The Student Room Group

Useless things you a dot learn at school

Is there anything you had to learn at school that you think is completely pointless and has no bearing on modern life.

From my point of view it's joined up writing for two reasons:

1/ Most thing like assignments are done on computers these days and even if people don't have a PC or lap top at home schools often provide i pads and things and all liburys now seem to have some computers not to mention a lot of places will provide laptops that they can give back at the end of the year or rent if need be.

2/ Printed writing even don by hand is a lot more legible than joined up hand writing and lets not forget we learn to write to communicate.

TLDR Learning joined up writing seems pointless.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by jonathanemptage
Is there anything you had to learn at school that you think is completely pointless and has no bearing on modern life.

From my point of view it's joined up writing for two reasons:

1/ Most thing like assignments are done on computers these days and even if people don't have a PC or lap top at home schools often provide i pads and things and all liburys now seem to have some computers not to mention a lot of places will provide laptops that they can give back at the end of the year or rent if need be.

2/ Printed writing even don by hand is a lot more legible than joined up hand writing and lets not forget we learn to write to communicate.

TLDR Learning joined up writing seems pointless.


Try printing all your answers in the exams.
Reply 2
It seems joined up typing is a problem too..
I'm really trying to figure out what you meant to type in your title but just can't. Good typo.
Original post by jonathanemptage
Is there anything you had to learn at school that you think is completely pointless and has no bearing on modern life.

From my point of view it's joined up writing for two reasons:

1/ Most thing like assignments are done on computers these days and even if people don't have a PC or lap top at home schools often provide i pads and things and all liburys now seem to have some computers not to mention a lot of places will provide laptops that they can give back at the end of the year or rent if need be.

2/ Printed writing even don by hand is a lot more legible than joined up hand writing and lets not forget we learn to write to communicate.

TLDR Learning joined up writing seems pointless.


Have you ever done an essay subject!?!?!?!?!?!
Original post by DrawTheLine
I'm really trying to figure out what you meant to type in your title but just can't. Good typo.


I think it's a combination of two titles I was considering and a backspace problem
Original post by Kalo7854
Have you ever done an essay subject!?!?!?!?!?!


Yes actually i did history at GCSE but after that i switched to a more STEM based route.
1. A lot of grammatical rules that are technically incorrect. For example, never start a sentence with a conjunction. It is grammatically valid to do this but for some reason primary and secondary schools keep pumping out this myth that it is incorrect and bad writing to start a sentence with a conjunction.

2. Essay writing at secondary school. The way you are taught to write essays at schools is completely useless to you if you are studying a essay-based subject at degree level like English Literature or History. At school, I was repeatedly told that always make sure to show other points of view. So, I was told to say phrases like 'on the other hand, it could be...'

When I got to university, I was told to stop writing this way as using the passive voice undermines my own argument. At university level, I was told to focus more on my own argument as that is what an essay is meant to be. I have never used any of the essay tips I was taught at school in the three years of my degree.
Original post by jonathanemptage
Yes actually i did history at GCSE but after that i switched to a more STEM based route.

Did you find it handy being able to write fast, or are you a speedy printing writer?
Original post by Kalo7854
Did you find it handy being able to write fast, or are you a speedy printing writer?


I didn’t print much past year 3 because I kept being told off for it but yeah I’m fast enough printing my problem with joined up writing is mine is illegible and I haven’t used it since year 11.
Joined up writing's one of the few things I learnt in school that I'm happy I learnt (though admittedly I don't write much these days). Absolutely hate writing non joined up, feels like I'm writing nothing but consecutive one letter words, wrote two 30-40 page electronics logbooks just a few months ago for my access course in engineering in non joined up writing so it was perfectly neat and tidy (my handwriting's not so pretty to say the least), absolutely hated writing every last word. The content was fascinating though (in fact, the university lecturer who marked it said it was one of the best pieces of access work she'd ever marked and has since kept my logbook as a point of reference for excellent work :tongue:).

The most pointless thing ever done in school is creative writing (especially in primary school, could have learned calculus, coding or a foreign language in all those hours I was forced to write absolute garbage while listening to Mozart). Total waste of time. I still have nightmares about it.
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by jonathanemptage
I didn’t print much past year 3 because I kept being told off for it but yeah I’m fast enough printing my problem with joined up writing is mine is illegible and I haven’t used it since year 11.

Aaaah that’s not fun...! TBH nowadays, my speedy handwriting is a weird hybrid of printing and joined up (to try to make it legible), so I kinda get where you’re coming from, but IMO just printing takes wayyy too long, especially when writing as much as possible in a given time, but I suppose you’ve probably practiced printing more, so it’s faster for you
Original post by mongodb
Joined up writing's one of the few things I learnt in school that I'm happy I learnt (though admittedly I don't write much these days). Absolutely hate writing non joined up, feels like I'm writing nothing but consecutive one letter words, wrote two 30-40 page electronics logbooks just a few months ago for my access course in engineering in non joined up writing so it was perfectly neat and tidy (my handwriting's not so pretty to say the least), absolutely hated writing every last word. The content was fascinating though (in fact, the university lecturer who marked it said it was one of the best pieces of access work she'd ever marked and has since kept my logbook as a point of reference for excellent work :tongue:).

The most pointless thing ever done in school is creative writing (especially in primary school, could have learned calculus, coding or a foreign language in all those hours I was forced to write absolute garbage while listening to Mozart). Total waste of time. I still have nightmares about it.

Quick question though, in primary school, did you know exactly that you didn’t want to do a creative subject (like music or English/essay type subjects), and never have change your mind or wonder?

Also well done on that logbook, sounds like you did an insane job!
Original post by Kalo7854
Aaaah that’s not fun...! TBH nowadays, my speedy handwriting is a weird hybrid of printing and joined up (to try to make it legible), so I kinda get where you’re coming from, but IMO just printing takes wayyy too long, especially when writing as much as possible in a given time, but I suppose you’ve probably practiced printing more, so it’s faster for you


Yeah although MD's making it harder to write now so I'm mostly typing.
Reply 14
Original post by mongodb
Joined up writing's one of the few things I learnt in school that I'm happy I learnt (though admittedly I don't write much these days). Absolutely hate writing non joined up, feels like I'm writing nothing but consecutive one letter words, wrote two 30-40 page electronics logbooks just a few months ago for my access course in engineering in non joined up writing so it was perfectly neat and tidy (my handwriting's not so pretty to say the least), absolutely hated writing every last word. The content was fascinating though (in fact, the university lecturer who marked it said it was one of the best pieces of access work she'd ever marked and has since kept my logbook as a point of reference for excellent work :tongue:).

The most pointless thing ever done in school is creative writing (especially in primary school, could have learned calculus, coding or a foreign language in all those hours I was forced to write absolute garbage while listening to Mozart). Total waste of time. I still have nightmares about it.



I share your pain of writing unjoined.
Original post by Kalo7854
Quick question though, in primary school, did you know exactly that you didn’t want to do a creative subject (like music or English/essay type subjects), and never have change your mind or wonder?

Also well done on that logbook, sounds like you did an insane job!

I have no qualms with essay subjects, I ended up doing two of them (politics and history) for A level, and would've done a degree in politics if I went to university straight after sixth form.
Original post by mongodb
I have no qualms with essay subjects, I ended up doing two of them (politics and history) for A level, and would've done a degree in politics if I went to university straight after sixth form.

Do you print your handwriting then? :-)
Original post by DrawTheLine
I'm really trying to figure out what you meant to type in your title but just can't. Good typo.


It's lag, actually. I get loads when typing on this site too.
Original post by Kalo7854
Do you print your handwriting then? :-)

Never, unless I'm doing coursework, as I mentioned previously.
I’m 21 but still remember being taught to wire a plug in physics. Wtf was that about 😂

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