Doing only the necessary for school

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LeonardoArruda

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I’m 17 years old and i want to be a priest, i found a very nice seminary and i would love to go there and start doing something productive with my life, but my bishop told me to wait until High School its done, i hate every single minute of my classes, Brazillian educational system is ridiculous and i can spend the whole day criticizing it (but that would need its own post), i am having online classes and that gave me an idea, while my teachers are giving their classes i can just take a nap or do more prodocutive stuff, i’ve being doing this for 3 months and that has being helping my house a lot, the 6 hours i would spend getting depressed i am spending cleaning the house or reading this forum (it has taught me a lot).

Of course i do all the assignments they ask me to and i dont cheat on tests or lie to them, but i do enter the class and dont pay attention to it AT ALL, i only do the stuff that either counts as a test or the things that they ask for pics, i leave at least 60% of the mumbo jumbo behind, if i keep like this i am going to graduate and they are not even going to notice (becuse of Brazil’s education system).

Is it a sin to do what i do? i am on the middle of my english class as i write this post but guess what, i’ve learn english OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL (by playing Fallout 3), school only helps me to get frustrated and sad, i want to get rid of it but i dont want to sin either, do i have to sit down and do all the unnecessary things i’m ask to or i can keep doing this? again i dont lie or cheat intentionally.
 
If anyone wants to learn how our educational system works just lemme know.
 
This is a question for your priest and your parents, who are in authority over you.

Not for strangers on the internet.
 
This is an impossible question for us to answer since we don’t know all of the factors (including the way you learn best).

I would say two things, though:
  1. No matter what walk of life you enter you will face the hardship of endless boredom. No matter what walk of life you enter you will have to learn things that you won’t see the point of for a long time. Make sure you aren’t teaching yourself an aversion to something you will need to face head on later.
  2. The stuff you learn in high school comes back all the time. People say it doesn’t because it never looks like it does in the textbook, and oftentimes you don’t even realize you are using it, but it is there nonetheless. You may be right that you will never use stoichiometry the way it is taught but that doesn’t mean you won’t use similar ideas and problem solving.
 
I agree 100% but i feel like once i’m on the seminary, i will study even the boring stuff with love, i dont like studying gnosis but if my teacher asks me to i will give it my 100%.
 
Doing things you dislike with love can be a grace, but is frequently an act of will. That’s not going to change just because you see more value in the subject.
 
LeonardoArruda said:
something useless that i am going to forget after i’m done with the test, do i REALLY need to know stoichiometry???
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Yes. School is not just about learning facts. It’s about learning how to think, learning how to learn, and a significant amount of biological brain development. You should take your lessons seriously, even stoichiometry. Try to keep a positive attitude about your present schooling, and look for the good in all your studies.
 
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I would strongly recommend you apply yourself to your studies, even in those subjects you find boring or irrelevant.

First, as someone else said, education isn’t just about learning facts. It’s training your brain to think critically and analyze. Your brain is a muscle; keep it in shape. If you only learn subject that interest you, you’ll be like a guy who only ever exercises his arms and neglects the rest of his body. Balance is important.

Second, if you become a priest, people will see you as a representative of the Catholic Church. If you have a broad education, you’ll be able to speak intelligently on a variety of subjects. That will reflect well on the Church. It may also give you the tools to teach people theological concepts. You can use analogies to something they are familiar with.

Finally, while I applaud your desire to be a priest, you may not have a vocation. You may get to the seminary and realize God is calling you to do something else. If so, you want to have the grades and credentials to embark on a secular career.
 
LeonardoArruda said:
when i say mumbo jumbo i mean bulls***, something useless that i am going to forget after i’m done with the test, do i REALLY need to know stoichiometry???
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I did, since I later took 16 quarter units of lower division chemistry in college.
 
LeonardoArruda said:
something useless that i am going to forget after i’m done with the test,
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If you want to go to seminary, there are a few major lessons you need to learn quickly.

OBEDIENCE to those in authority over you including parents, priests, and teachers.

VIRTUE which often means doing things we don’t want to do AND doing them well.

MATURITY in which you don’t use profanity to describe you emotions and wherein you acknowledge you don’t know everything and can learn from others including subjects that may not have an immediate usefulness to you— i.e. chemistry.
 
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Learning is never mumbo jumbo. And information you gain now, however insignificant it may seem at the time, may become very useful to you in the future. In college, I was forced to take a public speaking class as part of my core curriculum. Not only was I terrified at the very thought of having to stand up in front of a class and speak, but I also didn’t see how it was relevant to my future career…“it’s not like I’m going to be a lecturer” I thought.

I now cherish every minute I spent in that class and I am so thankful my university pushed all students to take it. I realized that public speaking benefits me in all areas of my life…interviewing for jobs, working in customer service, speaking in a clear and concise manner on the phone, and one on one interactions with friends and family.

That’s why we spend so many years in school. We don’t always enjoy what we are learning, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important for our future.

As for whether or not it is considered sinful, I cannot answer that question and it is probably just best for you to take this to a priest. However, realistically, I think it is unwise to dismiss certain school subjects as insignificant now. They might come in handy later.
 
As a priest, you will be called upon to do a great many things that you find distasteful and burdensome and difficult. Things that make trigonometry appear fun and enjoyable. I suggest you learn to be diligent to the task God places before you each day. At the moment your vocation is to be an obedient son and a good student. Do that, and in time the path to priesthood may become clearer to you.

-Fr ACEGC
 
LeonardoArruda said:
Is it a sin to do what i do
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I think this is something best discussed with your priest, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to do this at all, even if its not sinful.

Education is important. I’m not saying it’s fun-we all had/have classes we hate/hated-but that doesn’t mean the knowledge gained isn’t necessary or wouldn’t benefit you in the future. Furthermore, the classes that you take in school and college help you become a more well-rounded individual, which is a useful thing to be in any profession. There’s a reason why colleges insist on having a core curriculum where you’re forced to take courses that have nothing to do with your major, or why schools teach such a wide variety of subjects instead of just letting you pick what you like.

It’s your decision ultimately, but if you ask me I think you should pay more attention to your classes. I also think you should drop the mentality that just because you’re planning on becoming a priest then school is of no use for you. As other people have mentioned, you might end up discerning that the priesthood is not for you, in which case you’ll probably need your school grades to apply to a college major of your choice. In addition, there are useful things to be learned in all classes, even the most boring ones.

Do think carefully about this, and pay more attention to your classes. No offence, but Fallout 3 is not going to teach you English grammar, nor is it going to acquaint you with English literature and poetry. At best you should be using Fallout 3 and other English-speaking platforms to practice English, not learn it.

God bless, and good luck in your vocation.
 
I personally was bored to death through most of elementary, junior high, and high school. Some people are naturally gifted or learn in different ways, some instructors are not very engaging, and we do not all have the opportunity to attend a school that matches with our own preferences of how we like to learn. By my senior year I was on independent study for almost every class and I liked that much better as I no longer had to sit through very boring lectures.

I agree that since you are a minor, this is a subject that you should be discussing with your parents and maybe with your priest (since this is one of those “Is this a sin?” questions) and not with us here. We don’t know you or your situation well enough to say. Also, most students who find themselves in a boring situation like you describe will work out some way to handle it without needing affirmation from a group that what they are doing is okay.
 
Also, you’re getting close to the end of high school, and it’s a quirk of our psychology that if we worked very hard at something for a long time, when we see the end coming, we get weary and want to slack off.

In the US we call this “senioritis” 🙂

But don’t give in to your weariness. Keep slogging away at it. Graduation will be here soon enough.

Good luck!
 
I suggest you take your boring schoolwork as mortification and to build up the virtue of patience and perseverance. You will need a lot of that in the years to come, no matter where you are in life.

Also try to give 100% in all that you do. This practice will give you a lot in life no matter what you choose to do.
 
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@Vico @Inquiry @edward_george1 @1ke @TheLittleLady @RolandThompsonGunner @cjsm93 @Salibi @Tis_Bearself

Thanks for the tips everyone, i’ve been thinking about this and i’ve come to the conclusion that i’m not as mature as i thought, i will work on my discipline (maybe i will do the year in the army after school) and study more, some sources apparently taught me things that are not taught by the Church and i found out i dont know half of the things i thought i did, i will take a better advantage of school and at least hear what the teacher has to say, from what they teach me i will keep what’s useful and learn the rest for the sake of brain develpment, sorry for the ignorance and God Bless!
 
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