Leaving cert ruined my passion for learning?

LegacyUser

I know the title might seem a bit odd, but this is genuinely how I feel at the moment and it's making me feel insanely down in myself.

Has anyone ever thought that the Leaving Cert left them a little... stupid?

I've felt this way for a while - basically that the LC took away all my desire for learning; I can't bear to read a factual book/watch a documentary without getting distracted within a few minutes. I used to love reading and discovering new things, but in the years of the Leaving/following the Leaving, have lost all interest.

I also find I can't retain as much information as before and seem to have developed the attention span of someone with ADD; twitching and being distracted by external noises etc. which would normally not have bothered me...

It's making me very insecure and upset because I feel like I can't offer anything to conversation any more since I have nothing interesting to add to a conversation anymore...

The_Conductor

Take a break.
Travel, see the world.
There are loads of different ways tat we all learn things on a daily basis- most of the education the majority of us get, is not from a tv documentary or a text book.

The leaving cert doesn't equip you to appreciate the world around you- its a damn narrow curriculum focused on two weeks of exams- while it does open doorways for you- it most certainly is not the be-all and end-all.

The very first thing anyone who goes to university notices- is learning does not mean having information spoon fed to you- it means being inquisitive, asking questions and trying to find the answers yourself.

You sound like you need a break- and some time to mute the horror of the leaving cert........

Raminahobbin

I actually feel very similar. I really feel that the leaving cert, combined with doing a very book-heavy college course, destroyed my enjoyment in reading. I'm slowly, slowly, building it back up, but I suspect my stamina for heavier books has been damaged too severely. It's sad, and I wish I could help you with some advice, but I'm still not back to where I was pre-LC, and that was 10 years ago

Regarding the attention span, have you tried upping your intake of Omega 3/making sure your food is nutritious? Sometimes it can be something simple!

Faith

I have the same issue, but I think it's due to the internet. Since I first got broadband back in 2005, I've had the attention span of a gnat. I'll watch a TV show while on facebook while playing a game on my phone. Before 2005 (which, coincidentally, was the year I did my leaving), I used read several books a week, but now I might read one a month.

I think you just need to really make a conscious effort to change your habits, much like quitting smoking or something.

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

LegacyUser

I know what you mean rote learning, dictation, results driven learning stifles creativity. When I finished my exams I was delighted to finally read whatever I wanted without censure. Maybe you could choose something light and funny to start off with or something short. There are lots of suggestions over on the literature forum. Start off small and build back up.

Queen-Mise

wasteofeducation wrote: »

I also find I can't retain as much information as before and seem to have developed the attention span of someone with ADD; twitching and being distracted by external noises etc. which would normally not have bothered me...

It's making me very insecure and upset because I feel like I can't offer anything to conversation any more since I have nothing interesting to add to a conversation anymore...

It sounds like mental tiredness to me. After my exams in college, I felt like a walking/talking vegetable. And especially after the last year exams - it takes a lot of people nearly six months to feel normal again, after the stress & strain of the work of the final year of college and then the exams.

OP - take the tiredness as a compliment in your abilities to work hard. And take comfort in the fact that you will probably never have to study again across such a wide range of disciplines.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Same thing happened to me OP, and I have a massive distain and hate for secondary school education as a reulst of it.

However, passion can not be killed, end of. What you love doing, what you enjoy doing, what you truly are passionate about can NEVER be killed.

You just haven't found what you're passionate about yet.