So we all went to a high school at some point (or are currently attending one?), what are your thoughts on public education and its surroundings. What were your favorite subjects in schools, types of teachers you hated/liked, the students who got on your nerves, the little things that got to you, what was most difficult? Also, how do you think these events shaped you? I'm posting this because I've been reading a lot of Psychology but also I take a College-course Psychology class and it's got me thinking; How much (obviously it does) do you think High School has changed you?

Key Questions to answer:
- Do you think teachers had favorites in high school?
- What were the group of friends you hung out with, and did that change?
- Any particular high school memories you have?
- Any changes you would have made in H.S/ or like to see be done now?

Goal for this thread:
I hope this can be a friendly discussion-oriented thread where we can have a recollection of our High School memories and how it prepared us for life, or how it influenced you.

My H.S. experience...
Soon I will be posting about my high school experience and how it's going so far (I'm almost out); I will talk about the friends, teachers, or just basically how people as a whole view 'school' and what changes I would like made.

I have yet to go to it.

My First Crush .

Although high school sucks, it really does teach you a lot.

You have to deal with a lot of jerks and bitches so that teaches you how to be confident and strong.
You have a lot of tasks to be responsible for teaching you well... responsibility.
And you have a lot of choices to make including whether or not to take hard classes, whether or not to have sex, whether or not to drink or do drugs, whether or not to actually get involved, etc. and these teach you what kind of person you are (these choices will follow you for the rest of your life, you can learn from them but you can NEVER forget them)

- Do you think teachers had favorites in high school?
Absolutely. Although at my school it's only dependent on who puts forth some effort and/or goes to the teacher for help when they need it. In my experience, favorites are rarely just picked because a student is better-looking or something.

- What were the group of friends you hung out with, and did that change?
It has changed (I'm a junior), but my core friends have remained and I've gained more secondary friends along the way. I have lost a couple of my freshman/sophomore year friends but it was nobody who meant all that much to me and there was no falling out, we have just drifted apart and still say hi when we cross paths.

- Any particular high school memories you have?
That's a tough one. I guess I'd say how ****** last year was for me. And that was my fault--I wasn't trying in my classes. And I never got enough sleep. I still don't sleep enough but I'm on a daily drug that is made for people who don't have ADD but have trouble paying full attention in class. It has made all the difference. School is easy for me now and I'm just happier. Another memory would be, also 10th grade, the first few months of having my license. Several of my best friends got licenses around the same time as me (September '08) and I also have some friends a year ahead of me who already had theirs. A lot of us had gotten cars and our social lives revolved around them for awhile, we would constantly find new places to meet to do photo shoots of our cars and we had so much fun convoying together. Innocent days.

- Any changes you would have made in H.S/ or like to see be done now?
Nothing off the top my head. I don't love it but I don't hate it either.

Hate

So much happens during those 4 years .. here is my breakdown!!

Grade 9 - High school in Jordan (middle east)
1) First time fell in love :heart: .. still think about her all the time !!
2) First major talent show, and got a lot of recognition from my teachers and fellow students .. became popular

Grade 10 - High school in Canada til graduation
1) First time speak fully English .. tough experience .. was in a special program for people with English as 2nd lang.

Grade 11
1) First year outside the english as 2nd lang program, was very tough tryin to fit in with other "regular" students who spoke English frequently !!

Grade 12
1) Became "social animal" as one of my teacher referred to me as. LOL
2) Second crush .. but didn't work out

Overall .. I thought high school years were filled with fun, happy, sad, tough, all kindda emotions LOL

I did see some teachers play favoritism, which sometimes were good to me, and sometimes weren't so much

Hmm I was a bit shy in grades 10 and 11, i would probably change that !!

My friends consisted of nerds, athletes, dancers, drama kids, art kids, pretty much hung out with everyone .. no specifics !!

- Do you think teachers had favorites in high school?
Yeh, in my school they only focused on the students who did well. The students who under achieved and were struggling sometimes got ignored

- What were the group of friends you hung out with, and did that change?
Yeh, a massive group I hung out with, and now I've moved to college I dont see 90% of them anymore
But if you keep in contact that wont happen

- Any particular high school memories you have?
I'm not gonna mention anything here...

- Any changes you would have made in H.S/ or like to see be done now?
(It is different in the UK and we finish school at 16 and then move to college)
But if I was back there, I would have been myself, I often felt embarassed about my sexuality, but now I wish I was my true self and didn't care what people think, and If i did that I would have came out a lot more conifident.

Wow, I'm surprised! You speak with the respect and maturity of a college student or post-grad.

And, yeah, high school can be a roller coaster of different emotions, but in general, it does suck. Teachers do play favoritism, and 60% of teachers shouldn't be paid since they don't know how to teach. But, I've been able to survive that and stay afloat with decent grades. I'm straightedge, I don't hang out with "that crowd", so I guess I'm doing okay. I deal with the usual drama everyone deals with, and whenever I'm devastated that I lose a friend, I think to myself and am thankful that I realized that person isn't really worth my time before I wasted more of my highschool years on them. My real friends are the ones there til the end, and I have them to lean on & that's what gets you through the rough patches. But yeah, most of the a-holes I'll have to put up with in places like college and work, so it's nothing that'll go away, might as well start brushing it off now. And don't get me wrong, I'm having a lot of fun in high school too, so it evens itself out.

lmao i think i wrote too much.

I try.

I was a total stuck up bitch I will admit..... We always wore the cutest clothes and had cars before everyone else. I was the :

Editor Of The Year Book
Vice President Of The SGA
Stepmaster Of The Step Team
A Cheerleader at one time.
Honors Society
Graduated in the Top 5%

Ive grown out of being that way kind of though.... But being a bitch is fun. In my defense I did have to defend myself a lot being gay and being one of the few black kids.

Well, I started my 9th grade in Mexico then I decided to come over again and finish my High School over here.
First half of 10th I was in Mexico, by the second semester I came here.
11th: It was good I became better known and made lots of friends cuz at first I was so damm shy.
12th. Wow, best year ever!... I'm well known @ my HS, i talk to lots of ppl. However, lots of girls HATE me cuz i talk to a lot of guys ( stupid drama queens).

Do you think teachers had favorites in high school?
Yes, they have! There's one bitch that was so mean to all hispanic people!! Ughh she was only nice to white people.

- What were the group of friends you hung out with, and did that change?
Hmmm I hang out with lots of people, but most of the time i hang out with my fellow latinos it cuz we all have so much in common (music,religion, traditions, etc etc)

- Any particular high school memories you have?
Ugh when my 1st day of HS here in the US!! i was so damm scared!!! but people were nice to me immediately, specially guys
- Any changes you would have made in H.S/ or like to see be done now?
Hmmmm, not really I just wish I would've stayed in the soccer team. I stopped playinf for my school because of some stupid bitches

Overall, HS is a good experience and I can't wait till I graduate this summer

High school is okay, you lose alot of friends from middle school, but you make new ones.
I had the deluded thought that high school was like Degrassi/Mean Girls.

^ Oh gawd. Same here and is nothing like it.

- Do you think teachers had favorites in high school?
Oh yes, it just depended on the teacher.

- What were the group of friends you hung out with, and did that change?
The ones that weren't popular but weren't outcast. Last year and the first half of this years I was starting to get closer to some of the jocks, but they proved to be major douche bags.

- Any particular high school memories you have?
Half of the school thinking that me and my friend who moved away were gay for each other. It was far from being that.

- Any changes you would have made in H.S/ or like to see be done now?
Not let people say get to me and past grades, hung out with the right kids.

High School is potrayed so wrong in the movies...

I loved High School, loved hanging out with my friends.

A good memory was being nominated for prom king and grad night was pretty special too.

I wish sooo much that everyone would just jump on the lunchroom tables and start singing and dancing perfectly.

dead at me thinking it would be like mean girls, i'm kinda glad it's not.

I'm in my Junior year now at High School...
It's not bad but I wish it could have been better.

Teachers actually do have favorites. At my school, oddly, they prefer the popular groups. It's kinda annoying, really. Some students are left behind and some of them worked really hard to get recognition but they wouldn't get it. It's not fair because they're the ones who deserve to be treated fairly and graded properly.

I wasn't in the popular group, obviously.
But I wasn't a loser or a loner! I was "in the between." Usually, I'm the one who's neutral, friends with the popular group and the socially judged group. I'm just a guy who they can go up to and ask for advice or just hang out.

Um...nothing special has happened yet but next year, I'm going to Italy with my classmates so I'm sure I'll have fun!

Erm...I don't know what to change, really. It's okay the way it is. Although, I know I need to make some changes to put out more time for myself to have fun and become more social with others.