High school was the worst experience in my life-The school was run like a penitentiary with gray walls, few pictures, and uninspiring classes. Even so-called “honors” classes consisted of teachers babysitting and watching kids throw oranges at each other and climb air vets. People were sent to detention for skipping, tardiness, and being caught in halls without passes. I was even threatened with detention because a teacher had erroneously marked me as absent, and no one would believe that I had actually been present in that class-an excruciatingly boring class through which I usually sat with glazed eyes and a somnulent semi-conscious state so that my presence was, perhaps never noted. Some lucky professor’s kids heard about early admission to college and skipped out of the jungle, but that possibility was kept secret from most of us as there would have been a mass exodus should everyone find out. Harassment was continual and unpunished, especially for unattractive girls and wimpy guys. cat calls occurred constantly while shuffling between classes and while lining up for lunch in the gray, dank basement cafeteria. I earned the continual epithets of “sad sack” “zombie” and was dismayed to come back to a reunion years later and have the same epithets smugly hurled at me by smug now-successful middle-aged classmates who had “made it” into the American dream through high-paying computer jobs and fancy cars, which they flaunted at the reunion. I have resolved never ever to attempt even crossing the path of any high school memories again, in the hopes of finding old chums like myself who were outside the in-group and huddled together in the lunch room in self protection. At least the others were not as naive as me to show their faces at high school reunions. i soon learned that only the in-group and successes ever come to such events.

Hi Linda!

Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. I know what you mean about school feeling like a “penitentiary”.  I feel like, when I’m trapped in school, I’m almost stripped of my individualism. There’s only been one teacher that I can remember through my whole education career who has taken an actual interest in me and how I learn. This was back in ELEMENTARY school, and now I go to a very large high school with A LOT of students, so I unfortunately haven’t come across that sort of “individualized” instruction from any teacher since then.
Although I don’t have much experience being bullied, myself (luckily), I do know some kids at my school who are CONSTANTLY picked on and the teachers (just like yours, it seems) all just turn a blind eye. Especially these days with the internet, bullying seems to be getting sneakier and the teachers can’t (or won’t) do anything about it.  I can’t imagine having to put up with that sort of injustice and not being able to do anything about it, so I really feel for you there. 

thanks again for sharing your story! 

talk to you soon, 

Clare