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Angie Mc
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My first child just graduated from high school and my next child is an incoming freshman. Sometimes, it feels as if I'm back in high school...oh the memories!
Overall, was your high school experience positive considering academic and spiritual concerns? Please vote! If you have time, share more thoughts on this topic. Thank you  .
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Donna Marie
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There were some academic issues in my high school. You could get the grade without studying if you got the right teacher. Spiritually it stunk. It was a public high school and took some getting used to after being in a Catholic grade school.
I wish it were different. It wasn't all bad. I made some good friends and met my husband there! I have to say, that it would have been a wonderful experience to have been immersed in a more academic environment. I think I would have made better choices while I were in college if that had been the case. My high school was a good breeding ground for laziness and apathy. IMHO
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lapazfarm
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Well, lets just put it this way. My 25th high school reunion just came and went. I had absolutely no inclination to attend because there was no one there I cared to see again. Once I left that place I never ever looked back.
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Theresa
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Paula in MN
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I attended an all girls, Catholic, college prep four year high school. Academically it was good. Spiritually was horrid, and the administration's lack of concern about behavior was even worse. There was more concern over the dress code being broken than over morals, language, smoking, drinking, oh, and don't forget pregnancy.
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 Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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Angel
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I attended a rural public high school. I was chronically bored and my faith leaked away, too. Overall... my high school experiences were a BIG reason that led me to consider homeschooling!!!
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Angela
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robinhigh
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Angel wrote:
| I attended a rural public high school. I was chronically bored and my faith leaked away, too. Overall... my high school experiences were a BIG reason that led me to consider homeschooling!!! |
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DITTO. Public high school = 
At least two of my teachers were under the influence of alcohol, every day, for the whole year...we even found the liquor hidden away in one's desk. Most preferred us to be quiet and read for the hour while they read a newspaper or magazine... I can't recall one teacher who ever taught me ANYTHING. The male teachers seemed more interested in flirting. It was not only a complete waste of time, but also morally damaging.
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Mimip
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Paula in MN wrote:
| I attended an all girls, Catholic, college prep four year high school. Academically it was good. Spiritually was horrid, and the administration's lack of concern about behavior was even worse. There was more concern over the dress code being broken than over morals, language, smoking, drinking, oh, and don't forget pregnancy. |
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I think Paula and I went to the same high school in two different states.
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Mimi
Wife of 16 years to Tom, Mom of DD'00, DD'02, '04(in heaven) DS'05, DS'08 and DS '12
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Belle
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I attended 3 different high schools.
My experiences at the first two were horrendous. (One public, one co-ed catholic.)
My final senior years were spent at an all girls catholic boarding school. Academically, the school was quite good. I was a capable student who got decent grades, but never really reached the potential of the education I was gifted with. School for me was a social engagement. I was popular, though unaware that I was.
Spiritually, again I believe it was a decent school that way. I didn't rebel against my faith, but at that stage in my life I was not as open and receptive to it. Was far more interested in boys and parties. But that isn't the fault of the school I attended, that was a choice I made as a teen. Amazingly enough though, much more of it (the spiritual teachings) sank in than I realised and it turns out it provided a pretty good foundation as I aged and grew in my faith.
I'd class it as a positive experience (for the last two years) but typically I didn't appreciate what I had when I had it so never really gleaned the true benefits, academically at least. Spiritually at the time no, but it did lay a foundation subconsciously.
Did that make any sense? 
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mariB
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See now for me I could cast 2 votes.
At the all girl Catholic high school it was a positive experience both academically and spiritually.
Then the school closed down so I attended public school the last two years and it was a negative experience both academically (except for 2 teachers) and spiritually.
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marib-Mother to 22ds,21ds,18ds,15dd,11dd and wife to an amazing man for 23 years
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Carole N.
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lapazfarm wrote:
| Well, lets just put it this way. My 25th high school reunion just came and went. I had absolutely no inclination to attend because there was no one there I cared to see again. Once I left that place I never ever looked back. |
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Ditto! Only add a few more years...
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Carole ... in Wales
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mom2mpr
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High school was a good experience for me. And it was a public school. I finally caught up with my peers academically and was enjoying not being "stupid".
I was in ps all my life. My parents put me in a cluster program in 3rd grade. Some new educational project/research where I got to play all day with kids in 3rd and 4th grade. Not one academic thing was done with us all year--can you believe it?
We moved when I was entering 4th grade. I was sooo behind in the new school system.
So, by high school I was finally peaking academically and enjoying the challenges, neat choices of classes, sports, and clubs. Socially no one liked me anyhow so I just did my thing and had fun with the few good friends I did have--most not attending my high school.
Spiritually it was pretty tame. God was not in the school. I did attend the teen group at my church and that was a bust. So spiritually I was trying to find my own way--praying under trees and in the woods, scout Catholic retreats, and all with my Catholic bible. 
And I too, didn't have any inclination to attend my reunions. Went to the 5 year and had people who tried to make my life difficult hugging me like I was a long lost friend--I don't get that...
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Anne, married to dh 16 years!, ds,(97), Little One (02), and dd (02).
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momtomany
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lapazfarm wrote:
| Well, lets just put it this way. My 25th high school reunion just came and went. I had absolutely no inclination to attend because there was no one there I cared to see again. Once I left that place I never ever looked back. |
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Ditto, except I met my dh is high school. One positive experience!
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Mary Ann in PA
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imcatholic
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I hated high school - it was a college prep Catholic girls school. It was the biggest waste of my time. Now that I'm older I think of it as a prison. It's 4 years of my life I will never get back! Years ago they started having Alumni of the year kind of awards. I was so aggravated they never once stated that a Catholic school would have any kind of Catholic moral requirement in the award qualifications and no way of stay at home mom's to even be considered. It was all about your work achievements. I went to Archbishop Blenk High school. Since then it has been merged with another high school and it's now called Academy of Our Lady. It's so sad I feel that they completely missed teaching motherhood as a vocation.
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Beth
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JodieLyn
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There were good things in high school.. but certainly at least equally as many bad things.. my family wasn't Catholic and neither was I at that time.. but I guess it was rather morally neutral for me in that I didn't feel especially pressured to be immoral but neither did it really support moral choices.
Acedemically, sometimes it was good (great world history teacher) and sometimes it wasn't (being accused of plagerizing because someone my age couldn't write like that).. I had a couple of Math teachers that really had my respect and the time I was able to work out logically the answer to a science exam question that I didn't know because of learning it in class, and the English teacher that trusted me enough to bring back that book that I was allowed to take a classroom copy of Merchant of Venice home to catch up after being sick.. which brought about the discovery that I LIKED IT.. having never read Shakespeare except droning on and on in class with it continuely being interupted and analyzed to death.
I went to 3 different public high school because of moving.. not interested in a high school reunion because it was only that last year and a bit I was in that high school.. I had a few friends but I never really fit in there.. no friends that I even made an attempt to stay in touch with.
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JuliaT
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My highschool experience was one of the reasons why I wanted to homeschool my kids. I did not have a good experience at all. I was so relieved when I graduated from that place. I discovered that real life was nothing like life in high school.
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Julia
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juliana147
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My high school experience was disappointing, too. I still keep in touch with a few close friends from those years, but I didn't go to our big reunion this year.
Like imcatholic's school, motherhood and vocations to religious life were not a focus of the (Catholic) school. I think so much of that came from the time period in which I was growing up. I suspect it is still the same today.
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Angie Mc
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The biggest gift/strength of my high school is loyalty, tradition, and social connection. It is a rather small public school in a smallish city. Many families have attended the school through many generations. Some of the best people I have ever known attended that school...some of the funniest, most quick witted, and down to earth people.
Since it was a public school, it wasn't charged with spiritual development of students. It was predominantly Catholic students who attended. Since the faith wasn't discussed directly, it wasn't contradicted or confused. In this sense it was pretty neutral.
Unfortunately, academics were really awful. So awful that if I told you about it, you probably wouldn't believe me. It would make for a terrible B movie about how time-wasting, apathetic, and low achieving a school can be.
All of that loyalty, tradition, and social connection had its down side, too. Mainly in the handed down tradition of under-age alcohol drinking via outdoor parties. Turning a blinds eye combined with a "kids will be kids" mentality was oddly prevalent - commonplace.
So as much as I loved many of the people, and did well (by their low academic standards,) was well-liked, and had fun...it wasn't a positive academic experience. And all that fun combined with a collective cluelessness about the faith - that it was more than going to church on Sunday, bingo, and church picnics - didn't contribute to me growing in holiness. My soul was most certainly at risk.
When we chose to home educate through high school, I had confidence that I could most certainly provide a better academic standard and environment. I also really wanted to explore what it looked like to have a living faith...have our highest priority reflect concern for our souls. Plus, I wanted to ensure that our children had wonderful social connections and lots of fun, which we have worked to make happen. God truly has provided all of this for our family.
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Erin
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My highschooling was a mixed bag as I attended three different schools. The first Catholic the next two public.
Academically the schools were okay, more a case of different subjects were great, dependent on the teacher. Other subjects were mediocre. Science for example was never taught well and I can't recall a single thing learnt. Mostly copying information from the board in all three schools (Cringing Theresa?) I was often fortunate to have good to exceptional history and English teachers.
Spiritually well, in one sense rather appalling and in another my highschool years did bear good fruit.
In the Catholic school I was challenged to stand up for my faith (to the teachers, I challenged my RE co-ordinator as to the acceptablitliy of teaching gr 8 students that mas****tion was okay etc. I ended up going to the library during RE and did an indepth assignment on St Ignatius- love that saint) Anyhow the adverstity strentghtend me. Now the students never talked religion or God, so no growth from them.
When I left the Catholic school (refused to sign a statement agreeing to never challenging religion taught in the school) I went to the public school (grade 10). The students as this school talked religion alot, searching for God. I formed a close group of friends who were all from Christian families of every single denomination in town (there were lots) and students from the other groups wanted to talk God too. A lot of the students were from Nimbin (hippie capital) and had grown up with all that entails, communes etc. Most had attended Steiner schools, backgrounds were Hare Krishna, a rastafarians etc. But they wanted to talk God as well as the other kids. I took classmates to Pregnancy Help centres and talked abortion etc (some unfortunately I didn't manage to dissuade). Of course there were lots of drugs and alcohol etc in that school but no one bothered me. I grew alot in my walk with God in that school.
The third school (grade 12) was rather boring and the poorest academically.
I look back on those years with interest, they helped form me, but being so different comes at a price, I particularly felt this at the Catholic school, only three students out of 100 in my grade practiced. I certainly felt different.
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Erin
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Angie Mc
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This poll closed tonight. Please vote if you haven't done so! If you have time, please share your experience. Thanks, all, for participating!
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Chari
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lapazfarm wrote:
| Well, lets just put it this way. My 25th high school reunion just came and went. I had absolutely no inclination to attend because there was no one there I cared to see again. Once I left that place I never ever looked back. |
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Those are MY exact sentiments, Theresa! 
I like the friends I have NOW Waaaay better than those old ones!!! 
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Chari...Take Up & Read
Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: High school a positive experience?
