I’m in lower 6th and yes I have only been so for about 3 months but the thing is that I didn’t even know if I wanted to go back to that hell-hole. The only reason I did go was because I didn’t know what else to fucking do and I have FOMO so I didn’t want to miss anything. But would I have missed much? Is school really worth the 7am alarm and the boring painful days? Let’s discuss it

Btw this isn’t me about to talk about smart shit like “you need to go for uni” or “it will make you successful” because firstly do I even want to go to uni? I don’t know. And secondly it won’t make you successful because how the fuck would that make any sense. I’m just talking about whether 6th year is really worth the emotional and physical burden so that I can help people in a similar situation to what I was a few months back. So let this be your guide or some shit but let’s get into it more

Teachers

Honestly, the teachers become your friend in a way. Like they actually talk to you and respect you more and you can slabbed about the younger years with them. Like I had always seen the really loud annoying people chatting with teachers and I was eaither like “how the fuck” or “why the fuck” but now they actually want to talk to us and it is easy to talk to them too. I guess it depends on how nice they are but for me I’ve been lucky. I suppose there is this one teacher who makes me actually shit myself but I think she doesn’t try to and like she is funny and tells us stories about her family which is cute. We actually had such a great convo about squid games which I guess is quite random but like we were actually all vibing over it. And then they talk to you even in the bus park and it just makes you feel a wee bit special and like before people would think it was a bit weird but when you are 6th year it is absolutely great.

It is weird I guess to see your teachers as actual human beings. Like they talk about a life outside of school and actually being a living, breathing person. Obviously it isn’t like we are hanging outside of school with them but like they tell us stories about there weekend and while I try to look interested I can’t stop from getting an existential crisis. It happens though I guess. Teachers were actually one of the reasons I was questioning if I should go back to school or not because, to be fair all the teachers in my subjects are good, but like you do have preferences and I was scared I was gonna get crappy teachers who were rude to me but like not even. I love all my teachers and even the ones I don’t have you I used to not like are actually nice and respectful when you are walking down the corridor. It’s almost as if they realise we are a human with feelings as well.

School to Life Ratio

Obviously I can’t speak for everyone and every school, but for me I do 3 subjects and that means I get a few study periods each day, well apart from the odd day where I have none, and so I get all my homework and revision and shit done during those periods. And do you know what is great about that? You guessed it! I don’t have to do shit outside of school. To be fair, I maybe should but like also I don’t really need to so like deal with it. You would assume that would make me have more time to socialise and, you know, be a normal teen girl, but like it just takes the homework out of my day and I stay my normal depressed hermit self. And I’m fine with that to be fair. It’s better than be a depressed hermit doing homework. So yeah, I feel like I was really scared that I would be bombarded with work and I would always have my head in the books like a DWEEB (jokes) but no literally I haven’t done anything at home and while there is a lot of work and it is a tad more in-depth and difficult, I get to study the subjects I genuinely like and that always makes it easier. So you don’t have to study things you don’t give two fucks about and it is more of a relaxed atmosphere. But I don’t know, maybe I should be doing work outside of school. I guess I’ll figure that one out but at the moment I am getting by with just in school. I’ll keep yous updated I suppose…

School Status

I actually hate that sub-heading because I sound like the start of every ‘coming of age’ American high school movie to ever exist but I just don’t know what else to name it because, believe it or not, I am not a walking thesaurus. But just ignore that and we’ll move on. So what I mean is that, you know when you are in first year on like p1 or maybe just one of the younger years and you see the older ones walk by and you think they are the scariest, coolest people to ever exist and their presence is a blessing to you. Well, you kinda get to witness that in a new perspective. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel that way about myself and I do genuinely get scared of the small first years who literally have no filter or understanding of actual social etiquette after ‘rona, but there are a lot and when you walk into the 6th form room or just walk past them at all, you know they are looking up to you and that you will be in the right no matter what. In short, you basically run the school. Well, more so the upper 6th but like we are nearly there so deal with it. I do feel kinda bad sometimes though because in school I sometimes look like a bitch but like it kinda is their fault cause there annoying as fuck, but I feel like they might think I am judging them, but like I am not (not too much anyway) so like I don’t want to make them panic I suppose. So yeah lol, you definitely do finally have that power and knowledge that we instil some fear in their lives.

But yeah, I suppose that is the post all done. To summarise, I guess I would say that 6th form is so different from other years. It is more chill in terms of the number of classes, relationships with the people in your year and your teachers and just the overall respect and trust they give you. It feels more like a home I suppose and for anyone reading this to help them figure out whether they should or shouldn’t stay in school, I say don’t focus on the work because if you don’t go then I assume you don’t want to go to uni, which is perfectly fine as well, but I mean having bad grades is equal to having no grades at all, but you still get the experience of school. I am glad I stayed on to be honest and I would say just to think about what you genuinely want. Not what society or your parents want you to do, but what you think is best for you. Obviously all schools are different but I really enjoy school at the moment and that is a lot coming from someone who had the worst fucking years of school EVER. And I mean I was crying most nights and genuinely thought I would never make friends or go to a party or anything like that. But listen, you will get through it and if you go to 6th year and realise it isn’t what you expected/need in your life, then fucking leave. It’s voluntary and free (in public school anyways) so just test the waters because what have you got to lose? Pretty much nothing.

Also I feel like a lot of people wonder if being in voluntary school makes it easier because you aren’t forced to go by law, but like I don’t really think about it that much. Like it doesn’t affect how I think of school or studying. It doesn’t make me more or less motivated. It’s just a fact an nothing else. So yeah, I hope that helped and please do like, follow and comment if there are any other questions or problems you would like me to talk about. Let me be your older sister in a sense because it is a hard decision to make, I must admit. I hope you have a great day, stay safe and stay yourself PERIODT.

---