I’m no better than a high school drop out

About 1/3 of the 95% of children who attend school (5% and growing are engaging in home education) drop out in America.  In large cities like those I grew up in: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York the drop out rate is about 50%.  Often teachers blame parents and parents blame teachers and that just pisses me off because it doesn’t deal with the real issue which is that public schools are just not designed to meet the needs of students.  You often find that those who graduated put themselves on a pedestal.  If they could do it, anyone can.  I am not on a pedestal.  I thought about dropping out often.  I graduated from high school and then college pissed off when I became old enough to realize it was a big waste of my time.  

During all my days in secondary school I wondered what the heck I was doing.  The classes were boring.  The teachers were boring. The kids weren’t nice to each other.  I thought, "people tell us these are the best years of our lives." I thought they were extremely boring and oppressive.  I was literally nearly bored to death and I did indeed think of suicide during those years wondering...”Wait. This is the best? Is that all there is???”

Sure, I finished school. Most of my friends did not. However, just because my body finished school does not mean my mind hadn’t dropped out. Few even knew I was even there.  I didn't attend any of those things people attend like prom or homecoming. One of the great things about the 80s was erasable ink.  I found (maybe stole) a hall pass.  I'd go around to classes helping others escape, delivering the pass with their name to get out of class.  The reality is in high school it was the drop outs that I had more in common with and I spent most of my time.

Here are the things I have in common with drop outs.  I want more »