[keboogy]

High school is so awful I am surprised I haven’t just walked out during a class yet.

I am currently in 11th grade, in Taiwan. There’s only a year left until I can get the hell out of here and go back to the states to go to college (hopefully) . I don’t have a bullying problem, nor a problem with the people in there actually, but it’s the educational system. The system sucks at a level so much that even our parents, and the teachers themselves all agree on it.

Every day we sit in school for up to 10 hours. (7:30AM~5:10PM) That is for the fortunate ones. In 11th grade the school requires us to attend a night study, which extends the hours to 9:00PM. (I am lucky to be able to persuade my parents to let me out of that, though) If there was any goal in particular for this extensive amount of studying time it’s to, of course, have a pretty number on your report card to go off to get into a pretty school to wear that around as a social status or whatnot. I am not even going to get started on the extra classes the school makes us have on winter and summer breaks, or the fact that we’ll have to go to school for 6 days a week in 12th grade.

Unlike in the states, the way you get into college is mainly your grades on this General Scholastic Ability Exam (something like the SAT, but it tests you on 10 subjects of all the things you learned starting from 10th grade, and that is your main entrance key). Which means, we’re all just revising and revising and revising the same stuff we have learned long ago, memorizing and swallowing all we can. It frustrates me so much, this dead, repetitive mode of “learning” - if I could even call it learning - because we’re forced to have to take in everything, and I can’t think of a better way to describe it than just “being force fed like a pig,” and half of the time we don’t even know what we’re even working for. Another thing is that I’m not going to even take this exam, but it consumes and wastes my time for any extracurricular activities (considering I still need to care for my GPA, and that means using mere 3~4 hours out of school to take in 10 hours of school work AND do some extracurricular work)

Honestly, ever since I got in high school, I feel like the only thing I’ve acquired is anger and frustration, rather than any amount of knowledge. And I wish maybe I could’ve not known what I wanted to do with my life so early, or even thought about anything and just followed along orders mindlessly; ignorance is bliss. My grades are… not pretty. But it’s so hard to do something that just doesn’t feel right but you’re required to do so. I refuse to let my mind die and get controlled by exams and grades and get “programmed” like some cold robot. It’s so inhuman, is what our teachers even say.

The worst problem to this all is that I have no one to talk to to vent out my anger and frustration, and I have no idea what I’m left to do. My parents only say that that’s how they all came along too. My teachers are tired of listening to me and only say how I’ll only be hurting myself being against a system. My friends are tired of listening to me. I’m tired of hearing me.
Don’t know if anyone watches The Twilight Zone— I’m scared this’ll all turn out to be like episode Number Twelve Looks Just Like You. School is burning me out and it’ll crush me before I can even succumb to it….

If you’ve reached here I apologize for the long, bitter, rant and I thank you for listening (or reading) to me. Things look dim for me but may your day be a wonderful one.

[bornunderabadsign]

I liked high school here in the states. Well let me put it differently. I liked the classes and the homework. The people not so much. It was a good experience until I got to college and found out that I was not at all prepared. I struggled and that coupled with my MI issues caused me to freak out and drop out. I want to go back to school some day.

Ten hours a day is a insane. And that is for the lucky ones! Holy Cow! I wouldn't like that either. It seems like you don't have any other option. I don't know if Taiwan has a GED program but if they do I would suggest doing that instead.

I understand that Taiwan has one of the toughest school systems in the world and I really feel for you. You can do it and then you can go to University where you please or you could do it and then go where ever you please anyway.

[MickeyCheeky]

I can relate to your feeling.. high school sucks I'm with you.

. . . and this, ladies and gentlemen, is why comparing the U.S. public school system test results to other countries is completely flawed.

Sorry, not to hijack your thread, but so often comparisons are made but it is like comparing dogs to elephants or something.

[ken9018]

wow, I love going to school, but even that is a bit much. Hoping you find a way to deal with the stress the school system is causing you

[keboogy]

Originally Posted by bornunderabadsign

I liked high school here in the states. Well let me put it differently. I liked the classes and the homework. The people not so much. It was a good experience until I got to college and found out that I was not at all prepared. I struggled and that coupled with my MI issues caused me to freak out and drop out. I want to go back to school some day.

Ten hours a day is a insane. And that is for the lucky ones! Holy Cow! I wouldn't like that either. It seems like you don't have any other option. I don't know if Taiwan has a GED program but if they do I would suggest doing that instead.

I understand that Taiwan has one of the toughest school systems in the world and I really feel for you. You can do it and then you can go to University where you please or you could do it and then go where ever you please anyway.

Thank you so much! Sorry for the late reply but I'd like to say your comment helped me a lot I'll have to look in a bit about the GED program as I think we may have that here. Well, I do only have a year left, just fingers crossed I can graduate and finally go do what I want xdd Much thanks again <3