What were/are your biggest problems in school?

Post Reply New Topic

What were or still are your biggest, AS-related problems in school?

As I already mentioned in another topic, I got into quite some fights with teachers because I couldn't accept authority and wouldn't keep to rules that seemed stupid to me.

Also, of course I was being bullied, and I always felt alone and isolated.

I also have a hard time concentrating, especially when I'm not interested in the topic. I'd draw stuff on my work sheets or write stories during lessons, because that was the only way I could "zone out" in class when I was overwhelmed. Of course the teachers didn't like nor understand that.

My biggest problem was fitting in, I was bullied a lot from peers as well as the teachers, and eventually had to leave and do correspondence.

I used to sit down a lot, I'm not sure why, but since forever I've never had much energy except for my interests, and so wouldn't be able to do things like gym or PE, I would sit down all lunch hour, knitting and reading and other people thought it was strange for an 7-11 year old to do grandma things.

I couldn't participate in group projects without simply being the "spare wheel", couldn't make friends, didn't talk loud enough, no one could read my atrocious handwriting, I sucked at maths, until one day I had had enough of the teachers tormenting me about my maths, that I finally put the effort in and learnt all my multiplications in one night and was then accused of cheating.

As if I didn't feel like a complete outcast enough, I was the tallest kid in my class, completely outgrew all of the boys, hah.

My biggest problem with school, though, was concentration. How can a kid concentrate when all they want to do is go home and watch 70's science fiction films or peel the stamps off the new letters, or go outside and watch snails and slugs etc... School for me was pointless, the only thing I remember from school was that if you're chased by a crocodile, you should run in circles, and if you're being shot at you should run in a zig zag.

One thing I liked at school, though, was I had this pencil case that looked like a giraffe. It was sort of my companion and I'd talk to it all day (in my head). I also collected rubber shavings from rubbing the plastic desk for hours haha.

I always hated it when a teacher would tell the class to pair up, or form small groups, and it was up to the students to chose whom they'd pair up with. Many times, I'd be the odd one out and the teacher would have to pair me with someone who was less that enthralled to have to work with me.

Interestingly, I never had any personal problems working with anyone. I'd be willing to get along with anyone who was willing to get along with me. But it seemed like I was never chosen in these things. Always hated group work for this reason, especially when it was up to the students to pick their own partner/group.

1. Bullying - being physically weaker and "weird" made me a prime target for morons with low self-esteem who wanted to feel "superior" for a few minutes. I used to hate them. Now I just pity them.

2. Boredom - I learned many things much faster than my classmates. I also knew many things beforehand (reading encyclopedias was my special obsession as a kid), so I was terribly bored in class.

3. Knowing people - everyone in my class knew the names of most (if not all) kids from the other classes. I never did. I didn't feel a need to get to know them, or to even acknowledge their existence. They were just faceless figures moving in the haze around me.

4. Knowing what to do - I was always confused about school-related procedures, especially if they involved documents. Filling in documents makes my brain crash.

5. Team work - self-explanatory. I do things better by myself. Trying to work together with someone else often resulted in conflict. And I always had the feeling the other guy was doing it wrong.

6. Being in the right place - I seemed to always be in someone else's way. I would wonder for a long time about where I should stand or sit... and when I finally chose a place, it always turned out to be the wrong one and someone would yell at me

my atrocious handwriting

finding and keeping friends, especially of the opposite sex.

I just graduated from secondary school and although I enjoyed it, I had a number of problems with it.

1. I was treated like I was stupid and needed things to be constantly explained to me by some of my teachers even though I understood perfectly. My body language and facial expressions made them think that I didn't understand or wasn't paying attention.

2. Other children in the classroom being really loud and annoying. I used to cover my ears and hide under tables when I was younger at school.

3. People whispering and disrupting the classroom really got to me. I believe in following the rules strictly and if someone doesn't I feel like my head will explode.

4. Not getting on with my peers for years. I eventually made friends but not without difficulty. People often took advantage of my trusting nature and desperation to make friends so they borrowed money from me a lot and never paid me back.

5. Being ridiculed sometimes by teachers about my bad handwriting and my peer’s lack of understanding of why I used a laptop in class.

6. Our study area at school is the same place that we eat our lunch so the crumbs on the table stopped me being able to study (I'm afraid of germs etc). A curtain from the study area at my school also only separates the music room. This increased my frustration as the music made sure that I couldn't concentrate.

7. Children can be very nasty and bullying was a huge problem for me.

8. Some classes moved way to slow for me. I often just zoned out because I wasn't learning anything new.

9. When the teacher decides that they don't want to teach anything so they let the class talk amongst themselves for 35 minutes. I went to school to learn something, not to talk to others, I could do that at lunch.

Bullying and going there at all. I didn't want to be in school and skipped a lot. I just wanted to stay home.

Unlike most honors students, I hated school with a passion. Even though I was universally liked by almost all my teachers, let me count the ways I hated school.

Bullies
The bullies themselves were bad enough, making life pure hell in grade 7 and 8 but what was worse was how nearly everyone joined in. Being independent minded meant I was practically the only target and boy, can people be sadistic. Lets just say some people struggle to understand events such as the Holocaust but not me. My naivety also made things much worse because it took me so long to understand that not everyone has a pure heart like I did. Couldn't bring anything the least bit entertaining like a Game Boy because it would usually be damaged or destroyed (if I was lucky it was just stolen). I was also 6'4" in Junior High so I had no way to hide or blend in either. What's worse in that parents could be the worst bullies of all although at least they never got physical like their boys did.

I always laugh when thinking back to when my teachers would say "You think this is bad? In the REAL WORLD.....". If anyone tried a tenth of what was done to me on a work site they would be fired and arrested and the manager/supervisor involved would be fired as well but yet when it's done to a kid its supposedly OK. That's probably why I was bullied in my first job without even realizing it. Compared to school, it was heaven!

Prison-Like Atmosphere
We weren't even allowed to use the washroom during most of the day and had to sit in uncomfortable chairs. Given the fact I can't sit straight made it almost torture day in day out. Not only was it annoying to have to say the Lord's Prayer and sing the National Anthem every day and say grace before lunch (in a public school no less) but it was more annoying how the bullies seemed to have no issue with it at all. They had all this anger but didn't direct it to where they should have.

Being Out of Step/Boredom
Not so much that I was emotionally immature but I was light years ahead of most students intellectually and in the case of Geography and Astronomy, the teachers as well. Looking back I was close to a High School level at age 7. School was excruciatingly boring to the point where I would frequently try to daydream but that was quickly stopped.

I've never been arrested or anything like that but watching documentaries on prison/ jail conditions always make me say "Hey, that isn't so bad. At least they KNOW they are in prison!" I was always told that once I grew up I would see that school is a positive place and the best years of your life. Well I can comfortably say that's a lie. I'm almost 30 now and I hate school more than ever.

#1: Teachers going out of their way to make you feel uncomfortable by putting their hands on you and/or forcing you to make eye-contact (despite knowing about my AS).
#2: People making fun of the way I looked. This could only go so far, as I'd beat them up after it got to a certain point (at our school, the fastest way to gain respect from peers is to pummel them if they gave you s***).
#3: Not being part of a team or school band. I'm an art, science and history person, not an athletic one.
#4: Being discriminated against by the principal for my (then) wiccan religion (I'm atheist now). I was told to change my shirt, which had a pentacle on it, and was given detention. The Christian students had their own clubs and prayer group in school and were permitted to wear clothing bearing Christian slogans and emblems.

Makes me glad I attended a private university

I hated high school, but I always got really good grades. I was tired all the time, I wasn't sleeping well, so it was hard for me to get out of bed in the morning. I would also sometimes fall asleep in class.

Throughout high school I was extremely moody and depressed. I was on numerous psych meds, and sometimes they had bad effects on me as well. The worst was Abilify, I was reduced to constantly shaking and my pupils dilated. It was hard for me to read the words in textbooks, and I could not write. AT ALL.

Everybody knew everybody's business there, and word got around about me and the problems I had. I got bullied because of it. They found out I was hospitalized. I was known as the crazy girl. School became simply unbearable, so I began skipping regularly in tenth grade. By my senior year, I would rarely attend school for a full week at a time without missing. This actually made the bullying worse. I think the other kids were mad that I was never there, but I wasn't getting into that much trouble for it.

I still managed to get good grades, so I saw nothing wrong with me skipping. My parents and the school didn't agree and it was a constant battle. They finally just gave up because things had gotten so bad by senior year that I was barely surviving. The school allowed me to just meet privately with my teachers, turn in my homework and basically teach myself. That worked well for me, and I ended up graduating towards the top of my class.

College was difficult for me, too. Sleeping and social issues were the worst. I had a long commute to school, and I started to have trouble staying awake for the drive, I fell asleep a lot in class, too. I also couldn't make friends and I didn't know why. I eventually had to drop out for a few years.

I started back last fall. I go to AIB College of Business for Accounting. They allow you to do everything online. I love it and I'm doing great! I've gotten all A's and one B so far. I would recommend the online program for anyone who has had difficulties with traditional education. Just make sure it's a reputable program, you don't want some crap degree mill.

1. Lunchtime. An hour a day is actually a long time to kill, if you don't have much to do.

2. The noise. Oh the noise. Why can't people shut up, just for a few hours?!

The only reason I didn't include these was because I would sneak my mp3 player and earbuds with me and listen to music to drown out the screaming and loud crowd noises. It was the only way I could eat, since the sound of crowds makes me nausious.

I find it amusing that my better times in school were even-numbered grades.

The problems; my physical appearance made me a target, being shorter and lighter-skinned than everyone else on the bus
I had to wear one of those ID bracelets that said I was on Ritalin
There were never any reasons behind their Dos and Don'ts
I would have to do math work while I looked around and saw everyone else coloring
1-sided rule enforcement in general

and the best advice about bullying ever: just ignore it (we sure do)

I was rather OK at primary school, I spent most the time observing other children and thinking how negatively phenomenal it was to be the only one with this Asperger's Syndrome curse I have just been diagnosed with.

High school was where all my problems began. I became more self-aware, developed more social awareness, and became more affected by rejection and isolation. Also I struggled in all lessons, always behind other kids and always did things wrong.

I was so happy on my last day. I know I have more responsibilities now, but when I remind myself that I don't have to be at school any more, I suddenly feel all happy again.

unc....yes...I remember that one....

I think that the worst bit for me too...not just the bullying but the fact I was supposed to just ignore it and get on with stuff...and that generally no-one took it seriously - especially the teachers who were supposed to be looking out for us...

{ am presuming you're being sarcastic / ironic about it being good advice... }