High school can be tough. There are emotional issues, friend issues, falling in love issues, and my family issues that take up time and energy, and then there is that other thing: school itself. With all of the other stuff going on, it can be hard to say no to non-school things and yes to finding time for classes and homework. When I was sixteen, I made a choice that my issues were more important and demanding than school, so I decided to drop out. I dropped out because I didn’t fit in, I focused too much on my social life, and I didn’t have anyone to support and encourage me.
First, I thought my main priority was my social life. I was pressured to hang out all night long. For example, I was called chicken, because I hesitated on using a fake Id to obtain entrance into an after hour club. I wanted to be cool. I wanted to be part of the crew. If my friend Pam stayed out all night long and skipped class, well so did I. I confused my friends as if they were my family. I put their feelings before my moms. I considered them to be my family, and no matter what my mother said. I was going to find a way to keep hanging out with them. I would get up, leave my house, walk straight past the bus stop to Pam’s house, and go back to sleep. Pam’s mother never cared about us missing our classes. It was not a big deal to her because she was recovering from getting drunk all night. She was a high school dropout herself, she was not the type of parent that encouraged me and Pam to get up and to get are education. She was more like interested if you had a dollar that she could borrow to get another beer in the early morning.
As a result of all the pressure and all the ditching class, I got so far behind in all my assignments. Me failing was a understatement! I was missing my classes and I was going to fail just because of my attendance record. The staff was lucky if they were blessed with my face twice a week. I recall Dr. Grisby telling me that I ...