18 Oct 2016, 10:00 pm
18 Oct 2016, 10:02 pm
18 Oct 2016, 10:04 pm
aurora borealis wrote:
I attended mainstream school from the age of 4 until I was 12 (primary from age 4 until 11). High school at 11 (normal in England, I should add) and only survived one and a bit years.
Primary school didn't meet my emotional or behavioural needs - I tend to think this was down to doing well with homework and exams (usually in the top three in my year; only person in my school to get level 6 in KS2 maths SATs at the end of year 6), despite the fact every single school report I had from year 1 onwards mentioned that I needed to "daydream less" and "generally behave" (I wasn't a terror, but I did have a tendency to overreact and storm out - which is still a recurring theme).
High school didn't meet my needs in any way, shape or form. I was bullied right from day one and then made to feel like I was the bad one for reporting it - sent to learner support (who were very unsympathetic and didn't provide the support their name suggested they offered), put me in classes with trouble-makers, didn't care that I was having my possessions stolen on an almost weekly basis, didn't seem to understand that as a young carer to an old grandmother, I probably had needed more emotional support than most, and then they threatened to permanently exclude me if I didn't start attending school more (by that point, I'd had enough and was attending classes two days a week at the most). I had a social worker when I did eventually stop going to the school, she got me to a clinical psychologist, but the focus was all on getting over the bullying, not on the depression and social phobia I so obviously had (that didn't get diagnosed until I was 19).
I was home schooled for about three years - by proper teachers, I might add, provided to us by the local education authority. I got five GCSEs, but certainly not at the grades I probably would have gotten if I'd been sent to a decent school in the first place, and not to a school that was good in the 1970s - for perspective, I was sent there in 2003, even though my cousin (three years older) had received a less than adequate eduction there and didn't even finish his GCSEs.
Now I'm 24 and attending a "conventional" further education college, doing something I enjoy - which is a major step forward. I've not been in formal education since I was 18 (at least not successfully).
Most of what I've learned up until now has been off my own back, so to speak. I mean, I retain facts quite well but only when it's something I'm interested in. I'm interested in society and how people interact, so I'm studying social sciences. I hated school education (the National Curriculum in particular) because it didn't stimulate me whatsoever. I learned the English language (how to spell, use punctuation and form sentences, etc.) pretty early on in life, I didn't really need to take classes in it, they were of little value to me. I only really enjoyed maths because it was all about numbers - which I love.
My educational journey has been an odd one, not to mention a long one, and not entirely conventional.
Primary school didn't meet my emotional or behavioural needs - I tend to think this was down to doing well with homework and exams (usually in the top three in my year; only person in my school to get level 6 in KS2 maths SATs at the end of year 6), despite the fact every single school report I had from year 1 onwards mentioned that I needed to "daydream less" and "generally behave" (I wasn't a terror, but I did have a tendency to overreact and storm out - which is still a recurring theme).
High school didn't meet my needs in any way, shape or form. I was bullied right from day one and then made to feel like I was the bad one for reporting it - sent to learner support (who were very unsympathetic and didn't provide the support their name suggested they offered), put me in classes with trouble-makers, didn't care that I was having my possessions stolen on an almost weekly basis, didn't seem to understand that as a young carer to an old grandmother, I probably had needed more emotional support than most, and then they threatened to permanently exclude me if I didn't start attending school more (by that point, I'd had enough and was attending classes two days a week at the most). I had a social worker when I did eventually stop going to the school, she got me to a clinical psychologist, but the focus was all on getting over the bullying, not on the depression and social phobia I so obviously had (that didn't get diagnosed until I was 19).
I was home schooled for about three years - by proper teachers, I might add, provided to us by the local education authority. I got five GCSEs, but certainly not at the grades I probably would have gotten if I'd been sent to a decent school in the first place, and not to a school that was good in the 1970s - for perspective, I was sent there in 2003, even though my cousin (three years older) had received a less than adequate eduction there and didn't even finish his GCSEs.
Now I'm 24 and attending a "conventional" further education college, doing something I enjoy - which is a major step forward. I've not been in formal education since I was 18 (at least not successfully).
Most of what I've learned up until now has been off my own back, so to speak. I mean, I retain facts quite well but only when it's something I'm interested in. I'm interested in society and how people interact, so I'm studying social sciences. I hated school education (the National Curriculum in particular) because it didn't stimulate me whatsoever. I learned the English language (how to spell, use punctuation and form sentences, etc.) pretty early on in life, I didn't really need to take classes in it, they were of little value to me. I only really enjoyed maths because it was all about numbers - which I love.
My educational journey has been an odd one, not to mention a long one, and not entirely conventional.
Sry to hear of your experience, it sounds very rough indeed.
Is the Uni. environment working out well for you?
18 Oct 2016, 10:38 pm
18 Oct 2016, 10:51 pm
19 Oct 2016, 1:33 am
19 Oct 2016, 2:08 pm
DancingCorpse wrote:
Unfortunately not, I struggled a lot in the systems I went through, would certainly have made a difference to how things eventually turned out, but then I wouldn't be half the chap I am today and will continue to grow into from the soil I have within me, I'd lose a lot of substance and it'd be a different substance and a different life so no use worrying.
valid point
19 Oct 2016, 2:12 pm
19 Oct 2016, 2:21 pm
b9 wrote:
slave wrote:
b9 wrote:
most of my elementary and high school education was with the "correspondence school" while i was in institutions.
they mailed out the work, and i completed it and gave it to the "prop" teachers we had at these institutions and they mailed it back and it went back and forth that way.
other kids did the same, and when they got things wrong, it was the "prop" teachers who were supposed to steward their thinking toward being able to complete the work again.
whatever.
i was not taught in a traditional way when i was at proper normal schools either, because every normal school i went to became aware that i was a problem on day one, and i was usually sat out in the corridor or away from other students. i never lasted long in traditional schools because i found it so much fun to give the teachers the s**ts in a bad way.
they mailed out the work, and i completed it and gave it to the "prop" teachers we had at these institutions and they mailed it back and it went back and forth that way.
other kids did the same, and when they got things wrong, it was the "prop" teachers who were supposed to steward their thinking toward being able to complete the work again.
whatever.
i was not taught in a traditional way when i was at proper normal schools either, because every normal school i went to became aware that i was a problem on day one, and i was usually sat out in the corridor or away from other students. i never lasted long in traditional schools because i found it so much fun to give the teachers the s**ts in a bad way.
I'm sry to hear of how they treated you and that they did not meet your needs.
they had to treat me that way. i had oppositional defiant disorder, and did everything i could to disrupt the class and the teacher in normal schools.
example: i practiced mouthing different words than i was speaking, like mouthing the word "BITCCH" while saying "yes mam" to the teacher. she had schizophrenia i am sure, and i sat at the front of the class at the beginning so i could needle her.
no one else in the class could see my face, so to them, it seemed i was innocent of everything the teacher went beserk at me about.
like i would grimmace at her in a monster face type of way, and waggle my tongue at her while i said meekly and in an innocent voice "yes mam" when she shouted at me, and then she became even angrier at me and eventually assaulted me because she said i was playing with her mind, and the rest of the class was clueless as to what i did to upset her.
so to the higher up authorities (like the principal) she complained to could not get verification from the other kids in the class that what she was asserting was valid.
i was eventually found out.
another time, i was on an assembly line and i told the vice principle as he walked by "your nostril hairs need grooming you uncouth ape", and he hauled me out and asked me to say it again for all to hear, and i just pretended he was having a delusion.
things like that got me expelled when they discovered my personality, and then i went to the schools i liked (the hospital schools). so do not be sorry for me. i had a lot of fun as a kid.
slave wrote:
May I ask if you went to Uni. and how did that environment work out for you?
i did not study at university because my behavior and mindset prevented me from caring about responsibilities.
i have studied a great many things within my own private observations, but i really do not care whether they ever mesh with society.
in my time, i have amassed enough money by being an unconventional programmer who was very much essential to the progress of the companies i worked for, and i now own my house (no money owing) and have a high quality car
and enough weekly income to keep me satisfied for the rest of my life.
i am retired now and i do as i please when i please and i am only 44.
so no need to feel "sry" for me. but i do acknowledge your altruism.
Thanks for your clear explanation.
Congratulations on your success and self-sufficiency.
All the best.
21 Oct 2016, 4:13 pm
slave wrote:
aurora borealis wrote:
I attended mainstream school from the age of 4 until I was 12 (primary from age 4 until 11). High school at 11 (normal in England, I should add) and only survived one and a bit years.
Primary school didn't meet my emotional or behavioural needs - I tend to think this was down to doing well with homework and exams (usually in the top three in my year; only person in my school to get level 6 in KS2 maths SATs at the end of year 6), despite the fact every single school report I had from year 1 onwards mentioned that I needed to "daydream less" and "generally behave" (I wasn't a terror, but I did have a tendency to overreact and storm out - which is still a recurring theme).
High school didn't meet my needs in any way, shape or form. I was bullied right from day one and then made to feel like I was the bad one for reporting it - sent to learner support (who were very unsympathetic and didn't provide the support their name suggested they offered), put me in classes with trouble-makers, didn't care that I was having my possessions stolen on an almost weekly basis, didn't seem to understand that as a young carer to an old grandmother, I probably had needed more emotional support than most, and then they threatened to permanently exclude me if I didn't start attending school more (by that point, I'd had enough and was attending classes two days a week at the most). I had a social worker when I did eventually stop going to the school, she got me to a clinical psychologist, but the focus was all on getting over the bullying, not on the depression and social phobia I so obviously had (that didn't get diagnosed until I was 19).
I was home schooled for about three years - by proper teachers, I might add, provided to us by the local education authority. I got five GCSEs, but certainly not at the grades I probably would have gotten if I'd been sent to a decent school in the first place, and not to a school that was good in the 1970s - for perspective, I was sent there in 2003, even though my cousin (three years older) had received a less than adequate eduction there and didn't even finish his GCSEs.
Now I'm 24 and attending a "conventional" further education college, doing something I enjoy - which is a major step forward. I've not been in formal education since I was 18 (at least not successfully).
Most of what I've learned up until now has been off my own back, so to speak. I mean, I retain facts quite well but only when it's something I'm interested in. I'm interested in society and how people interact, so I'm studying social sciences. I hated school education (the National Curriculum in particular) because it didn't stimulate me whatsoever. I learned the English language (how to spell, use punctuation and form sentences, etc.) pretty early on in life, I didn't really need to take classes in it, they were of little value to me. I only really enjoyed maths because it was all about numbers - which I love.
My educational journey has been an odd one, not to mention a long one, and not entirely conventional.
Primary school didn't meet my emotional or behavioural needs - I tend to think this was down to doing well with homework and exams (usually in the top three in my year; only person in my school to get level 6 in KS2 maths SATs at the end of year 6), despite the fact every single school report I had from year 1 onwards mentioned that I needed to "daydream less" and "generally behave" (I wasn't a terror, but I did have a tendency to overreact and storm out - which is still a recurring theme).
High school didn't meet my needs in any way, shape or form. I was bullied right from day one and then made to feel like I was the bad one for reporting it - sent to learner support (who were very unsympathetic and didn't provide the support their name suggested they offered), put me in classes with trouble-makers, didn't care that I was having my possessions stolen on an almost weekly basis, didn't seem to understand that as a young carer to an old grandmother, I probably had needed more emotional support than most, and then they threatened to permanently exclude me if I didn't start attending school more (by that point, I'd had enough and was attending classes two days a week at the most). I had a social worker when I did eventually stop going to the school, she got me to a clinical psychologist, but the focus was all on getting over the bullying, not on the depression and social phobia I so obviously had (that didn't get diagnosed until I was 19).
I was home schooled for about three years - by proper teachers, I might add, provided to us by the local education authority. I got five GCSEs, but certainly not at the grades I probably would have gotten if I'd been sent to a decent school in the first place, and not to a school that was good in the 1970s - for perspective, I was sent there in 2003, even though my cousin (three years older) had received a less than adequate eduction there and didn't even finish his GCSEs.
Now I'm 24 and attending a "conventional" further education college, doing something I enjoy - which is a major step forward. I've not been in formal education since I was 18 (at least not successfully).
Most of what I've learned up until now has been off my own back, so to speak. I mean, I retain facts quite well but only when it's something I'm interested in. I'm interested in society and how people interact, so I'm studying social sciences. I hated school education (the National Curriculum in particular) because it didn't stimulate me whatsoever. I learned the English language (how to spell, use punctuation and form sentences, etc.) pretty early on in life, I didn't really need to take classes in it, they were of little value to me. I only really enjoyed maths because it was all about numbers - which I love.
My educational journey has been an odd one, not to mention a long one, and not entirely conventional.
Sry to hear of your experience, it sounds very rough indeed.
Is the Uni. environment working out well for you?
It certainly was rough at the time, but it's all in the past.
Also, I'm not at uni yet, but hoping to go next year. The college environment is good though. It's quite a small college, and there are only 10 people in my class - all of whom are adults (over 20).
I'm doing an "access" course to get a level 3 qualification, which I need before I can go to uni. It's working out well so far, but it's barely even winter - I've suffered seasonal depression in the past, so I'm just hoping that I don't suffer too bad this year!
23 Oct 2016, 12:18 am
aurora borealis wrote:
slave wrote:
aurora borealis wrote:
I attended mainstream school from the age of 4 until I was 12 (primary from age 4 until 11). High school at 11 (normal in England, I should add) and only survived one and a bit years.
Primary school didn't meet my emotional or behavioural needs - I tend to think this was down to doing well with homework and exams (usually in the top three in my year; only person in my school to get level 6 in KS2 maths SATs at the end of year 6), despite the fact every single school report I had from year 1 onwards mentioned that I needed to "daydream less" and "generally behave" (I wasn't a terror, but I did have a tendency to overreact and storm out - which is still a recurring theme).
High school didn't meet my needs in any way, shape or form. I was bullied right from day one and then made to feel like I was the bad one for reporting it - sent to learner support (who were very unsympathetic and didn't provide the support their name suggested they offered), put me in classes with trouble-makers, didn't care that I was having my possessions stolen on an almost weekly basis, didn't seem to understand that as a young carer to an old grandmother, I probably had needed more emotional support than most, and then they threatened to permanently exclude me if I didn't start attending school more (by that point, I'd had enough and was attending classes two days a week at the most). I had a social worker when I did eventually stop going to the school, she got me to a clinical psychologist, but the focus was all on getting over the bullying, not on the depression and social phobia I so obviously had (that didn't get diagnosed until I was 19).
I was home schooled for about three years - by proper teachers, I might add, provided to us by the local education authority. I got five GCSEs, but certainly not at the grades I probably would have gotten if I'd been sent to a decent school in the first place, and not to a school that was good in the 1970s - for perspective, I was sent there in 2003, even though my cousin (three years older) had received a less than adequate eduction there and didn't even finish his GCSEs.
Now I'm 24 and attending a "conventional" further education college, doing something I enjoy - which is a major step forward. I've not been in formal education since I was 18 (at least not successfully).
Most of what I've learned up until now has been off my own back, so to speak. I mean, I retain facts quite well but only when it's something I'm interested in. I'm interested in society and how people interact, so I'm studying social sciences. I hated school education (the National Curriculum in particular) because it didn't stimulate me whatsoever. I learned the English language (how to spell, use punctuation and form sentences, etc.) pretty early on in life, I didn't really need to take classes in it, they were of little value to me. I only really enjoyed maths because it was all about numbers - which I love.
My educational journey has been an odd one, not to mention a long one, and not entirely conventional.
Primary school didn't meet my emotional or behavioural needs - I tend to think this was down to doing well with homework and exams (usually in the top three in my year; only person in my school to get level 6 in KS2 maths SATs at the end of year 6), despite the fact every single school report I had from year 1 onwards mentioned that I needed to "daydream less" and "generally behave" (I wasn't a terror, but I did have a tendency to overreact and storm out - which is still a recurring theme).
High school didn't meet my needs in any way, shape or form. I was bullied right from day one and then made to feel like I was the bad one for reporting it - sent to learner support (who were very unsympathetic and didn't provide the support their name suggested they offered), put me in classes with trouble-makers, didn't care that I was having my possessions stolen on an almost weekly basis, didn't seem to understand that as a young carer to an old grandmother, I probably had needed more emotional support than most, and then they threatened to permanently exclude me if I didn't start attending school more (by that point, I'd had enough and was attending classes two days a week at the most). I had a social worker when I did eventually stop going to the school, she got me to a clinical psychologist, but the focus was all on getting over the bullying, not on the depression and social phobia I so obviously had (that didn't get diagnosed until I was 19).
I was home schooled for about three years - by proper teachers, I might add, provided to us by the local education authority. I got five GCSEs, but certainly not at the grades I probably would have gotten if I'd been sent to a decent school in the first place, and not to a school that was good in the 1970s - for perspective, I was sent there in 2003, even though my cousin (three years older) had received a less than adequate eduction there and didn't even finish his GCSEs.
Now I'm 24 and attending a "conventional" further education college, doing something I enjoy - which is a major step forward. I've not been in formal education since I was 18 (at least not successfully).
Most of what I've learned up until now has been off my own back, so to speak. I mean, I retain facts quite well but only when it's something I'm interested in. I'm interested in society and how people interact, so I'm studying social sciences. I hated school education (the National Curriculum in particular) because it didn't stimulate me whatsoever. I learned the English language (how to spell, use punctuation and form sentences, etc.) pretty early on in life, I didn't really need to take classes in it, they were of little value to me. I only really enjoyed maths because it was all about numbers - which I love.
My educational journey has been an odd one, not to mention a long one, and not entirely conventional.
Sry to hear of your experience, it sounds very rough indeed.
Is the Uni. environment working out well for you?
It certainly was rough at the time, but it's all in the past.
Also, I'm not at uni yet, but hoping to go next year. The college environment is good though. It's quite a small college, and there are only 10 people in my class - all of whom are adults (over 20).
I'm doing an "access" course to get a level 3 qualification, which I need before I can go to uni. It's working out well so far, but it's barely even winter - I've suffered seasonal depression in the past, so I'm just hoping that I don't suffer too bad this year!
I wish you full success!
30 Jun 2020, 4:12 pm
04 Jul 2020, 9:27 pm
JustFoundHere wrote:
Bumping-up discussion thread - Original poster recently posted here on WP:
WP link on the 1970s 'School Without Walls' movement: viewtopic.php?t=388287
Any experiences from the 1970s?
WP link on the 1970s 'School Without Walls' movement: viewtopic.php?t=388287
Any experiences from the 1970s?
05 Jul 2020, 6:00 am
05 Jul 2020, 4:16 pm
