Need your opinions - I hate school!

[Pro]

Hey guys,

Well honestly, I don't need any help with motivation or any sort of emotional problems, I'm posting this because I am somewhat confused about this matter, would really appreciate it if someone helped me, not very important but I'll post it anyway.

Soooo I am currently in High School, but the problem is I really really hate school. It seems like the more I go to school, the more worse my brain becomes, as in I'm in a freeze state because it's so boring. I've literally been skipping for like 2 or 3 weeks of school, but the rare days I do go to school, I ace it 100/100 in any test or quiz that is given to me, it feels as if all the knowledge in the test is pre-stored within me. I'm not trying to be cocky in anyway, but its true, I hate going to school because the place where I live (Brooklyn) has completely gone nuts LOL. Most of the conversations here always has something to deal with negativity and it's ALWAYS something bad.

Not only am I trying to be away from it, I'm just trying to make my mom proud. I feel like I learn more things when I play videogames then going to school. The teachers at my school are useless, I've seriously never been taught anything that's productive. I like my teachers, they're fine, but I just don't feel like going, so when I go to school after a couple of days of absence, I hate to see the "where the hell have you been" silent look on their face and it gives me a feeling of nervousness and what not. I've spoken to my counsellor, he has said "I'll look into it" since August 22nd of 2006, and I've had ALOT of visits to him.

The thing is, even though I don't go to school, on the days I do go, I always have my hands up and am always acing whatever is given to me. My teacher says that if I come to school regularly, I can get A+ but I just hate to go. And I have alot of friends, it's not like I have any social problem, even though my friends are not the friends you wanna have but still it works well.

So after reading Mr.Pavlina's "Do it Now" article and in one paragraph he explains how he didn't visit some classes and just read it off the textbook and aced it because he felt he was being more productive elsewhere.

Sometimes I wonder why the U.S. is so behind in the global educational system standpoint. Hell, kids in frickin Sweden are doing better then us when there is a competition on the most simplest things and even though we have the most resources and are open to literally anything we want, we still suffer. I'm just wondering, am I doing the right thing by staying at home?

Oh yeah, when I do stay at home - I read biographies of war Generals (Rommel, Patton) and I read all sorts of stuff and learn more, I seriously don't learn ANYTHING from the school. I excell at every subject, my mom worries sometimes that it's very bad for me to stay at home and something will happen, but I go to school the next day, answer a quiz and bring back an A graded sheet.

I know it's a simple thing and I'm making a huge deal about it, but I felt as though this is probably the right place to talk about this stuff because I know for sure noone at school or anyone I know really cares or knows how to deal with this situation. I wouldn't mind building a fortress made of steel only if it didnt let me go to school, seriously... I don't know if Im doing the right thing. I have the regents coming up in a couple of months and everyone is making a huge deal about it, I got some last years Regents papers and it feels like if you watch CNN for 3 hours a day, you will be able to ace the Regents easily, it's that simple.

would really really really appreciate your responses guys. Oh yeah, I'm 16 years old, lol.

[Shamou]

Hello Pro...

It seems to me that you have been blessed and cursed with above average intelligence...

Blessed because learning comes easy for you... cursed because it makes school boring...

However, soon, you will be entering College... that will be a whole new ballgame... the challenge will be far greater... and so will be the interest... you will have great competition... and a challenge for your talent...

So, try to stick with it for the time being... try to get the best possible grades so that you can have your choice of Colleges... and start planning for your future...

I wish you the very best of luck... and for now... a ton of patience...

.

[daisylover26]

Hey Pro,

Well, just know that you are not alone. I felt the exact same way at your age, even briefly thought about dropping out I made good grades, had friends, I just HATED school. I liked learning, but I felt I was learning so little of value and I couldn't stand all the trivial drama of the high school social scene. Plus, classes were so disruptive sometimes (though nothing compared to today I imagine!), it was just such a joke. But, my mom really put her foot down at talk of me dropping out and I managed to make it through and graduate with a good GPA (which became helpful down the road). She was pretty good about letting me miss days of school though I was actually DOING stuff when I wasn't at school, helping her with her business or working on something creative. And I will say that looking back, I still believe I was right: school was a joke. But, I'm glad I got my diploma because no one can ever take that away and, fortunately, that's now a closed chapter in life

Ironically, after high school I became a teaching assistant in the public school system for a few years. Now I'm in college again and I love school and work very hard at it. Most people who know me now would have a hard time believing I ever considered quitting high school! But, the biggest difference is, I started college on my own terms and I get to study things that are more interesting (and useful) to me. I say all of this because I believe you'll be the same way. I completely agree with you that the school system in this country is diseased (and no offense to any teachers here). It has problems from every angle. But, unfortunately, at your age those needed changes are not going to come during your school years. So even if it isn't the advice you want to hear, I think the best thing you can do is tough it out however you can. You're so close to the light at the end of that tunnel you've just got to make yourself keep going, day by day. Then you'll have your diploma and you'll move on to bigger and better things. And another thing you can do (even now) is push for change in the system. You're in the school system so you get a first hand look at the problems within. Start voicing your opinion and your suggestions for change to anyone who will listen. And remember, there is always someone above the person at the top. Just keep climbing and talking until someone hears you out. Just by taking that initiative you would be helping every other student out there. And you might find being really involved in something will help your last years of school fly by

Good luck with this! I do know how frustrating it can be feeling like you're stuck on pause when you'd rather be getting on with life. But hang in there; it really will be behind you soon!

[uberinquisitive]

Originally Posted by Shamou

try to get the best possible grades so that you can have your choice of Colleges...

I couldn't agree more!

See high school as a necessary evil to get into a geat college. It would totally suck if you didn't get into a top caliber school, simply because of attendance problems and poor teacher recommendations

Remember to do a lot of extra-circ. activites. And, I'm sure if you put in some study time, you will be able to get a perfect/close-to-perfect SAT score.

Just repeat...and repeat again...
"High school is a necessary evil to get into ____________ University."

Or, if you're not into going to college: why not just get your GED?

[Sunnybayes]

Well honestly, I don't need any help with motivation or any sort of emotional problems.

Soooo I am currently in High School, but the problem is I really really hate school. It seems like the more I go to school, the more worse my brain becomes, as in I'm in a freeze state because it's so boring.

Yea, and you are probably also much smarter than your teachers too. I am a senior in college studying abroad in Hong Kong. I study physics at UIUC, 2nd best program in the US, I am learning how to make an escape route so that I wont have to work for anyone else. Here's my advice (please excuse my rambling writing style):

Since you have all this awesome time to find yourself, spend your time visualizing what you want to do with your life.

Figure this out, think about when you are on your death bed a hundred years from now, and you are just sitting there waiting to die, and you are reflecting back on life. What things will you be remembering that you would feel proud that you've accomplished?

You'd be like "yea I invented fusion, I won the noble prize, I stopped global warming, I gave 10 billion dollars to my children, I started a foundation that..."

If you are afraid of success, if you feel uneasy about thinking about those things, then just remember that fear is always just the fear of the unknown, so just visualize yourself and get used to feeling that you are going to be very successful. If you feel uneasy thinking about being that successful, then do some research on the internet about getting over your fear of success.

Learn to lead yourself. Whatever you do, don't be this absolute brilliant person, and then loose all motivation because everything just seems so pointless, because once you get out of high school noone (or everyone, depending on how you look at things) is going to be telling you what to do, so you'll have to learn how to guide yourself and give yourself your own goals.

Spend this semester, like 4 months or so, defining and planning what you want to do. All that time that you spend on playing video games or thinking about how utterly useless school is, spend it on planing/visualizing how you are going to accomplish those amazing feats.

And yea, it is a hard thing to do, but you might as well figure out what you want to do with your life now, before you are dead. Just think of all the adults who have their "mid life crisis" because they've never actually sat down and thought about what they really wanted to do or how to do it, and that they find all of the sudden that they are halfway dead and are not in the process to amounting to much.

Read books about being a leader, get over your fear of leading, and realize that you are going to be one of those awesome people that you've read about.

[Sunnybayes]

you can do (even now) is push for change in the system.

There is always someone else who want to push their agenda onto you, whether that is society, your parents, your teachers, or some corporation that you could work for.

Seriously, learn to lead yourself and tell yourself what you want to do and you'll live a much happier life as a result. Pick out some famous person from history and today, read their biography and learn what they had to do to do what they did. Imagine what it would feel like to be that person.

What I'm saying is that, figure out how to tell yourself what to do. Start by making a journal, and take out a note pad and write down "What the hell do I want to do with my life" and sit there and think about it and brainstorm and write and recapture and refine all your ideas for 3 hours. And put it down in a computer file or on paper, because a mind has a limited capacity to remeber the ideas that just spring up, and this is a creative process that takes effort... read this article to know what I mean by being creative: How to be creative in business. It talks about windows crap, but it tells what I mean that it is an involved process to be creative.

Get that brilliant idea or drive, and then you'll no longer have to worry about being bored because you'll always have something in the back of your mind that you are working to accomplish. And then you'll be able to channel all your brilliant potential to be really be able to make an impact on the world.

One last thing, it would pay to go to a top college, like MIT, or Stanford, at least for a year or two, so you can feel what its like to be surrounded by people who are just as brilliant and driven as you are. So you should go to Boarders or Barns and Nobel and pick up a couple of books that tells you how to get into the top colleges. And tell your mom that you want to do this, cause she'll help support you. This is what I did when I was in high school.

[lifeinoleg]

Take the GED (basic info here: GED - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), or it's equivalent in New York. Go to community college for two years (that's the average time it takes, it may be faster for you), transfer to a four year university, get your degree. Pass go and collect 200$

That way you can get around high school, be challenged more, and make your mom proud. Furthermore, you will get to the same place as your peers several years faster.

My best friend did exactly this, he is now studying to be a dentist, several years ahead of all his classmates in dental school. His parents tried to convince me to do the same, but I didn't. It isn't a regret I have since I don't believe I was mature enough with regards to my study habits and goals, but it is definitely an idea worth looking in to, at least.

Good luck.

[benko]

Originally Posted by lifeinoleg

Take the GED (basic info here: GED - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), or it's equivalent in New York. Go to community college for two years (that's the average time it takes, it may be faster for you), transfer to a four year university, get your degree. Pass go and collect 200$

Pro, I think that's the best thing you can do. Regardless of what you want to do in the future, it's always a good thing to have this little piece of paper certificating that you have a basic education.

However, if you stick to highschool (or find the classes for the GED boring too) then you can attend classes and do useful things there. For example, I was really bored at school & highschool so most of the time I was just doing something I love: drawing. Some (new) teachers got mad at me and asked "Hey, what I have just said?" and I answered their exact words (you see, I learnt how to draw AND pay attention at the same time). Later those teachers just let me be, as long as I did assignments and so on. So why don't you try doing something creative in class? Draw, write a story...

[Pro]

Originally Posted by lifeinoleg

Take the GED (basic info here: GED - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), or it's equivalent in New York. Go to community college for two years (that's the average time it takes, it may be faster for you), transfer to a four year university, get your degree. Pass go and collect 200$

That way you can get around high school, be challenged more, and make your mom proud. Furthermore, you will get to the same place as your peers several years faster.

My best friend did exactly this, he is now studying to be a dentist, several years ahead of all his classmates in dental school. His parents tried to convince me to do the same, but I didn't. It isn't a regret I have since I don't believe I was mature enough with regards to my study habits and goals, but it is definitely an idea worth looking in to, at least.

Good luck.

Wow alot alot of good advices. The problem is, when I try to talk to my teachers and I tell them (and sometimes it escalates into debates) that the whole way of teaching and learning here is ridiculous, nobody is progressing, infact the teachers worry about students who don't really care about an education more than the people who worry about their grades.

I realize that I have to go to school just for the time being and cross it out of my life in a couple of years, but the fact that whenever I come to school I get the "I don't know you" or "Huh?? where the hell have you been?" look is really annoying lol.

But yeah, I will definately do the GED thing. Thanks for the advices guys, really appreciate it!