I was eating lunch in the cafeteria today and one of the laser pointers hit me in the eye.

My parents pay $13 500 for tuition, as a result much of the kids are spoiled brats. Sometimes the young kids in the school become too much. When you listen the some of them, they claim that they are superior just because they are born in a rich family. They think that they will inherit all their parents money and won’t have to work for the rest of their lives.

One of my classmates claims the same ideas. He says that he will get his fathers factory if he can’t get a decent job. Since we are in the final year of high school we are getting acceptances from universities, which I'm glad that I got acceptances already. This guy is now sweating like crazy because he has not heard from any university yet. He now tries to put in deals effort. Todat he sat away from the noisy croud. But, everyone does not seem to see that he is trying to be serious to get decent grades, so everyone seems to be still distracting him. He certainly got himself in an ugly hole.

Not everyone is like this, but there is an unusual number of people that just goof off. They sometimes get on your case.

I even yelled at one of these guys during math class, after some upsetting actions. We were sent to the principal. The guy I yelled at was forced to apologize to me and had to hear what I had to say. The principle thinks that I had every right to get mad, so he let me go(not to mention the guy I yelled at had a bad record among the staff). It’s just this, he started telling me things that I just don’t want to hear. He made is seem as if all the effort I put in is useless. I have to separate myself from my piers because I don’t like what they do on the weekends. It’s as if they are destroying themselves. He tells me that they are getting higher grades than me, and that I'm the stupid one for not joining them. I think no matter what, every ounce of effort is worth it. It was worth turning down every offer. People invited me to their place, but I just politely say no.

I think the people that let this happen, is the parents. With the stories I hear about the parents, they just don’t spend time with their children. Its no wonder why children has no guidance and use pop culture as a basis for growing up. Then there is nobody to tell them that they are doing something wrong. The slowly they start to grow into their vices and become obsessed with them, justifying their addictions as if it’s a right to have.

Bah!

Ranger, speaking as a teacher I have to say you are bang to rights. Be your own man, and don't follow the herd. Who wants to be mediocre?
On Sunday I met an old student of mine, who was a grade A workaholic, and her classmates used to laugh at her and give her a hard time. She is about to graduate with a 1st class honours degree in law and has had about 20 different offers from companies and law firms.
I've also seen one of her classmates working as a postman.
I think you have the right attitude.
Guess who's having the last laugh?

Ozzy

I know what you mean mate.

My parents pay a hell of alot of money for my tuition that we don't really have. I have dyspraxia a curious brain defect that effects how I write and enterperate peoples emotions (as in terrible trouble telling someones mood by facial expressions, strange I know but I have to live with it.) I am 15 but I have matured much past my year group and try to be my own person. I get alot of stick for it and my left wing political beliefs. I am lucky enough to have a very loyal circle of friends and an extremely patient and understanding girlfriend and am glad for it.

Alot of the people have alot of money in that school and believe they own the earth because "daddy bought them a pony pip pip tally ho."

I had a similar shouting match a while ago but with a teacher instead and almost got suspended and it was a ridiculously stupid but so was he.

Just like to say that I understand and hope to get decent GCSE's in 4 weeks time.

As you say rights are very dangorous things to claim they get taken for granted far to easily.

Just a few things about myself that feels alot easier to say on the internet.

Crumbso

Haha yeah my cat does that. Never actually works out what it is.

Sorry to hear that you feel you can't trust people but what ever makes you happy is what matters

its not really about not trusting people it just takes a long time because of previous experiances to actually accept someone as a friend

Quote:


I'd say the postmam, because a lawyer is very boring job... ...the only people that want to be lawyers nowadays are girls...why? ???  A lot of boys I know want to be accountants!   I just laugh and tell them I'll fly past their windows on full afterburner when I get a high performance fighter jet...LOL.

Ah well. About 3 times in the last term our german teacher has got slightly pissed off and stormed out of the room.

I also have GCSE's in 4 weeks and due to the schools incompitance me and my maths set are probably going to fail maths. You may say that is our own fault this but it isn't. Since febuary last year our maths set has had no less that 23 differant teachers. And it doesn't help much that were the lowest set either.

Anyway, laser pointers... There great fun. just shine them between peoples eyes and they don't notice.

Whaayyy

I just got a place in a local college as long as my GCSE's are good enough. I'm gonna be doing Psychology (already interested in it,) Economics, History (one of my favourites,) and Philosiphy.

I already confuse people with philisophical stuff but now this new bunch will help me do even better.

Quote:


I know how you must feel. In my Calculus class, there's these two guys who party all the time, get drunk and high all night, and play golf all day. Somedays they even come to class high. What kills me is that these guys are getting high 70s and 80s while myself, who steers clear of thoes vices, struggles along.

(As a side note: Now Canada is thinking of legalizeing marijuana, as if booze and smokes weren't enough, now we need something to kill brain cells. Ranger, read the front page article of the Sun, disgusting isn't it.)

I see it as, just because your IQ and/or grades are high, dosen't necessarly mean you're smart.

Quote:


If they were doing drugs and driving, I would have gotten out of the car and walked the rest of the way.

What I find the most disturbing is the fact that today's youth are bombarded with drug abuse education, but they still do it anyway. I wanted to see exactly how big of a problem this is so I went to Stats Canada. Between 1997 and 2001, drug crimes have gone up 25% in all of Canada for all ages. For youths, drug charges have gone up 39% during the same time period. 
I think it's said that our peers feel that they must pump themselves full of chemicals to have a good time.

Hey wait a mo

Don't judge people JUSt because they take drugs. Its very hard growing up in todays youth. We don't have harsh economy problems but the liberty of choice is one that a teenager (still naive no matter how much bravado they cover it up with) will most likely want to rebel and because the boundries of our socioty are so wide we have to go further to push those boundries (told you i liked psychology.) Besides although one of my best friend seems to be constantly smoking weed and tobacco (I don't touch the stuff myself, I have a pretty strong peer pressure resiliance for my age which is 15) He is a really sincere and dependable bloke and I would trust him with my life, and hopefully vice versa.

Just because people take drugs does mean they are inherantly evil people it is in truth that the people who judge are the worse.

"Judge not lest ye be judged"

Ok, well perhaps I had been too harsh. I grew up in a very ethnic school for most of my life so far. When I entered the school it had a population of 50, and it was mostly composed of hard working highly disciplined students. The average family didn't even own a television set. The school only offered an education up to grade 10...by the time I left the school the population increased to 70. There was a student limitation, so they cant offer any more grade levels. So, I spent the second half of high school in my current one. It was only this year that I notched such a transition. I was surrounded by ethic hard working students and now everyone seems so immoral and less persevering. I suppose it was a steep transition with a vigorous reaction. I never met anybody with such a reckless life style and they are the people that I see day to day.

So, I keep my boundaries intact. The problem is that some people try to break those boundaries, I just segregated myself from the rest.

Other times I try to put myself in my classmates shoes. I suppose it is difficult to resist such temptations. Going by so much trouble to avoid this, there must be some reward in the end. I dont really mean a reward from myself, anybody who tries to take the same path.

I never realized the things that go on in our society. I think that these things didn't really exist a few centuries ago. Its probably was promoted by the coming of technology and stress in society. Has anybody read the book "Brave New World"? It was a book written in the 1930s and vision a world 500 years down the road. It was a world where the entire population works, its just what job you work in. The level of stress is maintained through sex on a regular basis and the frequent use of a drug called "soma", a drug that put balance when the mind is unstable. Later in the book, one of the characters die from an overdose.

The question is this. Is our society being steered in the wrong direction? There has been many changes in the past hundred years. I'm just going to leave us with that question. I'm not going to really push around any opinions. Past this point this can expode into a large post.

I also feel uncomfortable, because I might promote bad ideas.

Orenda, congratulations. You’re the first person I know to get a conditional acceptance to UofT. University of Toronto and University of Ottawa are sending their letters late. My friend heard nothing from UofT and I never heard nothing from UofO.

I have read this page and I want to commend both Ranger and Orenda. Today's youth have many pressures. I can remember when I was in high school in the 80's and drugs and alcohol were the "in" thing to do. Girlfreinds, alcohol, drugs, fitting in.....ect.... I saw many of my freinds collapse to peer pressure. Just from reading your posts to one another I am impressed on how "mature" the both of you are compared to the "other problem kids" you are describing.
It is a hard time to get through but believe me.....years from now you will look back and be "proud" of yourself for making the right decisions. After high school, alot of the pressures you have now be gone. I am 35 years old and can remember my high school years and pressures as if they were yesterday and it is funny..........I can say "Thank god" I didn't do that because it does matter. You both will go on to become who you want, maybe get married, get yor own place, maybe raise a family.......  I know this sounds far off but believe me,  time flies and the choices you make now will reflect who you will become tomorrow.
Then you can sit back in your mansion, look out to the sprawling country side, glance over at your car collection, see your beautiful wife making diner, sit back in your big comfy chair.........and enjoy that "well deserved" drink while that "problem kid" cleans out your horse stables!!!!
Dave  

After more thinking, some people are victims of themselves or victims of others. For reasons of breaking under stress and pressure, you cant be angry at them. I guess the real thing to be angry is at drugs itself, just for existing.

I feel compelled to think so much effort will sum up to something . I guess Fly2e said something neat, but no need for the fancy stuff like the car collection or stables ran by the troubled kid. At the same time, I suppose that we learn something from our bad experiences. Like if I ever have a kid of my own, I can better understand what he can go through, and help him through it.

Well, I guess I understand some of my class mates, I don’t exactly hate them, I hate what they do. I still feel bits or anger towards some figures in my school, just the ones that think I'm stupid for not joining them and the guys that treat girls like dirt after certain events. I just hope its not damaging, many of these girls are on the honor roll (Grade A average students). I would feel pretty bad if things can take them apart and put them somewhere low. I may already know one that spends time on the street...but lets not get into that last comment. Then for the high school students that now do drugs, will they regret what they did in high school? When they become adults and think that they will be (much more) happier now if they never did drugs?

As a related topic my neighbor just came back from university. She is at perhaps the most prestigious university in my province, Waterloo, not to mention she even got in with a scholarship. You have to work pretty hard to get in there, I didn't even bother applying. She’s even athletic and perhaps not bad looking either. Then she is in a relationship with a guy that is finishing up something big in this university. Apparently he is eager to get married. I think they set an example of hard work. They are VERY well educated, and have the world to explore. I guess sometimes you need to see the end before you get started.

I agree exactly with all of you. Today's teens are especially prone to peer pressure, and as many of the older folks around here probably have noticed, every generation seems to be getting worse. Back in the 70's, drugs and sex were the big issues. Now, its mainly drugs. What a lot of these kids don't understand is that drugs do not make you funny, do not make things funny, and don't get rid of problems. Instead, drugs make you look funny, and add problems. Recently, I was driving by a bus stop, with some old friends, where we found a young kid who is about 11 or 12, standing around with a cigarette in his mouth. I couldn't help but wonder why. When I thought about it, it was because he was trying to fit in, because everyone else who he was "socializing" with him were much older. Again, we must consider that these kids feel different around people who really are a lot alike them, but still feel alone. Perhaps there are problems at home. Maybe mental issues, I don't know. Its not up to me to 'fix' anything anyways, I am by no means a drug and alcohol counselor. This really upsets me, is that people think smoking or doing drugs is cool. Its cool to drug and alcohol counselors because its there paycheck, but thats the only reason. I have been a firefighter, and have seen what smoke inhalation does. Cigarette smoke is about, oh, 40 times worse. I want to know something, it can be anonymous, but I am just curious.
Nobody has to answer, its purely optional. Honestly, have you or do you use, whether for a party, or just to get the 'feeling' or for that matter, any other reason, used any type of drug? (Not perscribed)

I want this to remain anonymous, I don't expect everyone to 'vote'

-Brad