Being an Indigo in the School System

[Triple11]

Have you considered asking your parents if you can homeschool? Often you can complete the work in half the time, leaving you more time to Persue your dreams!!

Do a little research on the benefits of homeschooling and present your findings to your parents.

[phoenix13]

Yes, I have considered homeschooling, but it's not in the cards for me at present. At this point in time, it's more beneficial for me to just finish high school than to start something completely different. Besides, I'm at a 7 year school, and I feel that to quit now after all those years would be the biggest waste of my time, and the biggest mistake I could make.

[OctoberSky]

School has always, I mean ALWAYS been a trouble for me since I started.. It just wasn't for me. Now here I am in the 12th grade with 6 more days left of school and most likely not getting a diploma because of anxiety with school and just not fitting in with all of it. People tried to label me with ADHD and Aspergers and all of these things and I am none of them.. It's just my thinking is higher from all of that. I see it as pointless, this 12 years of school teaches us nothing whatsoever useful that we need to know when we go out in the world. People know this.. But they just keep going along with the program because they are so afraid and think that doing this and all this higher education stuff is the best thing. It just turns off there intuition basically..

I know I am not stupid at all.. Just because I have no diploma it should say that I am stupid?? No, I don't think so. I know who and what I am and won't let some stupid diploma tell me if I am smart or not.

[Kekova]

Dear Phoenix,
I can definitely empathize with your struggle. I'm an English teacher, not a student, but I often take issue with the constricting nature of our public education system. I love working with young people, discussing literature, and seeing my students grow as readers/writers/thinkers. As a teacher, though, I find that the school system doesn't value what I value. I waste so much time on paperwork, grading, collecting data, and other meaningless busy work, so I rarely have time left over to plan engaging, creative, and inspiring lessons. It's frustrating when you have your own ideas and want to bring artistry and passion into your work, but you're told what to teach, how to teach it, and what content knowledge/ skills are important (i.e. anything on the standardized tests) and what isn't important (creative writing, meaningful discussion, collaborative group projects, etc.)
Anyway, I just wanted you to know that there are teachers out there who are on your side and who feel the way you do. I know school can be awful (believe me- I was almost kicked out of undergrad for failing too many classes), but I'd really like to encourage you to push through and get that high school diploma. After that, you have plenty of options. You might take time off to travel or just figure yourself out, or you might enroll in college and find that you love it because you are finally able to study the subjects that interest you, or you might prefer to enter a vocational school, or you might decide to dive into the work force. But for right now, my best advice would be to talk to your teachers and let them know that you're struggling. Some will probably tell you to suck it up, but there will be one or two who understand you and want to help. When I have students who communicate with me, I am a lot more likely to be lenient with late assignments, excuse missed homework, or even offer alternative work if they just aren't good test-takers. We don't want you to fail, so if you ask for help, most teachers will truly do what they can.
If the situation becomes dire and you start thinking about dropping out, consider taking the GED test so that you have the equivalent of a high school diploma.
I hope that some of what I said is helpful to you! Enjoy the summer break!

[phoenix13]

Kekova,

Thank you for your words. It's interesting to hear about school from the teacher's persepctive. I don't often think of it as being a two-way struggle. And thank you for your advice about taking the GED, but I doubt I'll need it. The irony of this situation is that I excel at school. I ended this semester with straight A's at my college prep school, where we're required to take many AP courses. I don't have a problem with the work. Quite the opposite, actually. It's too easy for me. It's absolutely boring.
I'm starting my senior year after this summer. I've started looking at college, but to be honest I'm not passionate about any of the schools I've looked at. What I really want to do is travel, spend some time exploring the world. I want to teach myself. I'm worried college will be a repeat of high school, where the classes are too easy and the teachers are reading aloud from textbooks. As a teacher and an adult, what is your advice when it comes to college? Do you know of any alternate paths?

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my plea.

Peace,
Phoenix

[intj123]

Originally Posted by phoenix13

Kekova,

Thank you for your words. It's interesting to hear about school from the teacher's persepctive. I don't often think of it as being a two-way struggle. And thank you for your advice about taking the GED, but I doubt I'll need it. The irony of this situation is that I excel at school. I ended this semester with straight A's at my college prep school, where we're required to take many AP courses. I don't have a problem with the work. Quite the opposite, actually. It's too easy for me. It's absolutely boring.
I'm starting my senior year after this summer. I've started looking at college, but to be honest I'm not passionate about any of the schools I've looked at. What I really want to do is travel, spend some time exploring the world. I want to teach myself. I'm worried college will be a repeat of high school, where the classes are too easy and the teachers are reading aloud from textbooks. As a teacher and an adult, what is your advice when it comes to college? Do you know of any alternate paths?

Thank you for taking the time to reply to my plea.

Peace,
Phoenix

College is only easy if you go into an easy major.
I very much doubt you would be tooting the same tune if you majored in something like science or engineering, where your intuition can be totally wrong, and you'll be forced to think in a backwards(counterintuitive) way.

It's also hard because they load you with work that takes up a lot of your time to complete.

But you can just be a B or C student and go through it stress free. Not very many companies are going to ask you your GPA in college, they only care that you have that piece of paper called a degree.

I was like you, until I dropped out of college lol. But I didn't drop out of college because the work was too hard, I dropped out because I became super paranoid after having a psychic experience with one of my professors and found out he was reading my mind, then I psychic attacked him and then all this weird stuff started happening and I just had to get out of that God forsaken place.

[alphamind]

As an Indigo you are a warrior. When you're into something, which you already are, be true to yourself. If that isn't possible, remove yourself from it. God takes care of the rest.

[coelacanth]

I am not an Indigo, but I did struggle greatly through the school system. Most of my friends did not have a good time in school, especially high school. We were all frustrated with the academic system and wanted to get out as soon as possible. For some of us, that was college. I went to a public high school where students could take community college courses for high school and college credit. Just something to consider.

Originally Posted by intj123

College is only easy if you go into an easy major.
I very much doubt you would be tooting the same tune if you majored in something like science or engineering, where your intuition can be totally wrong, and you'll be forced to think in a backwards(counterintuitive) way.

As a former science (biology) major, I actually found the opposite to be true. Biology wasn't challenging in any sense of the word; its difficulty was artificially inflated by the drudgery of busy work and the ruthless, competitive atmosphere of the department. Again, that was just my college. But I took an an anthropology course or two and figured out that major was more suitable to me and what I wanted (public health). It's definitely challenging - you need to be able to write very well and be willing to accept criticism in particularly uncomfortable ways, or you will not survive very long at all. People often look down on it because it's not financially rewarded the same way hard sciences are, even though it (and its related social sciences like sociology) are extremely important for society. I was nervous about switching majors because I was afraid of job prospects and how I would be viewed, but now I realize it was a great decision.

Originally Posted by intj123

But you can just be a B or C student and go through it stress free. Not very many companies are going to ask you your GPA in college, they only care that you have that piece of paper called a degree.

Somewhat true. It depends on your major and your goals post-graduation. This advice is usually given to engineering and computer science majors. If you're going to grad school, you'll probably have a hard time. If you're going straight into the job market, you'll be OK - and after you've got a few jobs under your belt, you can start leaving off the GPA. Nobody cares about your GPA if you've got good experience and recommendations.

Originally Posted by intj123

I was like you, until I dropped out of college lol. But I didn't drop out of college because the work was too hard, I dropped out because I became super paranoid after having a psychic experience with one of my professors and found out he was reading my mind, then I psychic attacked him and then all this weird stuff started happening and I just had to get out of that God forsaken place.

Yikes. I've had my share of creepy professors. Those people are basically impossible to deal with, so congrats for getting away.

[Somnia]

Hi phoenix...

I'm not sure what grade you will be entering when you go back to school this Autumn, but if you say you only have a couple years left to go it's very possible you could graduate early depending on what curriculum you are following. I'd check with your school counselor as soon as possible and find out how many credits you have left in order to graduate. If it's not possible for you to graduate early it may be possible you could attend your final year for only half the day, but again you'd have to check your credits and your school's policy.

Employers don't care if you attended High School for all 4 years just as long as you have your HS diploma. If you want to get into college make sure you have really good grades because colleges definitely look at that as part of the enrollment process.

[Kekova]

Hi, Phoenix! Highly intelligent people like yourself often find high school boring- it isn't stimulating or challenging enough to keep you engaged. This is especially true because teachers have to focus on the average or below average kids, and they rarely have time left to provide enrichment opportunities for those who are above their peers. If you're not feeling particularly inspired about college right now, there's no need to rush into it- especially if you're going to need to take out loans to do so, and are not particularly sure what you want to study anyway. I would still suggest putting forth all of your effort into your final years of high school, though. You have to be there anyway, and if you eventually decide to go to college, you'll have an excellent record to help with admissions. Get some letters of recommendation from teachers before you graduate, too. I think if you feel the desire to travel and see the world, that is what you need to do- especially if you are financially able to do it! For some reason, kids are pushed to enter college right away instead of exploring other options. I think if college is the correct path for you, you'll get there when it's right. You mentioned not being particularly interested in any academic options college may offer, but I have a feeling that you'll find yourself inspired by your travels, and through that you'll decide what you want to study in college. You might cultivate an interest in art history, photography, languages, world religions, sociology, architecture, journalism...there are so so many subjects that travel could expose you to! And while you're right- you can learn a lot of that without a formal education, you might find yourself thirsting for the challenge of a formal collegiate atmosphere once the fire has been ignited. You may also find yourself more interested in college options outside of the U.S. I think if you find the right major and right school, you will be appropriately challenged. If you rush, though, you might find yourself in a program at a school that leaves you as bored and frustrated as your high school, and then be completely turned off to the idea of college. Hope my advice is helpful in some way! Best of luck to you!