Hi Thinking out loud here :D
Sorry I haven't uploaded for two weeks and a day, I did actually start writing this blog post two weeks ago but never got around to finishing or uploading it which is why I've decided to upload it today hope you enjoy.
(Flashback to two weeks ago when I started writing this post.) I'm currently watching an interview of Passenger aka Mike Rosenberg, (as you do on a Friday night.) and in it he talks about leaving school at sixteen, an age I would have loved to have left school, had I still been in England I would have been fifteen (with my birthday being at the end of the school year) but given I moved to New Zealand it was then eighteen which I found extremely hard. (today me) before I go any further thanks to Mike for the inspiration for this post.
(back to past me for now) The reason why I'm choosing this as my blog posts for this week given I'm actually no longer at school as of 2013 is because the other day my mum reminded me as to why I actually stayed on till I was eighteen something when I was seventeen was adamant I wasn't going back for the final year. Although I have only one real reason as to why I went back a lot of other reasons made me stay during the year, now you're probably thinking one reason that's not good enough to make me decide to go to school, now it probably isn't but had it not been for this reason I probably wouldn't have realised how much I enjoyed my final year and the memories I got to make. It's all simply because of one friend who said if I wasn't at school on the first day she was going to come and get me to make me go to school, something I didn't want her doing so I, of course, went back to school, plus if we had a study period last we got to go home at lunch time, and we didn't have to wear uniform which was a bonus which now my old school for year 13 have to wear uniform a bit of a step backwards if you ask me. Had I been there now I think I would have left along with most of my year group, plus we still got tret like kids which was a downside but on a plus, I saw my friends every day and had classes with some which made the day go so much quicker.
For me going back for a final year was hard, for so long I had wanted to leave school as nearly every lesson was spent with me looking out of the window wishing I could be elsewhere. I know a lot of kids do that but for me, it was so easy to go so deep into a daydream that I wouldn't be able to hear what the teacher was saying because I was so lost in my thoughts. I used to dream of being anywhere else but school. It wasn't that I got bullied because I didn't ok there were certain groups I'd stay clear off but that's just because I didn't want to get involved with drama that went on in those groups, it isn't that I hated the teachers because for most of my schooling I had some pretty great teachers just the odd one or two that weren't but who doesn't have at least one teacher who isn't great. It wasn't that I didn't do well it's just that for some reason I didn't like school, I didn't like the idea of school and I didn't like going to school I used to fill with dread in a morning of “oh I have to go to that place again great.” I hated the thought of leaving the house and having to spend six and a bit hours in a place I didn't want to be, had it not been for the group of friends I had and still have I wouldn't have carried on at school I would probably have left given the first chance like Mike.
I can tell you now it's ok to enjoy school, it's ok to want to go every day you are making more memories every day you are doing something new learning something new, this is the most social your life is going to be, so enjoy it, I worried too much about what people would think of me if I did something or what people would say if I joined an extra curriculum, you know what it doesn't matter what anyone says if you want to join a club at school do it, if it isn't something your friends don't like that doesn't matter you're doing it for you not them if they don't like that side of you then maybe they're not you real friends, don't be scared of losing them as once you leave school you probably won't see them all again.
(back to today's writing) past me wrote some more to this blog but I feel like it doesn't fit with what I've written and what I want to add so that will be next weeks blog post. I wrote about how I had one real reason and I did but during the year other things happened that made me dare I say it enjoy my final year, I had chosen subjects that I wanted to do and that I found interesting I dropped the subjects I didn't want to do mainly because they were no longer compulsory. My favourite subjects that I choose were photography (which I did for two years and passed both,) media studies which I took for three years (passed two and only just passed the last year but still enjoyed it none the less) creative pattern (if I'm honest was a fill in subject but I did enjoy it) English (which everyone had to take but I still enjoyed as I was with a group of friends who I chatted to non-stop plus I was on a table with a guy I liked who was also in my media studies class as well, that's probably why not much work got done in either of those classes,) business (as I thought it would be a good idea to know some stuff about money and banking before I left school) study (which we had to take in yr 13 no complaints there) art extension (which was like another study class but where you were able to work on your art projects.)
One of my favourite times of day was actually form class as I had one of the best form teachers anyone could ever have. He was one of the longest teachers there but was one of the few who was able to really connect with teenagers, we'd spend half an hour or thereabouts watching youtube varying from, Achmed the dead terrorist and America's got talent to name a few we'd also occasionally watch the big bang theory one of his favourite programmes and many more some of which would have to get paused when the HOD of science walked in for obvious reasons.
Along with being able to choose most of the subjects I had other things to look forward to such as the ball or prom depending on where you are from, at my school we had two balls one in year 12 and one in year 13 although both year groups went to the same ball you just had the chance to go twice which I did. The final one honestly wasn't as great as the first one but that didn't matter as the whole group went to it which made it great. We also had yr 13 leavers jumpers which again weren't amazing but it's made some memories of my final year, plus we had a leavers dinner which was again ok but again it was memories along with a walk to school on our final day which was really good as everyone dressed up and had fun.
I'd say if there is anyone having doubts about there last year whether you've just gone back or you're still finishing off your second to final year, then don't I can guarantee in a years time you will be so glad you stayed on. Trust me it seems like a drag now but once you get there to having finished schoOl and stayed till the very end you will be so proud of yourself that you stayed when it would have been so easy to leave, only leave if you do have something already planned out and somewhere to go when you leave that year early, I'm not going to lie and say it was easy going back for a final year because it really wasn't it was a struggle some mornings but I kept reminding myself of the reasons that made me want to go and that was enough to keep me going. I didn't want to sit dow and have that dreaded talk with my parents where I said I want to leave and them give me a list of things that would happen if I did, yes I so badly wanted to but I had nothing to go to I had nothing to do, I didn't have a backup plan that I could give to them as at eighteen I still was fully sure what I wanted to do which is the case for so many sixteen to eighteen yr old. I wanted to do music but then I wanted to do writing both things I still love but writing being the thing I have chosen to do but it took me a year and a half after leaving school to decide that, that was what I wanted to do.
Leaving school early isn't the end of the world but there are so many memories to make in that final year, I'm glad I stayed but I get it's not for everyone had I not stayed I wouldn't have had my best year at school it took me my whole schooling to enjoy school, now that I'm not there anymore I'm so thankful for my friend who got me to go back had it not been for her who knows what I'd be doing now nd who knows what I'd have missed out on.
That's it from me for this week sorry it wasn't up yesterday or two weeks ago, hope you enjoy reading let me know in the comments when you left school did you leave at sixteen? Like passenger or did you stay to the end? Like me.
love always Thinking out loud xx :D
