In every walk of life, success depends upon discipline. Somewhere in the development of the character of each individual, he must
bow to law and order. If he fails to make this adjustment he will remain unsuccessful. Each person must in some way subjugate his own nature to the needs of his own life. He must take the time, he must go through the efforts, he must gradually classify his activities, and organize them for the very purpose of survival.
Manly P. Hall: Self-Direction, Conscious Growth and Attention
According to Fox 29, the following events took place the morning of November 30:
…a teacher found a note on [the alleged shooter’s] desk that read the following: “The thoughts won’t stop. Help me.” In another section of the note was a drawing of a bullet with words: “Blood everywhere” and a person who appeared to have been shot and bleeding.
The note also read “my life is useless” and “the world is dead”.
The result of that note was a meeting with parents, school officials, and [the alleged shooter’s] that morning. The counselor took the drawings, but most of the context above was scratched out.
Accordingly, “on the meeting, the [parents] were shown the drawing and advised to get their son into counseling within 24 hours. The prosecutor said they did not ask [him] if he had his gun – which was in his backpack in this meeting.”
According to an “Oxford Community Schools Code of Conduct” pdf released in June 2020, the school prefers to keep students in school and offer discipline through a series of counseling and other measures:
This document intentionally proposes an approach to school discipline that gives preference to keeping students in school where they can receive the academic and social-emotional supports they need. It includes recommended responsibilities of each school community member, and it lists the proactive steps of positive behavior supports and restorative practices available before articulating the school community’s consequences for disruptive conduct.
Also, according to that document, the boy’s drawings indicating violence should have risen to the level of harassment:
A student will not engage in or participate in any behavior that is included in the definition of harassment or intimidation. “Harassment or intimidation” means any gesture or written, verbal, or physical act that a reasonable person, under the circumstances, should know will have the effect of harming a student or damaging the student’s property, placing a student in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s person or damage to the student’s property, or that has the effect of insulting or demeaning any student or group of students in such a way as to disrupt or interfere with the school’s educational mission or the education of any student. Harassment or intimidation includes, but is not limited to, a gesture or written, verbal, or physical act.
However, the document notes that depending on the kind of harassment, the penalty may be anywhere from a meeting with the parents to an expulsion. If it is found to be a “level one” infraction based on the handbook, then school officials are instructed to use the following two-step approach:
STEP 1: RESTORATIVE PRACTICE To foster each student’s academic success and pro-social development, the school will consider research-based social and emotional learning strategies and options designed to promote positive behavior and modify negative behavior while holding students accountable and minimizing exclusion time…
[…]
STEP 2: ADMINISTRATIVE CONFERENCE WITH STUDENT AND PARENT An administrative conference with student and parent will usually occur subsequent to the preliminary corrective measures described in Step 1, and may include a review of suspension/expulsion procedures.
Had the boy been sent home that day instead of using this guideline with an emphasis on keeping troubled students in school, then the shooting may not have happened.
Similar disciplinarian techniques were used at Marjory Stone-Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. After learning about the “restorative” practices which allowed a school shooter to carry out an attack that killed a daughter and dozens of others, Parkland father Andrew Pollack has made it his life’s mission to educate parents and root out these dangerous practices.
In a 2019 op-ed, Pollack warned that school policies aimed at ending the so-called “‘school-to-prison pipeline ‘by decreasing suspensions, expulsions and arrests” were introduced by the Obama administration and were the “politically correct thing to do.”
But, he warned that despite President Trump repealing policies focusing on restorative justice, “they aren’t going anywhere at the local level unless parents take action. If teachers tell you that these policies are causing problems, talk to your school board members and push back against them. The only way to keep kids safe at school is for parents to get informed, get involved and fix it.”
The thing you have to realize is that professors hate having to grade your papers as much as you hate having to write them. In my experience, most professors (the good ones, at least; the one’s with a modicum of self-awareness and critical reflection) do not want to have to assign numerical value to your work. Nor do they really want to read a hundred papers on the same topic by students who naturally (by virtue of the fact that they are students and are thus still learning the material) know much less about the topic than the professor does. All they really want to know is if/how you understand the ideas, concepts, themes, etc. that have been discussed in the class. This could be achieved in a number of ways that do not involve assigning grades, and would be less painful and punitive for all involved, but is rendered impossible by the intense restrictions and disciplinary measures imposed upon professors by their departments, which are, in turn, subject to intense restrictions and regulations imposed by the university itself (which is, in large part, beholden to the will of investors, alumni, the state, and the wider community, the good will of whom it depends upon for funding and support). Both students and professors are caught within the disciplinary trap of academia: both are subject to structures of power and bureaucracy that dehumanize and seek to render them docile, just another faceless functionary within the bureaucratic machine. Obviously, professors hold a slightly greater amount of power and have slightly more room for agency than students by virtue of their position within the system, and should thus be held accountable/responsible for their part in the perpetuation of its disciplinary measures. But we should also recognize that, within the broader system of academia, professors actually possess very little power and are generally just conduits for the disciplinary techniques of the university itself, which does not give a single solitary shit about students except in their capacity as consumers (i.e., tuition payers). This is not to let professors off the hook, or to justify the behaviour of shitty profs, many of whom do not care for their students either, having been thoroughly disciplined by the academic system to the point of internalizing the university’s mindset. But we should recognize that the professor/student antagonism is largely a false one, and that the greater problem is academia as an apparatus, a system of power, and a particular organization of knowledge/pedagogy/discipline (which itself is just a subset and microcosm of broader systems of power).
One of my biggest struggle is self discipline. My lack of discipline is laughable however, during this year I've acknowledged and seen this as a weakness and I think that's the first step. One way I'll work to gain self discipline is not always following my feelings meaning I won't do things because I feel like it but I'll do things because I have to. Therefore, I'll study because I have to study, I'll exercise because its good for my body and my health and not because of how I feel.
I realise now I'm one of those people who took self care too far and made it sabotaging. In the name of self care I've allowed myself to become extremely lazy and sabotaging towards my health. Another reason why I need self discpline.
To anyone who has kik, likes Homestuck and the leijons, my friend @violet-kats made a group chat on kik about the leijons called #LeijonAppreciation ! If you’re interested in joining, come and join! If you can please reblog and spread this around!
Hey there! so I got a few questions about studying and I hope that you'll be able to help me! Haha alright so, I just can't seem to focus whenever I have to study. For example when there's an test on Friday I would procrastinate even when I know that I really have to study for the test. Is there anyway to motivate yourself to just study? And I found out that I'm a kinesthetic learner so is there any method you could advise me on improving the way I study? Thanks in advance
Hey! I’m about to tell you my secret for motivating myself to get my work done (early, even!) every time. You ready? Right now, make a specific list of everything you need to do to feel prepared for this test, get your project done, whatever. Not just “study” but “make and review flash cards”, stuff like that. Also add in an estimated time for each item. Seriously, do it now, I’ll wait.
Got it? Now, look at your planner and figure out when you’ll have time to do those things today (or tomorrow, if it’s late – rest is important!). Once you’ve picked your times for today, go ahead and pick some for the rest of the week. It’s best to study a little over a long period of time if you can. Now that those are all in your planner/journal, set an alarm for the first one. As soon as that goes off, and I mean as soon as – don’t wait until that episode is over or until you finish scrolling through twitter – get to work. Just sit down, install a site blocker and force yourself to work for five minutes. After those five minutes, chances are you’ll be in the groove of things and you won’t feel like stopping (if you do, force yourself to do another 5. repeat as necessary).
I’ve erased the word motivation from my vocabulary because left to my own devices I would have only gotten out of bed today to heat up a cinnamon roll. Getting stuff done is all about making a plan and forcing yourself to stick to, especially when you don’t feel like it.
Of course it’s super important to take breaks and leave time unscheduled to relax everyday, but if you can have a little bit of discipline to work in the mornings (or whenever you work best) then you can spend all the time you want watching trashy tv without feeling guilty since you know your work is done.
As for kinesthetic learning, I would suggest finding any way at all you can to make studying into an actual, physical activity. You could try reading a bit of material and then going over it in your head as you take a short walk around your yard, or pretend to teach the information to imaginary students (I’m sure your old teddy bear would love to know more about biology or whatever it is you’re studying). Some subjects lend themselves to hands-on projects more than others, but be creative and try to figure out ways that the information relates to the real world. Best of luck on your test!
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.”
— Jesse Owens
Discipline to me is choosing to do what will set you apart even if its not the norm of society or your age group.
Growing up I would always put in the work necessary to come out on top. In highschool i used to run up to 14 mile long runs at 6am while people were still outside partying and having fun. Not because I condemn them or dont agree with what they were doing, but because i knew where i wanted to be in my track career and what i needed to sacrifice.
I wish i had a little more fun instead of being so locked in all of the time. Those decisions shape your future. I could ahve had more balance but i regret nothing. Years later Im blessed to have 4 school records in distance running at Xavier University of Louisiana.
My motivation was to make my family proud and to get college paid for and I got both. I didnt have motivation all of the time but my discipline got me through those tough times. Progress isnt built on perfect days,. Its built on the days you have no motivation but continue to grind anyway.
Hope you guys like the content so far! Let me know in the comments what else you guys want for me.
