Public School - Why I Decided to Leave

I never really enjoyed school. I didn't like the authoritarian environment or the social aspect. Although I was constantly surrounded by people, I felt completely isolated. I felt like I wasn't learning much from my classes.

When I was in elementary school, I just accepted it as something I had to do. Once I got to middle school, I began rejecting the work and authoritarianism of the teachers and distancing myself from what was expected of me. I stopped participating and began searching for alternatives. The combination of OCD, depersonalization, and loathing of public school made me stop following the approved path.

I was forced through middle school and into high school by administrators. I spent one semester in public high school before it all fell apart. I was late by a few minutes every day, and the administrators made sure to punish me for that. I missed a lot of class, so my mother started calling the police on me. She wrote to the principal because she wanted him to threaten me with even more punishment. Instead of talking to me directly, he sent a social worker to talk to me. I told her I was miserable in public school and wanted to try online school. I also spoke with my father about switching. They both supported my wish to get out of public school.

While searching for online schools, I spoke with an old friend on one of my discord servers. I asked him if he had any suggestions for online schools, but I didn't really like any of them. They all felt like traditional schools, just online. Eventually, he sent me a link to Pacific Sands Academy. It looked like exactly what I had been searching for. My father was a little hesitant at first, but he eventually supported my wish to switch to this program. My mother remained completely against any type of online schooling.

Eventually, my mother allowed me to switch to Pacific Sands Academy. The transition was difficult at first, but I adjusted to it relatively quickly. I spent my time learning to fly, researching, and writing about topics I was interested in. I explored many different topics and accomplished things that I wouldn't have had I remained in public school.