be renamed: "No Child Fails Their Grade"

There's nothing wrong with the system. There's just something wrong with these said people. You get from school what you put into it. If people don't put anything into their education, then they don't benefit.

Scenario: You are a 7 year old named Timmy. Ok, now tell us what you would do. I'm sure in practice you could tell us. but a Seven year old is not a 40 year old, OF COURSE THEY DON'T TAKE THEIR EDUCATION SERIOUSLY, THEY ARE NEVER DISCIPLINED, THEY ARE NEVER REWARDED WITH ANYTHING OTHER THAN A SMILEY FACE STICKER. Don't you see? it IS the system.

[QUOTE="pianist"]

And you think 4 paragraphs is a lot? :lol: Hope you're not planning to go to univesity. The lengthiest paper I had to write ended up being more than 40 pages long.

omfg_its_dally

Good God! That would take me 5 months...

No big deal... how long do you think a university term is?) Honestly, the writing wasn't the hard part. Though I don't care for writing, I do have a natural gift for writing. The tricky part was all the research and the development of the arguments. That's what took the most time.

The stupidest thing I ever did in university was procrastinating on a term paper. I did the whole damn thing (research and all) in a week, which I now remember as the "week of hell," because I essentially worked non-stop for at least 12 hours a day. Good thing it was due after cIasses ended, or I would have been screwed, since I would have had other commitments on top of it. If that doesn't teach you the advantages of time management, nothing will. So suffice it to say I started working on this 40 page paper well in advance, and to be honest, it wasn't stressful at all.

[QUOTE="omfg_its_dally"][QUOTE="pianist"]

And you think 4 paragraphs is a lot? :lol: Hope you're not planning to go to univesity. The lengthiest paper I had to write ended up being more than 40 pages long.

jugend

Good God! That would take me 5 months...

once you get used to writing papers it's pretty easy to write something 10-12 pages in one night. It obviously depends on what kind of assignment it is though. Something like a 40 pages will probably be expected over a reasonable time period.

I'm a fast typer and all, but writing isn't my forte. I'll sit there and write a long essay only to delete the whole thing and start over because I didn't like it. I usually do that at least twice.

[QUOTE="irelevent"]

[QUOTE="t3hrubikscube"]I agree with your statement "learning > education," but I do believe that you can get something out of school. t3hrubikscube

But why not Fix the "Education", instead of passing kids who get a 40 on their end exam to the next grade. Then we wonder why the kids are so dumb these days, they'll pass even if they don't study. No child left behind, should be renamed: "No Child Fails Their Grade"

The kids should be the ones to take the initiative in studying harder and improving their test scores. If their study habits are inadequate, they can seek help. Otherwise, I think that it should be up to them to work harder. A lot of kids don't want to do that, and that's fine...that's their choice.

Scenario: You are a 7 year old named Timmy. Ok, now tell us what you would do. I'm sure in practice you could tell us. but a Seven year old is not a 40 year old, OF COURSE THEY DON'T TAKE THEIR EDUCATION SERIOUSLY, THEY ARE NEVER DISCIPLINED, THEY ARE NEVER REWARDED WITH ANYTHING OTHER THAN A SMILEY FACE STICKER. Don't you see? it IS the system.

irelevent

I went through that system. It did a good enough job of teaching me to earn me more than $120 000 in undergraduate scholarship offers. The problem isn't the system, but rather the students' attitudes. Your attitude isn't going to win you anything.

No kid analyzes in schools (except for the ones who are serious about their education (1/10?). No kid Works to develop their skills. You should not be forced to become a good anything. after Junior High School you should be able to 100% choose what classes you want to take.

The problem is, schools no longer do things the way they should. if you fail one class, you will be put in all "Special" classes. Instead of doing things the way they should be done.(Everyone is different, no one is better than another student at everything, everyone has a class they are better at than another!) That's what i Meant to say by Learning>education, That the Educational system used in todays' school systems are meant to brain-wash kids more than to actually help them develop their skills in anything.

irelevent

You aren't put into "special" classes for failing. At most, you're recommend for one of that particular subject.

We get to choose most of our classes. We need to take the four basic ones (English, Math, Science, and Socials) because those are the general ones that are most likely to put us on a good track for the rest of our lives. If it was optional, people wouldn't take them and would probably regret it afterwards. As you get older, the does become loose, so you can branch out to something for particular with each of these subjects.

[QUOTE="omfg_its_dally"][QUOTE="pianist"]

And you think 4 paragraphs is a lot? :lol: Hope you're not planning to go to univesity. The lengthiest paper I had to write ended up being more than 40 pages long.

pianist

Good God! That would take me 5 months...

No big deal... how long do you think a university term is?) Honestly, the writing wasn't the hard part. Though I don't care for writing, I do have a natural gift for writing. The tricky part was all the research and the development of the arguments. That's what took the most time.

The stupidest thing I ever did in university was procrastinating on a term paper. I did the whole damn thing (research and all) in a week, which I now remember as the "week of hell," because I essentially worked non-stop for at least 12 hours a day. Good thing it was due after cIasses ended, or I would have been screwed, since I would have had other commitments on top of it. If that doesn't teach you the advantages of time management, nothing will. So suffice it to say I started working on this 40 page paper well in advance, and to be honest, it wasn't stressful at all.

What course was that for?

once you get used to writing papers it's pretty easy to write something 10-12 pages in one night. It obviously depends on what kind of assignment it is though. Something like a 40 pages will probably be expected over a reasonable time period.

jugend

10-12 GOOD pages? Nah... you can throw a disorganized mess together in a night, but not a good paper.

[QUOTE="omfg_its_dally"][QUOTE="pianist"]

And you think 4 paragraphs is a lot? :lol: Hope you're not planning to go to univesity. The lengthiest paper I had to write ended up being more than 40 pages long.

pianist

Good God! That would take me 5 months...

No big deal... how long do you think a university term is?) Honestly, the writing wasn't the hard part. Though I don't care for writing, I do have a natural gift for writing. The tricky part was all the research and the development of the arguments. That's what took the most time.

The stupidest thing I ever did in university was procrastinating on a term paper. I did the whole damn thing (research and all) in a week, which I now remember as the "week of hell," because I essentially worked non-stop for at least 12 hours a day. Good thing it was due after cIasses ended, or I would have been screwed, since I would have had other commitments on top of it. If that doesn't teach you the advantages of time management, nothing will. So suffice it to say I started working on this 40 page paper well in advance, and to be honest, it wasn't stressful at all.

Procrastination is a weakness of mine. Along with OCD it is killer. I always want to put things off to the last minute, but my mind screams at me until I get it done. Its a good time management system to say the least.

Also four paragraphs is a joke. I have had test essays back in JUNIOR HIGH that required a well structured 5 paragraph essay. Also I dont even know if 4 paragraphs is a witring format cause where is your topic and concluding? Unless you only have 2 pts but I though it was only 3-5 paragraphs for a short essay. chester706

Sorry for the non-elaboration, what i meant was. A 4 paragraph essay on something very specific, lets, as an example, have that specific something be: Why a Banana is Yellow.

[QUOTE="irelevent"]

Scenario: You are a 7 year old named Timmy. Ok, now tell us what you would do. I'm sure in practice you could tell us. but a Seven year old is not a 40 year old, OF COURSE THEY DON'T TAKE THEIR EDUCATION SERIOUSLY, THEY ARE NEVER DISCIPLINED, THEY ARE NEVER REWARDED WITH ANYTHING OTHER THAN A SMILEY FACE STICKER. Don't you see? it IS the system.

pianist

I went through that system. It did a good enough job of teaching me to earn me more than $120 000 in undergraduate scholarship offers. The problem isn't the system, but rather the students' attitude. Your attitude isn't going to win you anything.

What course was that for?

jugend

The stupid experience was for a history of piano repertoire course. I was doing a comparison of the similarities between Beethoven and Chopin. The 40-page paper was for a Brahms course, and I was writing about the piano quartets. As you can imagine, it wasn't too difficult for me to write about that topic. :P

[QUOTE="jugend"]

once you get used to writing papers it's pretty easy to write something 10-12 pages in one night. It obviously depends on what kind of assignment it is though. Something like a 40 pages will probably be expected over a reasonable time period.

pianist

10-12 GOOD pages? Nah... you can throw a disorganized mess together in a night, but not a good paper.

Actually, I did a 20+ term paper in one night and got a 98/100 on it. :)

[QUOTE="pianist"][QUOTE="jugend"]

once you get used to writing papers it's pretty easy to write something 10-12 pages in one night. It obviously depends on what kind of assignment it is though. Something like a 40 pages will probably be expected over a reasonable time period.

Sajedene

10-12 GOOD pages? Nah... you can throw a disorganized mess together in a night, but not a good paper.

Actually, I did a 20+ term paper in one night and got a 98/100 on it. :)

[QUOTE="chester706"]Also four paragraphs is a joke. I have had test essays back in JUNIOR HIGH that required a well structured 5 paragraph essay. Also I dont even know if 4 paragraphs is a witring format cause where is your topic and concluding? Unless you only have 2 pts but I though it was only 3-5 paragraphs for a short essay. irelevent

Sorry for the non-elaboration, what i meant was. A 4 paragraph essay on something very specific, lets, as an example, have that specific something be: Why a Banana is Yellow.

Ya I took my own initiative. I have always been in the top 10% of the class and probably am the smartest in what I LEARN and UNDERSTAND not memorize (not grade wise though because of the over-achievers who have no lives). I am also doing it with relative ease. I realized the only likely way to be successful is to get my education and learn. School is there for a reason. Also nice on your scholorship offers. That must be real nice.chester706

It was. It gives you a tremendous sense of accomplishment, and more importantly, it frees you from the burden of university debt. I came out of my Masters degree richer than when I entered it, and at the risk of tooting my own horn, I deserved it, because I really did take my studies seriously, along with the understanding that I was developing my skills so that I could give something important back to society.

[QUOTE="jugend"]

once you get used to writing papers it's pretty easy to write something 10-12 pages in one night. It obviously depends on what kind of assignment it is though. Something like a 40 pages will probably be expected over a reasonable time period.

pianist

10-12 GOOD pages? Nah... you can throw a disorganized mess together in a night, but not a good paper.

I can and have. Those were merely papers in which a critique/analysis of a specific historical issue or just a single book though. Not an original piece of writing based on extensive research. And even if it was, the writing part doesn't take that long for me.

[QUOTE="Jon_To_The_C"][QUOTE="irelevent"]

Scenario: You are a 7 year old named Timmy. Ok, now tell us what you would do. I'm sure in practice you could tell us. but a Seven year old is not a 40 year old, OF COURSE THEY DON'T TAKE THEIR EDUCATION SERIOUSLY, THEY ARE NEVER DISCIPLINED, THEY ARE NEVER REWARDED WITH ANYTHING OTHER THAN A SMILEY FACE STICKER. Don't you see? it IS the system.

irelevent

Is there something wrong with what 7 year olds are learning? I question your logic. Sure, I hear 2nd graders complaining about school, but what can you do? At their age, they are taught carefully so that they don't HAVE to take their education seriously.

[QUOTE="irelevent"]

No kid analyzes in schools (except for the ones who are serious about their education (1/10?). No kid Works to develop their skills. You should not be forced to become a good anything. after Junior High School you should be able to 100% choose what classes you want to take.

The problem is, schools no longer do things the way they should. if you fail one class, you will be put in all "Special" classes. Instead of doing things the way they should be done.(Everyone is different, no one is better than another student at everything, everyone has a class they are better at than another!) That's what i Meant to say by Learning>education, That the Educational system used in todays' school systems are meant to brain-wash kids more than to actually help them develop their skills in anything.

Jon_To_The_C

You aren't put into "special" classes for failing. At most, you're recommend for one of that particular subject.

We get to choose most of our classes. We need to take the four basic ones (English, Math, Science, and Socials) because those are the general ones that are most likely to put us on a good track for the rest of our lives. If it was optional, people wouldn't take them and would probably regret it afterwards. As you get older, the does become loose, so you can branch out to something for particular with each of these subjects.

You don't live in Michigan, do you? you have no control over what you take, and if you fail one class, you have to take all intermediate classes, my sophmore year of high school was all intermediate because of my freshman year. Now i'm in Junior year and i'm back up to what is considered normal, however, i get all A's on all of the tests, and etc. in a certain subject, no you will not be getting a chance to even apply for honors. you need 4.0 GPA. Does no one else see the problem with this education system?

[QUOTE="irelevent"]

[QUOTE="chester706"]Also four paragraphs is a joke. I have had test essays back in JUNIOR HIGH that required a well structured 5 paragraph essay. Also I dont even know if 4 paragraphs is a witring format cause where is your topic and concluding? Unless you only have 2 pts but I though it was only 3-5 paragraphs for a short essay. DeeJayInphinity

Sorry for the non-elaboration, what i meant was. A 4 paragraph essay on something very specific, lets, as an example, have that specific something be: Why a Banana is Yellow.

Write one now, without using the internet.

[QUOTE="DeeJayInphinity"][QUOTE="irelevent"]

[QUOTE="chester706"]Also four paragraphs is a joke. I have had test essays back in JUNIOR HIGH that required a well structured 5 paragraph essay. Also I dont even know if 4 paragraphs is a witring format cause where is your topic and concluding? Unless you only have 2 pts but I though it was only 3-5 paragraphs for a short essay. irelevent

Sorry for the non-elaboration, what i meant was. A 4 paragraph essay on something very specific, lets, as an example, have that specific something be: Why a Banana is Yellow.

Write one now, without using the internet.

[QUOTE="jugend"]

What course was that for?

pianist

The stupid experience was for a history of piano repertoire course. I was doing a comparison of the similarities between Beethoven and Chopin. The 40-page paper was for a Brahms course, and I was writing about the piano quartets. As you can imagine, it wasn't too difficult for me to write about that topic. :P

Yeah, obviously.

That sounds fun though. Sometimes I wish I would've studied music... and astronomy or art. Too much time and money for that though.

[QUOTE="Sajedene"][QUOTE="pianist"][QUOTE="jugend"]

once you get used to writing papers it's pretty easy to write something 10-12 pages in one night. It obviously depends on what kind of assignment it is though. Something like a 40 pages will probably be expected over a reasonable time period.

chester706

10-12 GOOD pages? Nah... you can throw a disorganized mess together in a night, but not a good paper.

Actually, I did a 20+ term paper in one night and got a 98/100 on it. :)

Haha thanks! It was an excellent topic though. The History and Influence of Rock and Roll. Complete with footnotes, endnotes, bibliography, and appendices. I was a zombie the next day... but oh man was it worth it.

I can and have. Those were merely papers in which a critique/analysis of a specific historical issue or just a single book though. Not an original piece of writing based on extensive research. And even if it was, the writing part doesn't take that long for me.

jugend

Cool. You'll forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical about the quality, though. Are we talking double-spaced? That would make it more believable... but 10-12 pages single-spaced is an awful lot of words to put together in a coherent and convincing way. I'm certainly no slouch when it comes to writing - my Master's degree history professor told me that my writing is the finest he has ever seen in his entire 40-year teaching career - but I wouldn't have a hope of slapping together 10-12 pages of solid writing in a single night. So if you can do that, I salute you!

Useless knowledge is far less valuable to you than practical life skills like good writing, time management, work ethic, and logical reasoning. Yes, you can learn facts from the history channel. But it won't teach you to write. It won't teach you analyze (because it spoon feeds you the answers). It won't teach you to budget time. It won't teach you how to interact with people. And it most certainly won't teach you that sometimes you have to work even when you don't feel like it. Those are all things that school can and does develop. Like it or not, you have to WORK to develop skill. You can't learn to become a good writer by watching a TV program any more than you can become a good pianist by reading a book about it. Those things just HELP you with your practice.

Your education isn't just about filling your head with knowledge - it's about developing wisdom and an ability to be successful in modern society. That entails so much more than what facts you know, unless you plan to become a career Jeopardy player or something.

And you think 4 paragraphs is a lot? :lol: Hope you're not planning to go to univesity. The lengthiest paper I had to write ended up being more than 40 pages long.

pianist

Well in all fairness, you can go to the public library and read books that teach you all of those other things too. In your spare time, you can work just as hard as any student.

Of course, you also won't get a degree. And you might learn everything there is to know about astrophysics, nobody is going to hire you if you don't have any kind of formal education.

It's all about what you want, really. If you want to get a good job, then go to college. If you're fine with whatever job you have now and you just want to learn for the sake of knowing more, then go get a library card.

[QUOTE="DeeJayInphinity"][QUOTE="irelevent"]

Write one now, without using the internet.

irelevent

"Why is a banana yellow?" is an exagerrated example. And four paragraphs? That's about one page. If I needed to, I could fill a page with theories of why a banana evolved from a cell to being a yellow fruit.

And these essays are generally used to test your writing quality and insight, not knowledge.

[QUOTE="irelevent"][QUOTE="DeeJayInphinity"][QUOTE="irelevent"]

[QUOTE="chester706"]Also four paragraphs is a joke. I have had test essays back in JUNIOR HIGH that required a well structured 5 paragraph essay. Also I dont even know if 4 paragraphs is a witring format cause where is your topic and concluding? Unless you only have 2 pts but I though it was only 3-5 paragraphs for a short essay. DeeJayInphinity

Sorry for the non-elaboration, what i meant was. A 4 paragraph essay on something very specific, lets, as an example, have that specific something be: Why a Banana is Yellow.

Write one now, without using the internet.

If i were a teacher you would get an F. you used Wikipedia. (a terrible source). and you were caught with Plagarism RED-HANDED. Also, it didn't describe the link between bananas enough. and 4 paragraphs is a must, no more, no less. 0% You Fail.

[QUOTE="irelevent"][QUOTE="DeeJayInphinity"][QUOTE="irelevent"]

Write one now, without using the internet.

Jon_To_The_C

"Why is a banana yellow?" is an exagerrated example. And four paragraphs? That's about one page. If I needed to, I could fill a page with theories of why a banana evolved from a cell to being a yellow fruit.

And these essays are generally used to test your writing quality and insight, not knowledge.

You would get a D for going off topic.

[QUOTE="jugend"]

I can and have. Those were merely papers in which a critique/analysis of a specific historical issue or just a single book though. Not an original piece of writing based on extensive research. And even if it was, the writing part doesn't take that long for me.

pianist

Cool. You'll forgive me if I'm a bit skeptical about the quality, though. Are we talking double-spaced? That would make it more believable... but 10-12 pages single-spaced is an awful lot of words to put together in a coherent and convincing way. I'm certainly no slouch when it comes to writing - my Master's degree history professor told me that my writing is the finest he has ever seen in his entire 40-year teaching career - but I wouldn't have a hope of slapping together 10-12 pages of solid writing in a single night. So if you can do that, I salute you!

Yeah, it's double-spaced. Though my posts on GS probably don't reflect much skill in writing. And I wouldn't doubt for a second that your professor said that. It often impresses me how you come up with such well though out (and worded) posts in such a short amount of time on here. When I write papers I usually take good amount of time rewording things and proofreading so that it is in the best form possible.