RIP School Survival Forums
August 2001 - June 2017

The School Survival Forums are permanently retired. If you need help with quitting school, unsupportive parents or anything else, there is a list of resources on the Help Page.

If you want to write about your experiences in school, you can write on our blog.

To everyone who joined these forums at some point, and got discouraged by the negativity and left after a while (or even got literally scared off): I'm sorry.

I wasn't good enough at encouraging people to be kinder, and removing people who refuse to be kind. Encouraging people is hard, and removing people creates conflict, and I hate conflict... so that's why I wasn't better at it.

I was a very, very sensitive teen. The atmosphere of this forum as it is now, if it had existed in 1996, would probably have upset me far more than it would have helped.

I can handle quite a lot of negativity and even abuse now, but that isn't the point. I want to help people. I want to help the people who need it the most, and I want to help people like the 1996 version of me.

I'm still figuring out the best way to do that, but as it is now, these forums are doing more harm than good, and I can't keep running them.

Thank you to the few people who have tried to understand my point of view so far. I really, really appreciate you guys. You are beautiful people.

Everyone else: If after everything I've said so far, you still don't understand my motivations, I think it's unlikely that you will. We're just too different. Maybe someday in the future it might make sense, but until then, there's no point in arguing about it. I don't have the time or the energy for arguing anymore. I will focus my time and energy on people who support me, and those who need help.

-SoulRiser

The forums are mostly read-only and are in a maintenance/testing phase, before being permanently archived. Please use this time to get the contact details of people you'd like to keep in touch with. My contact details are here.

Please do not make a mirror copy of the forums in their current state - things will still change, and some people have requested to be able to edit or delete some of their personal info.


Search Results
Post Author Forum Replies Views Posted [asc]
  Thread: Hippo Campus
Post: Hippo Campus

I found this band last fall and loved them since. They are the first band that I haven't gotten sick of and I listen to them almost daily. Saw them live in August and they're a bunch of cool dudes. Aw...
Dirtbikemike Music 0 1,516 01-08-2017, 01:31 PM
  Thread: 4 Years
Post: 4 Years

It's been over 4 years since I joined this forum. Wow! My life now 7-9:30 Row 11-3 Work @ The Yard Market Square which I love for now. 4-6:30 Coach rowing. Community college in the fall. Gonna row a...
Dirtbikemike General Talk 1 1,318 04-13-2016, 02:18 PM
  Thread: Well I graduated... kinda
Post: RE: Well I graduated... kinda

(06-17-2015 12:04 AM)SoulRiser Wrote:  Congrats :) Ahh yes! SoulRiser! Thank you. It's been a journey.
Dirtbikemike School Talk 6 4,262 06-17-2015, 12:06 AM
  Thread: Well I graduated... kinda
Post: RE: Well I graduated... kinda

(06-13-2015 02:13 PM)brainiac3397 Wrote:  You were still in high school? waaat Yep! Joined this site in the winter of my freshman year.
Dirtbikemike School Talk 6 4,262 06-13-2015, 02:16 PM
  Thread: Well I graduated... kinda
Post: RE: Well I graduated... kinda

(06-13-2015 12:44 PM)DoA Wrote:  You technically passed high school too? I know what that's like - I attended graduation last year and participated in the same way everyone else did, but in actu...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 6 4,262 06-13-2015, 12:46 PM
  Thread: Well I graduated... kinda
Post: Well I graduated... kinda

Failed 3 required classes. Anxiety shut me down and I couldn't move from my bed some days. Poor attendance + inability to work anyway made this school year impossible. But tonight was our graduation ...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 6 4,262 06-13-2015, 12:18 PM
  Thread: Pittsburgh Indoor Sprints
Post: RE: Pittsburgh Indoor Sprints

(02-04-2015 11:22 AM)MurkScribe Wrote:  Eh, for rowing, just eh. I don't know just eh. But I did go rowing once, It wasn't a competition, more so just rowing on a real rainy day with my friends....
Dirtbikemike General Talk 2 1,949 02-04-2015, 11:24 AM
  Thread: Stuff a lot of other people struggle with that you don't struggle with
Post: RE: Stuff a lot of other people struggle with that...

Picking up new concepts. There are people that are pretty awful at sculling that have been doing it for years and I ended up learning and within a month won a race. Sculling > http://images.essen...
Dirtbikemike General Talk 17 4,949 02-04-2015, 05:23 AM
  Thread: Pittsburgh Indoor Sprints
Post: Pittsburgh Indoor Sprints

This weekend I competed in my first erg race. It looks like this http://www.row2k.com/graphics/pod/450_02...nStrt1.jpg It's a whole lot of rowing machines linked to each other in a wired network in...
Dirtbikemike General Talk 2 1,949 02-04-2015, 12:39 AM
  Thread: Worst types of teachers
Post: RE: Worst types of teachers

Before you read this first one: I'm on your side. I'm just trying to look at it both ways. Quote:1. The ones that treat you like a little kid. "Oh my class is full of 15/16 year olds? I must make th...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 21 9,199 01-20-2015, 08:18 PM
  Thread: Is it OK that kids hate school?
Post: Is it OK that kids hate school?

To answer OP's title question: No. It's not OK. And it's not healthy for us.
Dirtbikemike School Talk 12 12,038 01-20-2015, 08:06 PM
  Thread: Rubik's cubes have become therapy
Post: Rubik's cubes have become therapy

Current *WCA Official* world record solve [img]http://i.imgur.com/TvgdtRF.gif[/img]
Dirtbikemike School Talk 7 6,529 01-18-2015, 06:50 PM
  Thread: Rubik's cubes have become therapy
Post: RE: Rubik's cubes have become therapy

(01-16-2015 07:10 PM)Mo the jo Wrote:  Well, you could call tetris a dynamic puzzle. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game#Chris_Crawford I think it is a puzzle. To clarify, a Rubik's cube is very easily...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 7 6,529 01-16-2015, 07:33 PM
  Thread: Rubik's cubes have become therapy
Post: RE: Rubik's cubes have become therapy

(01-13-2015 06:01 PM)Mo the jo Wrote:  Kinda like me. My BrailleNote's Tetris game is something I always play with when I am bored in class. Always nice to always try to deal with those falling ...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 7 6,529 01-16-2015, 06:57 PM
  Thread: What I've been up to
Post: RE: What I've been up to

(01-13-2015 01:27 PM)MurkScribe Wrote:  I hate absolutely hate wrestling. Eventually I quit for the benefit for myself, but I quit during the offseason. Why did you consider quitting a benefit?...
Dirtbikemike General Talk 6 3,148 01-16-2015, 06:54 PM
  Thread: What I've been up to
Post: RE: What I've been up to

(01-13-2015 01:10 AM)brainiac3397 Wrote:  Rowing would be good exercise I rank it as harder than wrestling. Mostly because once you start, you can't stop until you finish.
Dirtbikemike General Talk 6 3,148 01-13-2015, 01:12 AM
  Thread: What I've been up to
Post: What I've been up to

This spring my friend convinced me to join our school's rowing team. I did. And I love it. I gave up wrestling this winter for it. I tried it because I finally quit football and I needed something to ...
Dirtbikemike General Talk 6 3,148 01-12-2015, 06:47 PM
  Thread: Rubik's cubes have become therapy
Post: Rubik's cubes have become therapy

A lot of the time when I'm bored in class, when I'm really not getting the mental stimulation I sometimes crave, I always end up whipping my Rubik's cubes out. I have a bit of a collection and I bring...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 7 6,529 01-12-2015, 06:37 PM
  Thread: Still lurking
Post: Still lurking

I haven't been on here in a while. Things have changed. 2 years have gone by. Seems like a few people that were on back in the day are still here. I might start to be more of a regular again. Certainl...
Dirtbikemike General Talk 17 4,660 01-09-2015, 09:52 PM
  Thread: RC Helicopter
Post: RC Helicopter

Well, the other day I was reminiscing over when I would drive my RC cars around. They were fun, but of course my dad stole them away and I haven't seen them since. That was a while ago and I've gotte...
Dirtbikemike General Talk 5 1,663 08-30-2014, 04:43 PM
  Thread: Big train of depression
Post: Big train of depression

I've come to the conclusion that I'm very depressed. Stop. Don't tell me to not kill myself. I know. I'm too aware of death and I'd never do that. I think too much. I don't believe in a god and I log...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 12 3,586 05-06-2014, 04:18 AM
  Thread: Girl supporting friend with cancer - kicked out
Post: Girl supporting friend with cancer - kicked out

Disgusting humans these administrators must be http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/girl-sh...08162.html
Dirtbikemike School Talk 6 3,924 03-26-2014, 12:19 PM
  Thread: Does this really matter?
Post: Does this really matter?

Sorry if I didn't read previous posts and didn't see it has been said, but I'll say this: If almost all teenagers come to the conclusion that they hate school, it's boring, they're not learning anyth...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 8 5,352 03-24-2014, 06:44 AM
  Thread: Honest College Commercial
Post: Honest College Commercial

This should be our page's video example of why we hate school. Watch on YouTube
Dirtbikemike School Talk 1 2,531 03-05-2014, 06:54 AM
  Thread: Skipped. Still more productive intellectually
Post: Skipped. Still more productive intellectually

Last night I finally unpackaged the Shengshou 4x4 and 5x5 cubes I ordered last Friday. Solved both of them. Stayed up a bit late. Missed my bus this morning. Dad isn't home. I solved both of them aga...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 2 2,440 03-05-2014, 05:42 AM
  Thread: Not exactly school but proving a point
Post: RE: Not exactly school but proving a point

I've just learned the 2x2 in 2 days
Dirtbikemike School Talk 9 5,005 02-28-2014, 12:35 AM
  Thread: Not exactly school but proving a point
Post: RE: Not exactly school but proving a point

It's not even stupidity, it's motivation. The will to learn it and not believing you're stupid. And I'm not trying to one-up anyone with how fast or skilled I am, just proving a point: I can do this.
Dirtbikemike School Talk 9 5,005 02-26-2014, 05:52 AM
  Thread: Not exactly school but proving a point
Post: Not exactly school but proving a point

I've learned how to solve a Rubik's cube proficiently in 3 weeks. Around a minute and 10 seconds average at this point. It was self-directed, not easy, and there are valuable skills to be strenghthene...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 9 5,005 02-26-2014, 04:23 AM
  Thread: Paying to go to school? No.
Post: Paying to go to school? No.

So I made a mistake this morning. I slept past my alarm and missed the bus. Woopdee-fucking-do. I rarely make this mistake, I usually barely catch the bus, but this time I slept past that. My dad tel...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 26 11,037 02-18-2014, 01:41 AM
  Thread: Such strong points I want to throw it at the wall
Post: Such strong points I want to throw it at the wall

I struggle to read Kohn and Gatto for long periods at a time because it makes me want to throw the book at the wall and cry. Or scream. All of their points, almost every last one of them, is relevant ...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 3 3,072 02-06-2014, 10:33 PM
  Thread: Alfie Kohn
Post: RE: Alfie Kohn

(02-05-2014 05:23 AM)Trar Wrote:  It would help if we avoided calling people 'sheeple'. I've been too much of a follower of "A Sheep No More" I guess.
Dirtbikemike School Talk 11 5,880 02-05-2014, 05:50 AM
  Thread: Alfie Kohn
Post: RE: Alfie Kohn

EDIT #1: While Gatto's and Kohn's writing styles differ, so do their topics. Kohn goes for more of a stance that school exists and here's what's wrong with it. Gatto goes for why school exists, what's...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 11 5,880 02-05-2014, 01:19 AM
  Thread: Alfie Kohn
Post: RE: Alfie Kohn

(02-04-2014 03:55 PM)yass100 Wrote:  Alfie Kohn writes and speaks widely on human behavior, education, and parenting. The author of ten books and scores of articles. The only thing I'd disagree...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 11 5,880 02-05-2014, 12:26 AM
  Thread: Alfie Kohn
Post: RE: Alfie Kohn

(02-02-2014 12:06 AM)cheeselover Wrote:  Dirtbikemike – Can you tell what Kohn believes about compulsory schooling? I've only had the chance to read one of his books, 'Beyond Discipline', and e...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 11 5,880 02-02-2014, 12:35 AM
  Thread: Alfie Kohn
Post: RE: Alfie Kohn

(02-01-2014 11:04 PM)TheCancer Wrote:  Gatto must have done a lot of buying into the crap he says he hates to get those prestigious teacher awards in New York. There's something fishy about that...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 11 5,880 02-01-2014, 11:51 PM
  Thread: Why I dislike school reading
Post: Why I dislike school reading

I love reading. Last summer alone I read a total of 13 actual decent-length books. I most recently finished my first of 3 Kohn books I bought myself with Christmas money. I'm in the middle of one and ...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 10 6,271 02-01-2014, 07:51 AM
  Thread: Alfie Kohn
Post: Alfie Kohn

Well, I've read two John Taylor Gatto books and I heard about Kohn in the past. I bought 3 Kohn books on Amazon and finished "What does it mean to be well educated?" I also have "The homework myth" an...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 11 5,880 01-31-2014, 04:40 AM
  Thread: Procrastination
Post: RE: Procrastination

Here's another video about procrastination from a different POV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwZXCIMm-HY I don't want to embed it because I'm on my phone.
Dirtbikemike Philosophy, Politics & History 2 2,197 01-27-2014, 11:22 PM
  Thread: I know nobody will give a shit, but I'm so happy about this..
Post: RE: I know nobody will give a shit, but I'm so hap...

Crossfit is a great way to get in shape. Look for crossfit forums and stuff to try a workout. Very challenging.
Dirtbikemike General Talk 19 3,814 01-18-2014, 12:58 AM
  Thread: How would I go about turning my school into a dictatorship ran by me???
Post: RE: How would I go about turning my school into a ...

I think you already failed at doing this. Instead of organizing and planning everything, you've already looked to others for help. Clearly not characteristics shown by Hitler who rose to power by his ...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 56 20,726 01-15-2014, 02:52 AM
  Thread: My epiphany as a child
Post: My epiphany as a child

I'm a junior in HS now and as a 2nd grader, 2004, I had an epiphany. I remember this very vividly. I could tell you the exact location of where I was sitting, I could tell you the teacher, the time of...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 7 2,682 12-31-2013, 06:23 AM
  Thread: School Survival blocked in my school (haha)
Post: RE: School Survival blocked in my school (haha)

(12-31-2013 05:37 AM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  I was able to access the forum at school, but in a much different way. I did it with the 4G internet on my cell phone. Was too paranoid to post anything or...
Dirtbikemike General Talk 23 11,106 12-31-2013, 05:59 AM
  Thread: "No One Dreams of Dropping Out"
Post: RE: "No One Dreams of Dropping Out"

Quote:Students who attend school regularly are more likely than students who are chronically absent to: Oh god... Quote:Graduate and go on to college Woopdie doo Quote:Score higher on standardized...
Dirtbikemike Youth Rights 8 5,327 12-24-2013, 12:38 AM
  Thread: Total Transformation Radio Ads
Post: RE: Total Transformation Radio Ads

I don't know what the DVD program is, but I hate to say my dad is reading one of his books, "A New Teenager by Friday". I was curious and started to read myself and it's seriously not all punishment a...
Dirtbikemike Youth Rights 21 12,643 12-20-2013, 12:25 AM
  Thread: I just pulled a Rosa Parks
Post: RE: I just pulled a Rosa Parks

(12-13-2013 11:43 AM)Trar Wrote:  I'm sorta glad I don't have to deal with popularity and cliques and stuff like that. But let's say I had to go to high school starting tomorrow and deal with it...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 16 6,946 12-13-2013, 10:28 PM
  Thread: "Maturity" kills creativity (to an extent)
Post: RE: "Maturity" kills creativity (to an extent)

(12-13-2013 11:57 AM)Trar Wrote:  I guessed where the video was going a bit before he got to the point and I can agree with it. Becoming who you are is pretty important, and mistakes happen. Fai...
Dirtbikemike Youth Rights 14 9,235 12-13-2013, 12:16 PM
  Thread: "Maturity" kills creativity (to an extent)
Post: RE: "Maturity" kills creativity (to an extent)

If you search Elliot Hulse's youtube channel for a video called "Immaturity means making no mistakes" you could hear a new view on maturity
Dirtbikemike Youth Rights 14 9,235 12-13-2013, 01:35 AM
  Thread: I just pulled a Rosa Parks
Post: RE: I just pulled a Rosa Parks

(12-12-2013 11:37 AM)Hansgrohe Wrote:  Also, are you planning on sitting there again? Or are you planning on doing the same with other tables? Just sit there again. Fuck it.
Dirtbikemike School Talk 16 6,946 12-12-2013, 11:23 PM
  Thread: The Scholastic Swindle
Post: RE: The Scholastic Swindle

(12-12-2013 01:03 AM)xcriteria Wrote:  If it's fictional, why are you seeing childish behavior all around you? I'm in Junior year of high school. The teachers have thoroughly taught them childi...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 20 68,815 12-12-2013, 05:17 AM
  Thread: The Scholastic Swindle
Post: RE: The Scholastic Swindle

(12-12-2013 12:28 AM)IvoTheMagnificent Wrote:  Adolescence as a state of development does exist, but many people misconstrue it, and some people DELIBERATELY misconstrue it (you know who I'm tal...
Dirtbikemike School Talk 20 68,815 12-12-2013, 12:40 AM

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