It reminds me of https://poets.org/poem/antigonish-i-met-man-who-wasnt-there where in-context the poem is mediocre. But without the context it's really good, it conjures in your mind all kinds of strange interpretations.
This is confusing. How can you argue that those experiences didn't teach you anything?
But those experiences did teach me a little something. They taught me to be grateful that most teachers are decent, forgiving individuals with policies for partial credit when you're late, because they'd rather see you engaged in learning than discourage you from even trying to finish the assignment. These days schools mostly aren't allowed to dish out straight 0s that can't be improved. And FWIW, nearly all of my college courses had policies for partial credit too.
Now I actually have ways to manage my natural executive functioning deficits, so I'm better at that kind of stuff.
> These days schools mostly aren't allowed to dish out straight 0s that can't be improved. And FWIW, nearly all of my college courses had policies for partial credit too.
The state of pedagogy is in turmoil. Grade inflation and downright academic fraud are at all time highs. Students leave high school and college knowing less than ever.
Please keep in mind that I understand how hard it is to operate with an executive function deficit. I just don't think you're considering the ramifications of implementing your preferences beyond their impacts to you. I think there are plenty of "decent, forgiving" teachers that still enforce reasonably strict requirements even if they don't double check the back page of every test or give partial credit for habitually late work.
I have been asked to leave jobs before due to executive function issues and the same diagnosis. Trust me I'm not denying that this issue exists and that it's real issue for you personally.
And if you knew one of the specific teachers I was actually referring to, and what he did and why he got fired, perhaps you'd understand why it's difficult to consider him "decent". As a result, I don't assume all teachers mean well by default. But that particular anecdote is not one for HN, and this conversation is boring me as much as that poem.
I do hope you found some help for your ADHD though. There are lots of medicines and lifestyle changes that make it possible to function even in extremely demanding roles, though getting it all nailed down is tough.
But, they both look like mostly honest perspectives from particular types of people.
I see the first one and think of all the out of touch HS teachers I had who were so convinced their class was important and they were going to teach me an important life lesson and save me from underachieving by being hard on me in some way (usually being super strict on deadlines, or the guy who let me turn in my test with the back side not complete and didn't tell me or let me retry for partial credit - both my fault, but they taught me nothing). They had no concern for the fact I was just trying to get through the day. They just saw someone with potential who needed to learn from their mistakes by being held accountable. But I had missed deadlines in every class I ever took since middle school, if I could have just taught myself executive functioning and how to have a stable home life, I would have.
The second reminds me of a lot of some of my friends. They are anxious wrecks, obsessesing over the news constantly, meanwhile compulsively using social media to make calls for action and bring important things that they can't really actually impact to light. All the while, their personal life and mental health is a wreck, which they also loudly proclaim on social media.
So I think both poems were great insights into those perspectives. It's just that those perspectives are not exactly interesting and are sometimes a bit annoying.