opinion on your school life

[crazycandy]

I would really like your opinion on how high school/secondary school (age11-16) life was like for you.

Please if you can, what country you're from (as each country and learning systems are different). You don't need to answer all the questions.

1] Did you like or dislike you school?
2] Whats your best and worst subject?
3] Subject you had trouble on and did you had any support what so ever?
4] Whats the main environment like? was most of your peers disrupted? was it a well behaved class?
5] Did you learn anything coming out of high school/secondary school?
6] who was you favourite teacher (subject wise) and why?

From the UK. I just heard that every year it gets worse. When I was in high school, my year was labelled the worst year 3 years in a row (by teachers of course). I enjoyed art and math, as I enjoyed designing teacher was ok, math teacher was good cause how he teach I understood it and it was some what fun. Don't have a worst subject but french and technology was so disruptive (pupil messed about so the rest suffered). I heard European schools does better over in their own country.

Much appreciate any comments and feedback.

[Zealous Lace]

Hiya crazycandy! Is this questionnaire apart of a study you're conducting? I'd love to help you out
1) Academically I liked school, socially I disliked it as I was bullied
2) Best subject was Italian, worst was Maths
3) Main subject I had trouble in was maths- I didn't receive any support as my maths teacher had the 'sink or swim' mentality- from this negative experience, I've become quite "maths phobic" and haaate maths!
4) The classroom climate was interesting; depending on the time of day, combination of students, and which teachers we had it was either hostile or calm. Generally, students were more disrupted when the teacher/lesson wasn't particularly interesting.
5) Socially, I learned that life definitely gets better after highschool!
6) Favorite teacher was my Italian teacher because she believed in her students, made her self accessible if we needed extra tuition and advice for our exam.

I'm from Australia and graduated in '07

Hope this helps!

[crazycandy]

Thank you for your help, just gathering information. Looking at teaching in both aspect, rather then one sided.

I saw a newsfeed about Get into teaching on FB but all the comments on there are mostly negative (80%), and most use to be ex-teachers and or are teachers themselves. I guess I felt dishearten on the road I want to take. And I remember on how high school was like for me, not an overall great experience, lessons and people, but its was ok (there are some funny moments).
I think the education system is very bad over here (from what I seen and heard, but maybe its different in different part of the region).
I have to strongly agree with you there, it does get better after highcschool!!
From your comments I can see that the students are only disruptive when the lesson is boring and uninteresting and it really depend on the teacher themselves. I didn't like the first math teacher I had! When I didn't understand the equation, he made the whole class focus on me, speaking loudly and talking to me like an idiot. So glad the next year I didn't have him again (relief). aww your italian teacher sound so sweet! I wish all teachers can be passionate, it really goes a long way.

Really appreciate your comment

[Gremlin]

1]I liked the learning aspect of school but I disliked it for a few reasons which changed over time. At some points I hated it because I had a bitch of a teacher or because I didn't have any friends.

2]I was pretty average across the board. I didn't do too well in maths but I think that could be more because I had a crap teacher and not due to lack of ability.

3]Never had any help in maths. Had the same teacher/s for a few years who sucked at teaching maths and honestly didn't care about the kid's grades.

4]Most of my classes were very disruptive. 70% of my classmates did not want to be there but had to come to school or else lose their government assistance payments.

5]Despite paying minimal attention I actually managed to learn quite a lot during my high school years. It was all luck really. I am one of those people who always seems to know a lot about everything (I read a lot as a child, loved non-fiction) so when someone teaches me something it's really just supplementing what I already knew. Unless it is something like physics or hardcore biology, which I will never know anything about because it doesn't interest me.

6] My music/maths teacher was my favourite. She was a wonderful music teacher, horrible maths teacher. Really she was just very nice and never got mad at you when you were late to turn something in, always allowed talking and ipods during class, etc. so we liked her.

I am from Australia. Overall I think our schooling system is pretty good - that is in the capital cities and major metropolitan areas. It's absolutely terrible in every country town because none of the teachers want to live there, so the government has this little 'deal' going on with them. If a teacher stays and teaches in a regional (crap) area for 3 years (I think?) they can then choose the town/city in which they want to be placed. So of course none of the teachers give a shit. They consider it as a mere stepping stone and know they will leave soon so they just don't bother.

Not doing well in school is one of my biggest regrets and I actually find it really hard to talk about it. From grade 7 all the way until I graduated I had the worst self esteem. My parents had fought a lot and finally divorced when I was in grade 9 I believe. They would always have these huge fights about who I was going to live with and I would get shoved from one household to the other. There was never discussion about my grades or who was going to help me organise/pay for university etc. so this lead me to believe I was worthless and didn't deserve to go to university or have a career so I never tried at school.

Despite this I actually didn't do too terribly. I could have done far, far worse. Luckily my grades were just good enough to get me into the types of courses I wanted to. I still regret not doing better/trying harder. I really wish I had of decided to go to boarding school as my parents definitely would have sent me but I was always too afraid to be away from home.

I don't think I'll ever get over my shitty school experience but life is much better now. It's taken me 2 years to "recover" and gain some self esteem and ambiton. I've taken 2 and 1/2 gap years and I am going to begin a Bachelor of Business/Commerce (double degree) in June.

[urmotherwasahamster]

Hands down the worst years of my entire life.

[urmotherwasahamster]

I realize I didn't even answer the questions, and those GODDAMN errors made it impossible for me to get back to my post in 5 minutes to edit it. Ugh.

Consider this my "edit":

1] I quite honestly hated both schools I went to for Junior High and High School.
2] Best subject would be English, worst was Math.
3] Geometry, ugh. I retook it twice with little to no help from my teacher. The second year was a bit better, I passed with a C+.
4] Similar to a zoo. Complete chaos, general bad attitudes, and an anxious environment (for me).
5] That I hate people more than I thought I did; I really don't need school to "learn"; even the nicest people are tormented; you should never, ever, ever wear corduroy pants in public.
6] My English teacher, because she understood my severe anxiety and was lenient to a certain degree. But also because she was just a kick-ass person in general.

[crazycandy]

Reading your comments I really want to help and make a difference in teaching. (As I did so poor in high school but after high school I did so much better).

I have (2) people I know who are teachers and they are really passionate about teaching. but its not pupils they have trouble with, its the other teachers and head teachers (strangely enough).

With schools they want to best grade teachers academically, so that (1) person I know got pushed aside. And the pupils made a school petition to keep him (that actually inflamed the head teacher more). Sadly he had to leave, which its unfair, why cant pupils choose the teacher they want to kept? After all its their future too. He taught a little girl (and others) how to make a bird box and a family of birds moved in when she placed it in her garden.
The people I know felt so rewarding when they helped pupils out (don't get me wrong, there are stressful times and troubles kids).
Just the system is messed up.

That free introduction workshop seem like its geared toward Math and English subjects (more pay) and the rest of the other subjects are not important enough.

[Sonia]

I'm from the US and I hated high school. I went to an upper middle class school that was very crowded, so there was a ridiculous teacher-student ratio even in advanced classes. We had block scheduling meaning 4 90 minute classes, or 2 90 and 3 60 minute classes if you took AP (advanced placement) classes. The 90 minute length classes were just too long IMO, it was impossible to pay attention for that long. Then if you took AP classes, you had to take an extra class and have even more work. Doesn't really make sense to me.

Students were generally well behaved but obviously were still bratty teenagers.. lots of drama, partying, and drugs. Some were especially bad - one year a class of students locked a teacher who had bad anxiety in the bathroom and left her there. Another teacher heard her screaming and sobbing and let her out. My worst subject was physics, but I excelled in everything else, especially English. I never felt challenged enough or paid attention to by my teachers.. and since I wasn't into partying and drugs, I had a limited social sphere as well. I did make a few good friends who I'm still in touch with even after graduating from university, though.

I think teaching is admirable but I've honestly only had a couple of good teachers during my time in the public education system. In my state, students who agree to teach for 3 or 4 years after graduating university can basically get a free ride, so I think we get a lot of teachers who don't really care about teaching. Combined with programs like No Child Left Behind and excessive standardized testing, my experience was pretty awful.

[HattieChaos]

I live in the UK. I'm 16 and I've had my education up until now in Scotland. I'm moving to England at the end of August and I'll be having my sixth form then.

My schooling experience was a bit different in that I got moved up two years when I was 14 (in 3rd year/year 10/9th grade) because that's the way my school responded to my horrendous bullying in the year I was in. Seriously. Also, they thought I could handle the hard exams which I did. As a result, I have no Standard Grades/GCSEs and only Int 2s and Highers which are more difficult. Highers are actually equivalent to AS Level, so that should give me a good head start for sixth form next year. I took a gap year this year, I should be in my 5th year/first year of sixth form/11th grade, but I've had issues with my mental health and abuse at home, so education had to be out this year. I suppose I could have passed my exams, but I don't go for passes. If I had stayed in school this year, I would not have got my usual straight A standard. Also, if you're doing the math, yes at the beginning of this year I was with my old year again. Seems a bit pointless? Yeah, it did to me as well.

Overall, I think Scotland's education system is a bit weird. I don't much like the exams. Neither do the Scottish government, which is why they changed it for people currently 13 and younger, and have replaced the exams with new Nationals and a harder type of Higher and Advanced Higher. I've heard teachers talking about this and they don't like it at all and say it's far too difficult. Apparently, they are teaching 12 year olds in the new science courses stuff that they previously taught those that are in the final year. So basically stuff that is far, far too difficult. This is obviously a result of the government trying to "smarten up" Scotland, which I understand because I could have applied to St Andrews, the best university in Scotland, at 15. But I think they've taken it too far and we're going to be seeing very bad results for the kids in future exams. Sigh.

Can't comment on England because I don't live there yet, but from what I've seen of A Levels, I believe they overwork their students far too much. In Scotland, I got many raised eyebrows when I told people I wanted to graduate with 4 advanced highers. In England, 3 or 4 A2 levels is what is expected from a particularly smart student. No eyebrows raised, it's what is expected. So yeah, I think there's problems on either side and there is far, far too much pressure put on kids. For those that are mentally scarred in some way with depression or an abusive environment, they just end up cracking altogether. That's what's happened with me, and I am very very lucky to have an opportunity to leave home and go to England on my own and live with my best friend. If it wasn't for him, I would have been another child with much potential that just got flushed down the toilet of doom and exams. Finland does education correctly, IMO.

1] Did you like or dislike you school?

Hated it. Despite being the school's "genius child", I hated the way the system was and felt that my true talents were not being shown off properly. Instead of being intelligent, I was shown to be someone that can memorise material properly.

2] Whats your best and worst subject?

My best were English, Biology and Philosophy. I barely had to try for those. My worst were Maths and the practical side of Chemistry. (And PE, but I'm only counting subjects I chose)

3] Subject you had trouble on and did you had any support what so ever?

I could not for the life of me do practicals in Chemistry. I was always left to do them on my own because no one partnered up with me which just made it more difficult. I was brilliant at the theory but I was a right clutz with chemicals and beakers and test tubes and so on. Makes me worried because I may be taking Chem as an A Level next year. I did not get help, the teacher preferred to laugh at me tbh. For Maths, I did get help when I begun Higher this year before I left school. My Int 2 class was massive (over 30 kids) and I never really got attention but I got by. However, I had a panic attack in the exam during the first paper which resulted in 0 marks. 0 marks. I did very well on the first paper and managed to bring my grade to a C, so I essentially passed by sitting one half of the exam properly. I managed to put an Appeal in and got my prelim grade of a B. Annoying, because I know I would have got an A if I didn't have the bloody panic attack. Like I said though, the Higher teacher was a bit more helpful but I left. Maths is another A Level I may have to take, I will definitely have to take one of them and it depends on which college I get into. I think I'd rather Maths - better for psychology, and no practicals.

4] Whats the main environment like? was most of your peers disrupted? was it a well behaved class?

Higher and Advanced Higher classes (I was in Advanced Higher Biology before I left) tend to be very focused and well behaved, which makes sense because these are the hardest exams. Int 2 is okay if you're sitting it early in 4th year. If you're sitting Int 2 in 5th or 6th year (last two years of school), that means you're sitting it late and are with the less intelligent people and therefore the more rowdy people. I was in these classes for maths and English, but I was in them at 14. It was quite annoying being the youngest, but also the only focused one. Outside of classrooms, Scottish high schools are terrible. I hate Scottish culture in general, and I live in a shitty area anyway.

5] Did you learn anything coming out of high school/secondary school?

There is a reason misanthropy exists.

6] who was you favourite teacher (subject wise) and why?

My English teachers. They were all brilliant, apart from the one I had for Higher before I left, but I think that makes sense because that was the beginning of this year during my breakdown and so I wasn't doing as well. The rest of them all understood me really well and my Int 2 one in particular clearly favourited me (not too hard when the rest of the class are mindless chavs) and was actually in tears when I told her I was going to leave and go to England. :') I also rather liked my RMPS teacher. She's one of those teachers that are very cynical and make fun of everyone but in a jokey way, and she seemed to like me. She got pissed with me when I did the Higher at 15, because despite never attending class, I breezed through it and got an A. I still think she liked me though, because she volunteered to mentor me. She was an Oxford student that hated the uni and quit it to go to Glasgow instead, and she was the one who convinced me not to apply there. I was also fond of my Philosophy teacher. I remember when I first entered the Philosophy class, he warned me that only 6th years (17-18 year olds) tend to do well at this subject and that I, a mere 15 year old, would probably struggle. I came out in the top five of the class, and I think he was really proud. I reckon he was probably expecting it to be a struggle to teach me and got pleasantly surprised, haha.

That's it really, sorry this is so long. There's a reason I'm better at essay subjects.

[Sonia]

^ That was really confusing, haha. We only have EOC (end of course), AP and (optionally) SAT/ACT exams in my state. Students all take the same EOCs regardless of whether they're in a standard or honors ("advanced" but not AP) class. It's also impossible to skip grades in high school due to how the graduation requirements are laid out.. quite frustrating. I ended up taking almost entirely online university classes in my senior year.

[HattieChaos]

Basically Standard Grades are a two year course with exams at the end that are sat in your 11th year of school, roundabout age 15. So I was moved up while the rest of my year started this course at 14. Int 2s are exams that are harder than Standard Grades. Basically, if you decided at 16 in your second last year of school that you wanted to take up a subject which you had never studied before, you can take the Int 2 because though it is harder than Standard Grade, it encompasses all you need to know. Then after the Int 2 you can go onto Higher which is what people do after Standard Grade. Advanced Higher is like AP classes, in that it's for the smartest kids in that subject. Usually people don't take Advanced Highers at all. If they do, they only take 1 and sometimes in the cases of people applying to the best unis, 2. People applying to English unis are better with taking 3 to compete with the English students taking 3 A2 levels. I wanted to trump all them and take 4.

But yeah I can see why it's confusing, I suppose I should have described the qualifications before starting haha. So yeah the reason I could skip Standard Grade was because I did Int 2s with the seniors, which are like a stepping stone for people that need to know the material. There are exceptions to this routine, like Int 2 Maths and English are offered to 15 year olds instead of Standard Grade, if they are particularly good at it to better prepare them for Higher. Sometimes people that do SG also do Int 2 because they simply don't feel they're ready for Higher. If it wasn't for that stepping stone Int 2 course, I doubt they would have allowed me to move up because I would have essentially been sitting a course I had no previous knowledge on at all.

I think the whole moving-up shenanigan was a very cowardly way for the school to deal with bullying to be honest. :/

[Sonia]

Interesting.. I suppose we have a somewhat similar progression for core classes, though you can take honors classes without ever taking standard classes if you perform well. If you're in state for primary school, you are at some point evaluated for being "academically gifted" which basically determines whether you take advanced classes until you get to high school. Students who are transferred in generally are put in the standard class and moved up the next year if they excel in the EOC. Then in HS, many people take non-core classes like AP Psychology, AP Environmental Science etc. without having ever taken a class in that topic before. A bit odd really.

I'm not surprised. My school rarely punished students who were bullies. It's exciting that you're going to England, at least.

[Angie V]

I went to school in the US from grades 4 until now (I'm a senior in college). So I guess I'll talk about both middle school and high school?
Elementary school / middle school was the same school for me, from grade 4 until 8. So from age 10 until I was 14. Then high school was grades 9-12, so from 14 until 18. I think....


1] Did you like or dislike you school?
Elementary: It was okay. I met my best friend when I was 11, and she's still my best friend so that's nice. Other than that it was nothing special. I was one of the 'smart kids' even though I put no effort into it. =/

High school: It was also okay. It was a selective enrollment magnet school downtown of the city I lived in (one of the largest cities in the country) so the commute (I lived in the residential part of the city by the airport) was a bus and train ride, so about an hour and a half on a good day which sucked. The school wasn't hard in a sense that I made like no effort and was still on honor roll, but it's a really good school in terms of academics and sports so it gave me good credentials. For junior and senior years, I went to a special program further downtown for AP painting classes during the school day for credit which.... probably saved my life.
But yeah my actual high school was okay. It was very diverse (as is my city) in terms of race and cultures which was good. I was pretty invisible though. I was a floater for sure. Didn't have many friends for most of it and often spent lunch in the library. In the mornings, if I got to school early I didn't have anyone to talk to and the library was usually still closed so I'd go into the bathroom and sit in a stall by myself waiting for the bell to ring because I was a loser.
The school was full of smart rich kids and there was a big drug problem. Mostly cocaine and heroin. A bunch of people got busted at a basketball championship game downstate at a hotel, with coke, heroin and pot. People did lines on coke in the bathrooms. One kid got arrested at school for possession (he actually recently died from an OD). He was brilliant though. He got the highest score possible on his SATs and ACTs.
It was basically filled with people who were really smart and didn't have to try at all, and knew it (which was the worst part).

Anyway, I graduated with honors and I can't remember ever studying. I mostly just cared about my AP painting / drawing class (I'm an illustration major now).

2] Whats your best and worst subject?
best: art, history, english, geometry, biology
worst: .....chemistry and physics? though i took honors and still got As, I just hated them. a huge waste of my time.

3] Subject you had trouble on and did you had any support what so ever?
chemistry. i went to tutoring a few times after school for h chemistry sophomore year for help with homework.

4] Whats the main environment like? was most of your peers disrupted? was it a well behaved class?
it was fine. everyone there was smart and wanted to be there so no one fucked around.

5] Did you learn anything coming out of high school/secondary school?
yeah, i learned a lot from my AP art classes. it's what gave me a basis for college.

6] who was you favourite teacher (subject wise) and why?
hm. my favorite teacher was probably my h chemistry and ap environmental science teacher (same guy). idk, he was just a cool guy. he was young and nerdy, played in a band. we had a good relationship. i'd always make jokes in class and he'd do it back, we played cards, and he signed my yearbook senior year saying we were BFFs haha.


hope this helped? xD

[Angie V]

oh yeah, forgot to add that the budget of the school (which was huge, i wouldn't be surprised if it was in the millions) was mostly pumped into sports, especially boys' basketball. that was really annoying because the art and music departments were left short. my school was good at pimping out future NBA players which is all good but it was at the expense of everyone else.

okay, that is all now.

[olive]

So I am currently 15, and I live in the UK. I have no idea what grade I would be in right now in USA but I am in year 10.

1] Did you like or dislike you school?
Primary:
Like - I don't think bullying happened in my year group to anyone, so I guess that was nice. Also, the teachers were okay and quite helpful as I wasn't a fluent English speaker. I liked my class in Primary school. They were quite of a nice bunch of people.
Dislike - The school made us go outside for breaks and lunch. Where lunch was 1 hour and 30 minutes, despite the weather. The school was pretty poor and they didn't really spend money or anything. They made us sit on the carpet like most of the time and I found that uncomfortable.
Secondary:
Like - This is a really hard question. I think that my school has some pretty good technology. Like I can do a Photography GCSE and the school supplies you with a camera that I can't afford. Some teachers are pretty good. Especially my photography one.
Dislike - People in the school. Boring lessons. Loads of bullying. Apparently my school is one of the worst in my city. You have to pay for printing now which is a nightmare because I do have to print my photography coursework and that's a lot of money. Some of the rules are hilarious. I will have 15 exams, all in one month next year. Each lesson in 1hour 40 minutes long. TOO long. Not so great.

2] Whats your best and worst subject?
Primary - Worst was English and Best was Maths(?) I can't really remember.
Secondary - I am bad in every subject to be honest.

3] Subject you had trouble on and did you had any support what so ever?
Primary - Everything, as I didn't understand English.
Secondary - My school doesn't 'offer' that much support, and if so, its with teachers who can't teach. I have trouble with like every single subject now.

4] Whats the main environment like? was most of your peers disrupted? was it a well behaved class?
Primary: I didn't have concerns about my class in Primary.
Secondary: Mainly bullies. You know, you aren't that 'cool' if you are poor. Some people get picked on because they aren't the skinniest. Depends what teacher, depends what subject because they are all different. Mainly no.

5] Did you learn anything coming out of high school/secondary school?
Primary: I received massive support from my year 6 teacher when I came with bad English. So I did get help with that and I left Primary school with a better knowledge of the language.
Secondary: Well, not really. If I don't revise, I don't learn anything. Especially in Maths.

6] who was you favourite teacher (subject wise) and why?
Primary: I like pretty much all teachers. And in Primary we had the same ones. They were really supportive and nice.
Secondary: I used to have a really nice History teacher because she was really down to Earth and really helpful when you have a problem. My Photography teacher, because he doesn't care if you do the work in the lesson or if you end up on your phone, or if you get your homework late. All he cares about is to have your work completed by the end of the term. I liked my Business teacher, she was a nice person to talk to but she left due to pregnancy. I liked my humanities teacher in year 7, he was hilarious. I think that's all.

I am sorry for this being such a long post.

[Pinkiegurf24]

1] Did you like or dislike you school?
Well I am still in school, and i can tel you I freaking HATE IT! And this is coming from a girl who used to love going to school. I can't take the people anymore, they are just so fake!

2] Whats your best and worst subject?
My best is and always has been English, I love it! My worst has to be Geometry.. or math period. I can never caught onto what the teacher is talking about, and easily forget how to solve formulas/equations

3] Subject you had trouble on and did you had any support what so ever?
Geometry.. again. My teacher is such a b*tch and if you try to ask her questions about problems she has already went over and you still don't get, she will intimidate you and make you feel stupid for even asking for help (which is probably why I suck at it now)

4] Whats the main environment like? was most of your peers disrupted? was it a well behaved class?
Loud and fvcking annoying, people always talk when the teacher is talking, and have no respect for the people actually trying to LEARN something! My only class that isn't like that is my English/Geometry class cause my teachers get up our a$$ about interrupting the work environment.

5] Did you learn anything coming out of high school/secondary school?
I learned that you cannot make everyone like you, that not everyone is nice and there are some b*tchy people in the world that will tear you down just for their own satisfaction, and to not let what other people say/thing get to you....

6] who was you favourite teacher (subject wise) and why?
My favorite teacher has to be my Biology teacher. I actually feel sorry for her because she is the kind of person who just lets the class walk all over top of her (interrupt her while she is talking) and she's quiet and everything and just lets it happen. And ever then, people still call her weird, and creepy. But she's actually a really nice lady to talk to.

[FutureRN92]

Here are my answers! I hope they help you out!

1] Did you like or dislike you school? For the most part I liked it. I have always been overweight, so I got teased a lot and people made fun of me. I never wanted to really eat lunch at school so people wouldn't call me fat. If I did I tried to eat by myself.
2] Whats your best and worst subject? My best subject was probably math. (now coincendtally, I HATE math..haha) and my worst was history of any type. Sometimes science too.
3] Subject you had trouble on and did you had any support what so ever? Chemistry in 11th grade. I struggled and it was SO hard to get tutoring from the teacher because my teacher could barely speak English.
4] Whats the main environment like? was most of your peers disrupted? was it a well behaved class? There were a lot of underage smokers, because during that age range I went to an outdoor school. Even though it was a "non smoking environment" people would hide in the bathrooms and smoke. So, no we weren't the "best" behaved class haha!
5] Did you learn anything coming out of high school/secondary school? I learned to not let bullies bother you! They just make your wonder about your life and how to fix yourself for people who only care about looks!
6] who was you favourite teacher (subject wise) and why? Strangely enough, even though I wasn't the best in science, my FAVORITE teacher of all time was my biology teacher in 10th grade. She was also my teacher leader for our after school group SADD (students against destructive decisions). She was always there for me, and was practically like a second mother to me. I miss her so much (because now I live in a different state).

I graduated 2010!

[featherly]

This is based on my experience in the Vancouver school system in Canada (BC's school system differs from the other provinces and territories). For example, we don't have middle schools here. Elementary school goes from grades K-7 and high school goes from 8-12.

1] Did you like or dislike you school?
I didn't dislike it but I didn't enjoy it. I love learning but high schoolers are way too fixated on their social lives and it is hard to fit in when you don't fit in. I love the friends I still have from high school, but I have dropped a ton of friends during my time there. Plus I wasn't doing too well during my first year. My grades weren't that amazing and I was quickly disheartened because it sucks going from excellence to mediocrity. But by senior year, things began to look up because I was doing pretty well. But I had a group of friends who ended up being assholes. I was super happy to leave that place knowing that none of them were going to my university.

2] Whats your best and worst subject?
I was consistently good at PE, English, Social Studies (history, geography, etc.), science, film, art and drafting. HOWEVER, when you get to the 11th grade, science class branches into chemistry, physics and biology. Then science stopped being so fun. My worst subjects have consistently been math (even though sometimes I got B's) and Mandarin/French. By senior year I was doing the best in English, history and geography and the worst in math and physics (though I managed to get B's in both of them).

3] Subject you had trouble on and did you had any support what so ever?
Math, chemistry, physics and Mandarin were the subjects I have the most trouble in. I had tutoring for math/physics and I went to Chinese school at the time. None of these helped me with my classes to be honest. OR maybe I just wasn't trying hard enough.

4] Whats the main environment like? was most of your peers disrupted? was it a well behaved class?
The environment was pretty decent. There were obviously some people who were doing things they shouldn't have done and lots of people did skip class. Idiots would smoke on school grounds which is illegal and would pull fire alarms when there was no fire. The people in my year were all pretty ok and the worst things most people did was smoke pot right outside the school (which is incredibly dumb because like I said, it wasn't allowed). Most of my classmates were well-behaved in class and were for the most part quiet when the teachers spoke. I wasn't bullied in high school and when I finally "fit in" somewhere, I realized how petty everyone was. The more popular people would make fun of some girls who were overweight which I found incredibly rude. Sex and fighting were rampant in my school LOL but not so much in my year -- mostly the people a year older and the people a year younger.

5] Did you learn anything coming out of high school/secondary school?
I learned that being smarter than your asshole friends is the best revenge ever. Plus I learned that having a relationship in high school will probably kill you somehow. So many people in senior year began getting into relationships and afterwards, so many of them stopped trying hard to get into their desired university. I also learned how to be subtly passive aggressive haha. I remember during lunch towards the end of senior year, I managed to make really bitchy comments without people realizing I was being a bitch. I had to let my anger out somehow. You also learn that high school is nothing compared to the rest of your life. Yes, it gives you a basic education to pursue other things and hopefully some social skills and some common sense, but it is truly insignificant in the bigger picture.

6] who was you favourite teacher (subject wise) and why?
My grade 11 and gr 8/12 English teachers were amazing. They also loved me because I did really well in their classes. There was this one social studies teacher who most people didn't like but I found him to be awesome. He was kind of eccentric and went into tangents, but I thought he was such an interesting teacher. I also really liked my history teacher because he taught the class really well and was hilarious. I also liked my physics teacher despite not doing too well in his class. He was extremely nice and willing to help, plus the group projects he assigned were always so much fun to do since they required some level of creativity.