Hate school with a passion

LegacyUser

I'm in 5th year, and I really can't stand school. I nearly feel sick walking in the gates in the morning, I just can't stand the subjects and the teachers and that. What should I do?

seamus

Stick it out. School is too long for some people. I felt the exact same as you in fifth year. Couldn't be arsed going in most days, I took half days for about two months straight if I didn't have any interesting classes after lunch.

It's not that long in the grand scheme of things. Less than a year and a half from now, you'll have completed your leaving cert and school will be long behind you. Try to focus on stuff you enjoy doing outside of school, or if all you do in the evenings and weekends is veg on the couch, find a hobby for yourself. It'll make the time more bearable.

Contrary to the old saying, school days are not the best days of your life. At this stage, changing school won't really solve the problem, plus you'll have the added stress of adjusting to new teachers and plans.

Just stick it out, get a decent leaving and you're done. It won't be that long.

wylo

stick it out, battle on, 6th year is different to the rest of the years, and even then after the mock exams are done, things really begin to wind down, so you really only have a year of the worst of it left, not even.

Actually , in hindsight, 5th year really is the worst year, because your in the learning phase of your leaving cert but it still feels like your miles from actually doing it.

To this day(11 years later), I've still never hated anything as much as school, and believe me ive been in some useless jobs. I know sme people didnt mind it too much, but I genuinely detested it. And it wasnt like I was bullied or wasnt getting on ok or anything, I just had enough of it. It is depressing.
fight on, you only have to do it once and your free. Also, everyone has to do it, so dont convicne yourself that you are any different.

Meller

well, seeing as you've got little option but to stick it out, you should try to change your attitude a bit if you can - make the best of a bad situation. do you really hate all of it? there must be something, some tiny little aspect of it that's bearable, but it's very easy to convince yourself that there isn't if you're going in every morning believing that it's the worst thing in the world.

out of seven or so subjects, is there nothing that remotely interests you? if you don't like them, maybe that's because you're not good at them or haven't tried to understand the content properly? sometimes being lost in a subject - a potential by-product of hating school in the first place - makes you hate it, even though you might find you're much more interested once you get on top of it. i know it worked for me - i initially hated maths and irish with a burning passion, but once i forced myself to work harder in them, i realised i actually liked them both. i was just frustrated at not being able to do them properly before.

as for the teachers - can you really not stand any of them? there are always going to be teachers you don't get on with, but unless there are very few teachers in your school, i can't imagine every last one of them being awful. but you don't have to interact with them much anyway - it's quite easy to sit in class and then avoid teachers, for the most part, at all other times if you really want to. if they're the type who pester you, make it clear you're not interested and you'll probably be left alone.

i understand what you mean about feeling sick going into school - i think a lot of people have experienced that - but i've always found it's never really as bad once i'm there. just focus on friends (or making them, because other people can definitely make the school day easier to get through) and any parts of subjects that you enjoy.

school is essentially just a building full of people, some of whom you'll probably like, with classes that, at this stage, are optional to you with regards to how much you want to take part or put effort in. see it as an opportunity, which is ultimately yours to do what you like with.

partyndbs

schools the best yrs of your life...stop being a loser...youll wish you were back in a few years

John400

unregistered wrote: »

I'm in 5th year, and I really can't stand school. I nearly feel sick walking in the gates in the morning, I just can't stand the subjects and the teachers and that. What should I do?

We've all felt like that about school at one time or another.

I'm 41 and i can remember feeling exactly the same when i was your age sometimes.

You should make a genuine effort to try your hardest to gain some interest in the subjects.

Oh and attend school, study and do your best because that's all that anyone can ask for.

Set yourself aims...i'm going to pass my exams etc, set yourself goals. You can only look after number 1, yourself..so you are doing this by attending school to further your education.

Taltos

partyndbs wrote: »

schools the best yrs of your life...stop being a loser...youll wish you were back in a few years

Totally disagree with this sentiment.

OP.
I too hated school.
You do have some options.
1. Stick it out.
2. Quit.
3. Homeschool
4. Change school

However let me put this to you. The last 2 yrs while they will appear to stretch on forever somedays really do disappear fast. Think about it - we are in Feb - you only have 3mts or so to the Summer holidays.

I hated school, tried my best to get a decent grade and ended up going to college. That was a different world for me. Loved college, would go back in a heartbeat but would never go near school again. (saying that I hated the exams in college - always did terrible).
If you quit now then you are cutting yourself off from so many options in life.

If you can stick it out - then really you have much more to choose from.
Have you tried speaking to your parents or a school counsellor about how you feel? This could all be due to stress at your impending leaving, or maybe hassles in the class. Find the right person to share it with and see if you can do something to change how you feel.

AnneElizabeth

unregistered wrote: »

I'm in 5th year, and I really can't stand school. I nearly feel sick walking in the gates in the morning, I just can't stand the subjects and the teachers and that. What should I do?

Fifth year is the most difficult year. The subjects are completely different to Junior Cert and it's really hard to adjust to them. I'm in 6th year now so I know exactly how you feel. Trust me, by 6th year, things will start to come together. Just don't let yourself fall behind in 5th, it'll be much harder to start studying in 6th after a year or two (if you did TY) of no studying.
You don't have to kill yourself studying, but do all your homework and pay attention in class (as best you can anyway). Try not to miss any days either. The weeks will fly!
You could always try and persuade your parents to let you go to a grinds school for 6th if you really hate your school, but it seems like you hate the learning more than the actual school itself?

up for anything

Life is too short to be miserable. Why put yourself through something that is not that important in the grand scheme of things? There is no law to say that you can't defer it for a couple of years. Get yourself on some courses though outside agencies. There are lots to choose from. Spend a couple of years doing things that allow you to grow and make you happy. You can always go back to school through outside education to get your leaving cert if you feel you want to go to college and there is always the option of applying as a mature student.

We are programmed to believe that the LC is the be all and end all of education and that not having it is a huge drawback but that really depends on what you want to do with your life, when you want to do and if you want to be happy along the way.

I just can't stand the subjects and the teachers and that.

What does the and that encompass?

Yakult

OP I felt the exact same as yourself when I was in school. More so 5th year.
At first I thought it maybe was the school because alot changed there that made it more disheartening going in and maybe a new start would atleast give me this boost to finish, so I changed school and decided to repeat 5th year. It didnt make any difference as I ended up dropping out completely.

That was 3 years ago and since then I have regretted it so much because I was so close to the finish line and I tripped myself. Anyone I know who dropped out feels the same way as I do and like me they are going to correct it as some stage.

The LC despite what some people might say IS important in todays enviorment.
Its a minimum requierment in alot of jobs and without it you will struggle.

Of course, their are many options out there for you if you do leave and maybe a few years down the line you will want to go back or do a VTOS course etc and maybe even go to college.

But you're near the end and I just say stick at it. Will be worth it when you do that final exam and finally get to leave for good!

seamus

up for anything wrote: »

Life is too short to be miserable. Why put yourself through something that is not that important in the grand scheme of things? There is no law to say that you can't defer it for a couple of years. Get yourself on some courses though outside agencies. There are lots to choose from. Spend a couple of years doing things that allow you to grow and make you happy. You can always go back to school through outside education to get your leaving cert if you feel you want to go to college and there is always the option of applying as a mature student.

While I see your sentiment, I think you're being too simplistic about it. It would be very difficult to go back to school and do your leaving cert when all of your friends are midway through or nearly finished college. It would take a lot more focus and determination to go back then, than it would to just stick it out now.

No, the leaving cert isn't the be-all and end-all, but at this stage is pretty much accepted as the most basic "qualification" one should aim to attain. If he was to speak to an employer in five years' time without a leaving cert, the first question is "why not". If he answers truthfully then he's going to look like he gives up easily. An employer will forgive someone who's 30 or 40 with no leaving cert and a host of work experience behind them. But someone in their late teens or early twenties with no LC will be seen as a waster by potential employers, and we don't have a jobs market where one can pick and choose jobs.

Dropping out before leaving cert, there are plenty of courses available, but the vast majority of these are trades. And trades have gone to the wall and will stay at the wall for the next 5-10 years. Aside from that, I really don't believe that someone should go into a trade unless it's something they have a genuine interest in.
No leaving cert means that he's effectively "locked out" of the college system until he's 23. And even then, unless he can show that he has undertaken serious academic pursuits in the time, he's unlikely to get admitted.

For the sake of 16 months (Feb 11 to June 12), dropping out now would be very ill-advised. It's the difference between restricting himself to a small set of possibilities and having all the possibilities in the world.

thethedev

Well OP just to give a wee bit of balance.

I dropped out at 16 and managed to get into university at 21. So it is possible to get in without your leaving if you try or get lucky.
Having said that though, IMO its a tougher road I spent plenty of time on the dole or breaking my back for next to nothing before I found a way out that actually interested me.
Aswell as that Im 22 now and the same age or older as most people in 4th year which is annoying especially when my friends from school are all moving into fairly good jobs already.
The leaving cert is valuable experience if you plan to do any form of higher education. The people on my uni course who finished school are far better at studying then myself. They're used to sitting for hours with their heads in a book, where as all I'm used to is shoveling ****e for hours, its probably a valuable skill but I havent needed it yet:pac:. Thats the only edge I have, I can shovel **** for hours on end, in the worst weather and think nothing of it.
Its very hard to adjust to an academic environment without the solid experience of forcing yourself to learn about bollocks that you couldnt give a **** about. Because even if you go to college and take a course you'll like you will still be faced with that.

And dont bother changing schools you'll just be met with the same problems in a different building with different people.

My advice is stick it out, only a year left really, and your going to be getting 3 months of that as holidays. Seriously two years is nothing, it'll only go slow if you let it by wallowing in how much you hate school.

Beruthiel

unregistered wrote: »

I'm in 5th year, and I really can't stand school. I nearly feel sick walking in the gates in the morning, I just can't stand the subjects and the teachers and that. What should I do?

Been there. It was the eighties. The first recession I lived through.
I detested school. However, I also wanted to get away from home asap and that meant getting a job.
As it was a recession, I knew I at least needed my LC to get any work at all, so as much as I hated it, I stuck it out and got the Leaving.

All going well, you may live another 80 or so years. In the grand scheme of things, spending the next 1.5 of those years on making the rest of your life easier is a good trade off.
So, head down and one step at a time. When you hit 30, you will silently thank your young teenage self.

up for anything wrote: »

Life is too short to be miserable. Why put yourself through something that is not that important in the grand scheme of things? There is no law to say that you can't defer it for a couple of years. Get yourself on some courses though outside agencies. There are lots to choose from. Spend a couple of years doing things that allow you to grow and make you happy. You can always go back to school through outside education to get your leaving cert if you feel you want to go to college and there is always the option of applying as a mature student.

Who finances this trip while he goes find himself?

up for anything

Beruthiel wrote: »

Who finances this trip while he goes find himself?

What trip did I mention?

I'm not suggesting that he or she sit on his arse until life gets better or the OP figures out what he/she wants to do. As for financing it, parents have their role to play. Do they want their child to be happy and reach their full potential or hide their heads in the sand until the day comes that they bury that child around exam time. By the way I am not saying that this applies to the OP's situation. Surely, parents who are willing to live on bread and water to ensure that their child can avail of a third level education may be prepared to do the same to ensure that their child doesn't face each morning with dread by enabling them to take a different route to becoming a happy, well-balanced adult.

I had to talk my daughter down off the roof this morning over going in and facing her maths/computer teacher and this is in bloody transition year. What happened to all that lovely, kind caring bollocks they were giving us this time last year about the ethos of TY. I know from my own time in school many, many years ago and from my present experience through my children that so many of the teachers are just putting in the time and don't give a damn about the children and it's the luck of the draw whether you get the good teacher or the bad teacher in a particular subject. A fact of life which should not be a fact of life.

OP, talk to your parents.

Twee.

As said, the Leaving Cert is not the be all and end all of life, but it's a damn good foundation! Get your head down and just weather it, it's not that long in the grand scheme of things. I guess I was lucky in that I did enjoy school, but I will agree fifth year was a bit awful, all new things, talk of the dreaded LC at the end of it. Sixth year was fantastic though, loads of fun, turning 18, debs, graduation, excitement about whatever college/IT/uni/further education/traveling everyone was going on to.

Once you finish you can do whatever you want in the world!

Firetrap

OK so you hate school but think of the bigger picture. School is a very small part of your life - doesn't feel like it now I know - but how you do there can have far-reaching implications for the rest of your life. You'll hear all these stories about how the Richard Bransons and Bill Cullens of this world left school young with no qualifications and it didn't stop them doing well for themselves. You never hear about the ones who ended up in dead-end jobs or lived to regret it.

Have you any plans for what you want to do after school? Do you want to go on to further education? Have a think about this and ask yourself how having no Leaving Cert would affect you? Perhaps it won't - I don't know - but for most of us, it's a piece of paper which has been important at some stage.

FoxT

OP, I am 46 years old now & still remember vividly 5th & 6th year in 2ndary school as being the most miserable & depressing years of my life. Having seen my 2 older sons go through the system I can see it has not improved in any significant way since then. The teachers, curriculum, petty rules, and general contempt for the individual remain firmly ensconced in the system.

BUT... You can beat this!

School is not about them, it is about YOU. Two things got me through it:

1 - I had a goal. I knew what I wanted to do in College, I knew how many points I needed, & I went for it & got them.

2 - Recognise that the only thing that you will ever learn at school that has lifelong value is
-the discipline to apply yourself to stuff you are not that interested in, in pursuit of a longer term goal
and
- the ability to set minor grievances aside & focus on what you want from the system.

Try focus on that & ignore the BS.

Best of luck, FoxT

ManofStraw

Quite simply school sucks, early mornings, being told what to do all the time, it really is very confining. I was in a similar position at the end of 3rd year where I was really unsure about whether I wanted to go back, but I was convinced to go back and work hard by my parents, I hated most of my time but I stuck with it, got a good leaving went on to college and got a good job. My advice would be to just work hard for the next couple of months then your done for the summer and you can always reassess your options then

partyndbs

that is not good advice school can also be so much fun its what u make of it

Overheal

5th year was horrible, 6th year I just shut up and bunkered down though and it was probably the best year of school I ever had - which is to say I spent hours and hours more each night studying, but actually learning and enjoying it. Somehow. I didn't know what I wanted to do after 5th year, was ashamed of my results but by the time I entered 6th year I wanted to make up for that and had a better idea of what I wanted to do after the leaving cert. It helps to look further afield for a moment and ask yourself when the grind is done, where you want to go next. Without knowing that it can be difficult to drive yourself forward. But even after I went to college, I failed: and I ONLY failed because I lost sight of the Goal. I wasnt sure if I wanted to end up in the career I was headed. And I slipped up. In much the same way many students every year come to the same problem, that they get caught up in the Now and forget about what it's all for.

Let me ask you something OP: If money wasn't the obstacle, what would you want to do with your life?

Chuchoter

Fellow fifth year here!! To be honest I really don't like school either. I like my subjects but I hate all the rest of it. The only thing thats really getting me through it is this time next year we will be doing out mocks, and then it will be only 3 months to being gone forever! I think at this stage of the game you have to stop thinking about school as school, its a means to an end, even if that end is running away as fast as you possibly can and never seeing any of these people ever again. Which is my goal, seriously **** medicine, I just want out.

The other big piece of advice I can give, as annoying as it may sound, is don't talk things down to yourself. Don't wake up in the morning and think **** I have to go to school now, and have that thought revolving around in your head until you get there. Force yourself to say today will be good. Even if you don't think its true. Just keep thinking it, and things are so much easier to do when you don't spend all your time dreading them.

Last year I was in TY and to be honest it was one of the worst periods in my life I think I'll ever have (for a variety of reasons which I blamed school for at the time). I woke up every morning at literally just wanted to hide under my bed and hoped no-one would find me. I just couldn't face it. Everything was awful and all I could think was 'This is horrible. I hate my life. I don't want to be here. I can't escape this'. Then this year I made a resolution to stop thinking like that. To force myself to look forward to stupid things (ie I really hate Irish, but the girl who sits next to me is gorgeous, so lets look forward to Irish.) Nothing in my life has changed, but my perspective on it has made it a lot easier. Its not amazingly brilliant, but its reasonably bearable.

purity

I felt the same way and couldn't believe people when they said school years are the best. Okay you don't have bills and other priorities, But I hated school also and when it was my last day ever I was the happiest girl ever. I couldn't stand it I hated everything about it! The other students, Teachers, Subjects, But look at it this way- You have one year left and than it's over. I didn't think I'd ever be able to do it but if I could then I believe anyone can.
Hang in there:)

MiniSquish

I think you should stick it out, my brother left school before getting his Leaving Cert and now he's emigrating because he finds it so hard to get a job. I didn't get a great Leaving Cert and now I find it hard too because I didn't get to do what I want in College. You don't have too much longer to go, just keep your head down and concentrate on getting your Leaving Cert and then you'll be able to decide whether to work straight away or go to College, which is alot more fun