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Stay In School, Kids!

The tales of a high-school drop-out.

By Katie SchmidtPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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This is a story I don't really like to share, but it's one I've wanted to share publicly for a while. I figure I'll never be a public speaker, so sharing my written story is my best shot at getting my story out there. First, let me just say that I am an intelligent individual. Not every person who chooses to drop out of school lacks intelligence. To be perfectly honest, I've come across people whom I had to wonder how they even graduated. Different people drop out of school for different reasons. Several of those people didn't care about school. They didn't care about getting an education. They didn't want to learn. That person was never me.

I was predisposed to dropping out. I know that sounds silly, but it's true. I am the youngest of my dad's five biological children. His first two, did not graduate high-school. They never attended college. They were smart, but allowed drugs and alcohol and partying to take precedence over education. The third oldest was the only one to not only graduate high-school, but he graduated college as well. The fourth oldest, did not graduate high-school either. I really wanted to be one of the ones who graduated, though that wasn't in the cards for me.

Kindergarten-2nd grade, my grades were decent. I was going through a lot in my personal life towards the ending of 2nd grade, so my grades began to lack in 3rd grade. I got my first "U" in 3rd grade, which was the worst grade you could've gotten in elementary school. It was equivalent to an "F". That began the downward spiral of my grades. In 5th grade, my teacher was considering holding me back a year. In my last couple of weeks in elementary school, I managed to work my butt off until I was able to pass 5th grade.

Middle school was an especially rough time for me. I had to go to summer school after 6th and 7th grade. In 7th grade, there was a test you had to take and completely pass in order to make it to 8th grade. I had a difficult time passing the math portion, so while I had 8th grade classes, I had a 7th grade homeroom until I could pass the math portion of the test. It took me three tries altogether, so embarrassing. In 8th grade, my mom became sick and I had to miss school a lot to help take care of her. Of course, missing so much school made it impossible to catch up. My grades were crashing and I was unable to pass the 8th grade. My second year of 8th grade was just as difficult. Again, it had zero to do with my intelligence. I was simply going through too much in my personal life that it was difficult to focus on my education.

While I managed to have a total of four years of high-school, I was unable to graduate. Public schools will kick you out of high-school at the age of 21. You have to have a certain amount of credits to graduate high-school. I was 19 when I finally decided to drop out. Why? I knew deep down I was never going to have the right amount of credits to graduate by the time I was 21. I struggled with depression and other mental issues starting in middle school and it got worse throughout high-school. It is painful how much school I actually missed from 8th grade-my last year of high-school.

Dropping out was a really tough decision. It was tough because I knew I had more potential than that. My loved ones knew I had more potential than that. Anybody who ever had a conversation with me knew I had more potential than that. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince myself that I COULD do it. If I could turn back time, I'd do things differently. I would've done my homework more, I would've done projects more. I can't constantly blame the fact that I missed school as to why I fell so far behind. I would've tried harder and busted my butt more in school. Weird thing is, I actually love to learn.

If you or anybody you know is thinking of dropping out, whether it be high-school or college, talk yourself or them out of it. Never give up on your education. I tend to joke that I didn't need a high-school diploma, that I didn't need that validation of my intelligence. Maybe I don't, but colleges and jobs value that kind of stuff. Sure, you can get your GED, but it's not the same. Getting to where you need to be and where you want to be is going to be a difficult journey. The good news is, you CAN do it. Do not let anything get in the way of your success. Don't allow personal struggles to get in the way of achieving greatness!!! Stay in school, kids!

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About the Creator

Katie Schmidt

I'm 26. I live in the Atlanta area. I love animals, especially dogs. I love to read, write, and take pictures. I'm open and honest.

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