Did you enjoy your school days?

I left during 5th year as I couldn't hack it anymore. I was kept back a year in primary school so if I did TY I would have been 20 doing the leaving cert.

Sorry to be a bit pedantic, but

- "could have" instead of "could've"

• "could have more independence in my life" instead of "could've more independent in my life"
• "Wound up" in place of "winded up"
• And a little bit more punctuation wouldn't go astray either

You may indeed be a successful romance writer earning over 200k a year, as you so vehemently claim, but jeez if you do, you sure must have one good editor!?

I’m hard now

I had three different primary schools. Couldn’t believe I had to leave the first as I was happy there but my family was moving for work. The second wasn’t great. Was put into a more junior class to help me settle so got a little bit bored. It did however cement my life long love of reading. Things livened up though when the bullying started & was part of the reason for a move to a third school. All these years later, I still have one very good friend from the first school & two from the third.

I went to a very large, mixed secondary school. I’m sure I didn’t love every minute of it but that’s what it feels like looking back. I know I didn’t like every teacher or student & I’m sure they mustn’t have liked me either but they were happy times. Must have been - I was so young, I had no idea what to do with my LC so I repeated it. Sixth year was a lot of fun, hard work too but good friends & good craic. Great prep for college as a lot of the catch up work, in English for example where novels, plays & some poetry changed every year, was left up to those of us repeating to do ourselves.

I liked primary school but my memories of secondary school are mainly just memories of having a sick feeling in my stomach. The talk of schools going back actually triggers old feelings.

My problems were mainly down to undiagnosed autism and hitting puberty earlier than my peers which led to much bullying. I spent 7 years at secondary school, I had a few friends who eventually ditched me as I was too unpopular to be seen with. I spent the last 2 years spending my lunch hour alone. I encountered many evil bullies at school, it was a lot more sinister than just juvenile name calling. I seem to be a magnet for bullies in my adult life too hence why I developed into a misanthrope. My bullies all live successful fulfilling lives with romantic partners.

In regards to the academics, I went to a good school and was average IQ. I got above average grades but at this school they were seen as inferior. On exam results day they only invited the people who got higher grades into get photos for the newspaper and they got trophies on prize evening. That made a big impact on my already fragile state of mind as a 17 year old. It was an insight to how unfair life was especially given how I worked so hard that year. I achieved 10 GCSE's, all A and B grades and that was seen as inferior by that schools standards.

Primary school was great. Thoroughly enjoyed that.

Secondary school was a nightmare for the first couple of years. Was bullied relentlessly until about third year when a couple of people in my class thought enough was enough and did all they could to help me get through the days. Still best friends with them to this day. Behind my back they were keeping teachers updated because I refused to say anything.

Came to a head when I knocked seven layers of shite out of one of the f*ckers bullying me. Genuinely just snapped and let it all out. Those lads keeping teachers in the loop saved me from being suspended that day. The bullying wound down after they were all exposed and realised that I was capable to beating one of their own to a pulp. TY to Leaving Cert was a great time.

Posting this under a different user name but Ive been heer on boards for 20+ years.

Hated secondary school - constant bullying for years. I dealt with it by fighting back and it stopped around 3rd year but the worst was an incident with the actual headmaster who left me with black eyes, chipped tooth, bruised ribs, busted lip.

Anyway here goes and its even harder to put this in writing - October 1990 or 1991 - Im not sure of the exact date but it was Halloween week. I was in either 4th year or 5th year secondary school. School assembly -  In the school the headmaster who I wont name now used to stand in the centre of the room at 8.50 and all classes assembled for morning prayers - highly catholic school- school is closed down now.

Any way what happened was that someone threw a firework from behind me and it went off close to the head masters podium.He looked down and I must have looked guilty -  actually people still say that to me this day - I look guilty or have a guilty face when in reality I havent done anything wrong!!!

He jumps off his podium and literally attacked me like I was a punch bag.

I was repeatedly punched in the body, and in the face - multiple times at full force with a closed fist -  I had 2 burst lips , black eyes, chipped a tooth and multiple bruises on my ribs and stomach. 

It took weeks to get over the attack.To me it felt like it lasted for minutes even hours when in reality it was probably 30 seconds or so.Class mates say I received at least 20 punches but probably more  -  this headmaster was a former boxer so he knew how to hit and hit hard. 

Classmates also knew who threw the firework but wouldnt say anything as that was the way it was back then - we werent going to "rat" on someone else.

I was sent home repeating that he had got it wrong and it wasnt me - sent my dad up to the school and to this day I dont know what my dad said to him but he gave an apology and didnt hassle me for the next 2 years or so.

But the truth is that animals attack is still affecting me to this day - Im 50 now and I can remember that day like it was yesterday.

And that was 1990 or 1991 - well past when corporal punishment was made illegal. And well past the known abuse that took place in schools in the 70s and 80s.

I tried contacting the government body this year responsible for the inquiry into the abuse in schools but physical abuse has been left out of the inquiry that was announced in 2024.

Similarly, I wanted to get out of school when I was there. But looking back, they were some great days, good laughs.

It wasn't all good, but all in all school days are some of the best days of your life. It's only when you're gone that you miss it. When you meet up with old class mates, talk inevitably turns to some of the craic and chaos you got up to.

Look back at it fondly for the most part now but didn't particularly enjoy it at the time, primary school mostly the De La Salle just was never a pleasant atmosphere ..don't recall ever having a problem with any bullying always seemed to pal around with the messers in a group that were probably the bullies, loved the sports GAA and football was always involved …I do remember those days of pulling a sickie the joy of not having to get up and go to school 😂

Have never kept in touch with anyone from school but often thought about what might have happened to many of them even those I wasn't friendly with

Curious, when you loved school, why do you think you hated college so much?

It's so often the other way around with others....

I enjoyed school until I hit puberty at 11 and my face was destroyed with acne for 4 years. Ruined what little confidence I had and I wasn't big or tough enough to retaliate to any teasing I received. I don't think I kissed a girl for about 4 to 5 years. My face cleared up just before my 15th birthday and girls were no longer repulsed by me. Many of the teachers were strict and everyone hated our year head. He was a dickhead and his breath smelled like he literally ate human faeces for breakfast every morning. The girls would wonder what his wife found attractive in him. P.E. was shite, we would mostly play badminton, when we wanted to play football. In primary school, one of my teachers would organise a football or basketball tournament. If the weather was sunny in the afternoon, we might play rounders in the field.

Switched to a private, non-uniform school after the Junior Cert. The school's ethos was about making education fun and the teachers were much friendlier. The girls were much better looking and some would wear miniskirts, which would motivate me to go to school everyday. We played football every Thursday. The only downside was we couldn't study chemistry and woodworking in this school, so that limited how many subjects I could study.

I didn't have a terrible time of it by any means, but I found secondary school weird and didn't exactly enjoy it. I've always thought people who say schooldays are the best of your life must probably have pretty crappy lives.