Whether you’re at high school, uni or tafe, I think we can all agree that school can be really, really stressful. Trying to get your head around the coursework, getting assignments done on time and worrying about tests all while trying to do your best can be an exercise in trying not to scream in frustration. This is all pretty normal stuff, but what happens when school goes from being a little stressful to being just plain sucky?
(Pictured: Me trying to finish an assignment)
There could be all number of reasons why the school experience might take a bad turn. Something might be going on at home, you could be experiencing bullying from a classmate, maybe you’re stuck in a class you hate with a terrible teacher. These are just a few examples, but regardless of what exactly is happening the effect it has for your mental health can be less than ideal. Trying to get through school when your mental health is suffering is hard, which isn’t helped by the fact that a lot of schools have no clue how to deal with struggling students.
My high school experience was no exception. When I was in year 12, as a result of a couple of years of tough family times, my mental health was in a bad place and my grades suffered for it. Instead of receiving support from my school, I was pulled out of class in the middle of the day to be yelled at by a staff member about my academic performance. Bad enough on its own but made about 100 times worse by it happening on my birthday. Yep. Not joking. My birthday.
I know I’m not alone in having this kind of experience and I also know that if I hadn’t had the support of my friends and family things could have been a lot worse. For some students, getting the right support from their school could make the difference between success and disaster. So what do schools need to do to better support their students and what can we do when that support isn’t there?
Want to find out about some answers to these questions? Join us on Monday the 11th April at 8pm AEST, where we’ll be having a chat about what to do when school sucks.
Greetings @safari93 @Chessca_H
And just in case you want a reminder, here it is @redhead @j95
And
@N1ghtW1ng just because it's pretty much tradition that i remind you now 
What is school like for you – do you love it? Hate it? Don’t feel very strongly about it? If you’re no longer at school, how did you find your schooling?
School had it's good moments and bad moments for me. Definitely up until year 10 i had more bad moments than good ones, then i changed schools and went to a way better one and it became heaps more awesome 
Edit: living with pretty decent Anxiety definitely didn't help this!
Then i went to two different Uni's for two different degrees. so I guess that counts as school to, Uni was way better!
Hey @safari93! I'm v jealous you don't have to deal with uni anymore
I identify a lot with your experience of highschool, I think it's a pretty common one.
