The American Public Works Association: Fill & Download for Free

I’m a good student.Scratch that, I’m an excellent student. My grades are spot on, I do great on tests, and my standardized test scores are phenomenal. I’m great at school.I can study for a test in half the time other people can. I can crank out an assignment the night before and get an A. I can show up at the SAT after one hour of studying and score in the 98% percentile. I’m an amazing student.But guess what. I don’t know anything.-I’m damn good at remembering stuff, but I don’t learn it. I remember it just long enough for my test or assignment, then I forget it a day later. Then I cram my brain with new info, take the test, and forget it. Rinse and repeat.I’ve broken the system. I learn very little in school. Very little. I don’t remember 99% of what stuff I learned a month ago. I probably only remember about 10% of what I learned last week.But according to the system, I’m learning tons. My grades are stellar. My tests are great. According to all quantitative records, I’m being educated incredibly well.But I’m not. I’ve just learned how to screw the system. I don’t learn, I take in and spit out the required amount of information, then delete it from my brain.My education isn’t an education. It’s a constant balance of finding out how to get the highest grade for the least amount of work. It’s suvival of the fittest, and I’m one of the fittest.I do waaaaay less work than most people. Far less. But since I’ve mastered study techniques that let me cram info into my brain really fast, and keep the info in my brain for just long enough, I get excellent grades. I’ve mastered the art of doing assignments. When I do an assignment, I write the absolute minimum that I can, and still get a good grade.School has taught me how to be good at school. My work-to-grade ratio is phenomenal. If I have 10 minutes on an assignment, and average Joe has 10 minutes on an assignment, I guarantee you I’ll get a better grade. Guaranteed. I may not know more than the other guy, but I will get a better grade. No question.Give me and average Joe each 10 minutes to study for a test, and I’ll do better on the test. I promise you. Come back and talk to us in a week, and average Joe will probably remember more. He’ll probably even be able to apply it to real life. But it doesn’t matter. We already took the test.-I have screwed the system. Completely destroyed it. I am not an educated person. I am not being educated. I am a person that learned how to take advantage of the system.But guess what? According to anyone that looks at my transcript, I’ve gotten an incredible education.They're wrong. I don’t give a crap about most of my classes. I do the absolute minimum, and get the grade. The few subjects I care about, I use the same study method because it’s what I’ve always done. It’s what I know.-I am not getting educated. I am clinically manipulating a broken system to fit my needs.Students being able to do this is what’s wrong with American education.

You can check the color code chart from the American Public Works Association to see what it is: Page on apwa.net. They color code utilities so that workers take care when underground construction work is done, and it keeps crews safe from getting hurt (e.g. live wires), and protects the lines from damage (and usually prevents you and your neighbors from getting services disconnected). Hard to tell the color in the image but looks like either red (power/lighting) or orange (telecomm).

The most commonly used marking guidelines followed are the American Public Works Association guidelines. Some examples of symbols used can be found here:http://www.digalert.org/pdfs/bestpractices.pdf (Appendix B, pg 82)A quick Google search for "underground utility marking standard" and your location may also turn up a similar guide for your area. Everything I've seen has been almost the exact same markings as what are found in the above pdf, or only a slight variation of them.