Claire

Hello, I'm Claire. Magazines, books, music, art, fashion and coffee are pretty much what my life revolves around. I'm regretting the whole Claire Loves Owls thing now but seeing as it's my email, twitter and blogger url I may as well keep it. And I do love owls...

Thursday 1 July 2010

Summer

It is far too late for me to be online really, I have school tomorrow.  It's not really school though on the last day before Summer, is it?  Nobody learns anything, nobody even falls out (touchwood), awful DVDs are on  providing inoffensive enough background noise, save for the two people who organised it between them to bring in said DVD who are actually watching it, for the class to gossip and share Haribo Starmix over.  The joys.

I'm so, so excited for Summer.  I won't be off on any amazingly exotic holiday (York with my parents and best friend actually), nor do I have a jam packed social calendar for the seven blissful weeks ahead.  I will be in my room, study or garden having the time of my life.  What could possibly be better?  I can read for hours and hours and hours, I can paint whatever and whenever I fancy, my abnormal sleep patterns seem only to be frowned upon when I have my education to think about, I do not have to go to sleep each night aware that I have to face decidedly disinterested teachers in the morning whose enthusiasm for us as students and for the subject they're forcing upon is is almost as plentiful as ours.  In Summer I can blog to my heart's content and where what I please every single day.  If I so wish I can spend the entire day indoors, drinking coffee in my pyjamas, painting the various ornaments and dog toys that clutter my home (rather poorly I hasten to add).

To hardened, more traditional educators this may sound like an appalling attitude and one which must be straightened out right away.  Reading nonsensical novels all day and scribbling ideas in tatty notepads is hardly the most productive use of our time, they might say.  I disagree completely.  Obviously I enjoy doing so far more than poring over algebraic equations or puzzling over osmosis and diffusion but I can honestly say I feel that I've learnt more in the past fortnight I've been off school ill than I had in the fortnight prior to my illness spent at school.

I've learnt how to get as many tones as possible from a 4B pencil, I've learned how to edit a blogspot.com blog, I've learned how to get rid of stomach flu quickly, I've learned how to use dialogue more effectively in my writing, I've decided that I'm sure about what I want to do after I leave education, I've learned how to play the intro to Dammit on my guitar, I've learnt not to eat pick n mix when I have stomach flu, my painting has definitely improved, my writing has also (believe it or not), I know more about mediaeval history, I know more about Victorian fashion, I know more about cranberries and I know more about Andy Warhol and Tracey Emin.

I am definitely not saying, that's it, I give up on school.  I don't, I fully intend to carry on and hopefully somehow manage to get a degree at the end of it all.  I've just realised that sometimes you learn the most when you're not at school and the things you really end up remembering and using in later life, the things that really however pretentious it sounds make you a better person and a more interesting one are the things you experience and learn for yourself without a teacher or a uniform on.

1 comment:

  1. I may regret this by the end of the holidays, but I am honestly looking forward to spending more time with you over the summer. I agree with most of what you said above too - I must be sick! Your writing has improved, I love the little gnome you painted and yes, haribo & stomach flu do not a good mix make!
    Here's to a creative summer!
    Mum ~:0) xxx

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