Then I failed or dropped English 101 twice in college, once because even though my essays were nearly flawless and I did plenty of writing, I failed to complete my daily journals, and the other because the professor was so complacent that they didn't know the story they had as part of their syllabus for 15 years. I then passed it with an A when it was online and the "journal entries" were forum discussions about the weekly movie we all watched and discussed (e.g. Thelma and Louise, discussing gender issues and whatnot). I've never been good at busy work, or work designed to just "give experience." But something that engages my attention or is working toward a particular goal and I do great.

So yeah, like you said, As or Fs.

[–] Moonguide@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 days ago

This is so relatable. I attended a school that gave its students a ton (and I mean a ton) of homework, because idle hands are the devil's workshop (ugh), and I struggled the moment I couldn't coast through without studying. Then went on to a college with a very similar work structure, and the same thing happened, except this time I quit after failing an entire trimester's worth of classes. Some time after I enrolled into a different college that had a more hands on approach and I aced nearly every class.

Every trimester we'd have to enroll to a class which would have only one assignment, and you'd start working on it on day 1, and present results on the final day before a panel. The workload was much greater, I had less guidance, and it lead to a more trial and error approach than a step by step guide, but I'd never felt more comfortable or happier in an academic setting. Previously I had thought school just wasn't for me but it was all in the approach. I just can't do piecemeal busy work.