Wooing The Guidance Counselor

[Heretic]

Alright guys, I'm desparate.

Last year my schedule was PERFECT. My friends were LITERALLY in all my classes, the day was nice and broken up evenly with my lunch period being pd. 5 (it's pd. 1-8 here). I loved it.

Now I have friends in about two classes, and one of which we can't even talk because the teacher is one of those "old lady who copies out of the textbook and doesn't give a shit about kids' education" types.

I also am completely lonely during my lunch period. I don't have it with my best friend anymore. Many people would say to make time for socializing after school. Firstly, my best friend has strict parents and we can't spend much time together outside school, and second, that's not my problem.

My problem is having fun IN school. It's just six monotonous hours of ongoing work.

I have tried on numerous occasions to change my schedule, but due to some classes such as French 3 Honors, Biology Honors, History Honors, I don't have much room for switching around remaining classes. My best friend is also in this "Academy of Finance" program which takes up two of his periods.

My gym period is particularly bad now as they're trying a new schedule system (rather than freshmen + sophomores / juniors + seniors, it's all mixed now). We have about 30 freshmen, 4 sophomores (including me), and 10 seniors.

I'm not even friends with these sophomores - again, I had my best friend in gym last year. This year, frankly, gym feels like community service or something - working against my will with total strangers, I have almost no motivation anymore. I think the teachers have noticed my pessimism this year in gym and may send me to guidance or something at suspicions of me being emo. So yeah, gym is total hell for me.

The second total hell is lucnh. Yet again, I had it with my best friend last year (and other friends too). This year I'm with three of my "lesser" friends who are alright, but they don't get along with one another and our interests aren't as strong as my best friend's. They bicker over the silliest things and on random days will want to "ditch" one of the others. It's like a three stooges act except it's not funny. Did I mention I have period SEVEN lunch so I'm totally starving and I have only one class after it? Kind of a waste. One good thing about lunch last year was how it broke the day up in half and eased the flow of school.

I have tried on numerous times to get my counselor to change things. As I said, I have little room for schedule changing.

She continually claims "we don't change lunches", but there has to be something I can do, like switching to some class which absolutely CAN'T be taken unless it swaps with my current lunch period.

And I don't even know what excuse I could give for changing gym.

So please...any ideas? I was considering perhaps having my father write a letter, but then again that may just make the administration think I'm troubled or something. I don't want that.

This year is total hell for me, especially in sharp contrast to eighth and ninth grade which are and probably will remain the best years of my school life.

I just don't have any motivation anymore. I'm desparate.

[thewake]

Tell the truth. Tell the real reason why, maybe even exaggerate the mental anxiety(just a little) to make your case.
Oh, and you could always make new friends if you really can't change. Sure, it won't be the same, but life is full changes, twists, and bends and you have to be able to adjust to them. So whip your pessimistic attitude into a positive one(or even neutral), go out there, and try to be friends with people. Talk about your interests, that's what always got friendships going for me.

[John Tuttle]

I pretty much agree with the above post. In our school, they will change your schedle at the biginning of the year, you don't even have to give them a reason to. However, I have never done it since I have friends in all of my classes except 1.

[Heretic]

john - That generally applies for my school as well. EXCEPT for my counselor, who is notorious for actually trying to be logical in schedule changing. Only once did I manage to get her to change a schedule, and it was only after she spent 10 minutes looking through gradebooks, reccomendations, and schedules hoping to find a way to stop me.

[Puchiko]

Hmm... if you don't succeed changing your schedule, you could try making new friends. Trust me, a year or two age difference matters not. Try to reach out to people who seem similar to you, look out for either rebel types, or just people who seem nice yet ostracized. You'll help yourself, as well as the ones you befriend. So smile, be positiva and empathetic, and you should have a decent social network in no time.

If that fails (maybe there's a class where everyone's an asshole), just resort to solitary fun. Depending on how bright your teacher is, bring a book or other reading materials, work for other subjects, or anything else you can do in stealth.

And finally, . Hope that helped.

[SoulRiser]

Well, you could blatantly refuse to stick to your schedule, and follow your friend's schedule instead. I dunno what they'd do 'bout that though. But it may drive the point home that you're really serious about the changed schedule thing, and they may be forced to let you do it. Either that or you'll get into trouble.

[6moredetentions]

my frends sneke in my class and sit in the back on the floor so the techer cant see them or we just ditch skool and go to wal mart

[John Tuttle]

6moredetentions Wrote:my frends sneke in my class and sit in the back on the floor so the techer cant see them or we just ditch skool and go to wal mart

nice

[monkey]

Just get a parent to speak for you. My mom put in a word with the counsler next year and I got moved from my bitchy teacher to the best one in the school with my best friend. (one of those rare teacher's who's fun)

[Heretic]

All is <nearly> lost. After about 5 minutes of bickering with the secretary (always "the system"'s first line of defense) it seems my only chance would be to complain to the principal.

But our principal is one of those incredibly grouchy ones who rarely shows his face or anything. A friend of mine has similar complaints. Together we may be able to make reason with him, but I don't know...he has the almighty power of the Educationomicon.

[liq3]

Here's a solution. Drop out.

[Heretic]

[random_name]

i cant really think of anything to add but what has already been said. try to stick it out for this year? i had no classes with anyone at all i liked in year seven (first english yearof hiigh school) but i survived. by the end of year eight i absolutely hated school. the idea of walking to schol scared me. i had to be all but dragged to school constantly. now school just fails to hold anything for me but a chance to see my friends, and a bunch of people who are meant to 'teach' us. school still scares me some days, but then i just remember something good that happened to me before i went to school. it replaces the anxiety with a faint longing for what my life was like when i was younger, carfree, annd never knew what hgh school was like. but it's was manageable.

[liq3]

I still say drop out.

And, epic quote time.

Quote:...only work for the future if what you're doing now is enjoyable as well.

[Darthmat]

Um, no. I have a better quote.

Quote:No pain no gain.