Help and Support
Hi, in case you didn't already know, my name is SoulRiser, and I'm the person who runs this site. (more about me here). I've been out of school for many years now, but I keep this site up because I remember how depressed and angry school made me, and I want to help other people who are going through that. That's my main goal for this site. If it's fun or entertaining as well, that's nice, but I don't really care about that. If you're here because you need help with something, then I really really hope that I can help you in some way.But I'm only one person... and I'm introverted and quite often antisocial, so I'm not going to be available to talk to everyone who needs help. :(
So I made this page as a collection of all the most useful things I know of. I really hope at least some of it helps.
Search
If you're looking for help with something specific, you can use this search page to search all of School Survival, as well as EQI.org.Feeling suicidal or really depressed? Read this first...
What to do if school makes you depressed and/or suicidal - this is a collection of everything I could find about how school makes people depressed, and some ideas for what you can do (and what not to do).Help with unsupportive parents
This is difficult... it's really hard to deal with unsupportive (or even downright crazy) parents when you have nowhere else to go.EQI is the best site I know of, it's full of information about Emotional Intelligence, and how to spot emotional abuse. EQI is run by my friend Steve - he's worked with depressed teens for many many years and really cares a lot.
Here are some of (what I think are) the most useful pages about dealing with parents:
Dealing With Difficult Parents: A post I made which I think is a good starting point for figuring out what you can do.
Emotional Abuse: Sexual and physical abuse are just the tip of the abuse iceberg. The bulk of the abuse in the "developed" countries in the world today is emotional abuse. --Steve Hein
Emotional Intelligence and Parenting - a guide written for parents... if you could somehow get them to read through it, that may help you, if they're willing to change.
Emotionally Intelligent Listening Skills
Respect - Earning respect + Respect vs Fear and Obedience
Emotionally Incompetent Parent Disorder
Help with getting out of school
Finishing school online could be an option for you - it's usually an easier option for parents to agree to than most other alternatives. You could try talking to the people at the online school of your choice and get them to help talk to your parents. Some online schools are even international. I have a list of online schools here, and a list of free ones in the US here.Join the Alliance for Self-Directed Education forums - this is a good support forum full of people who are involved in a variety of types of alternative education. The Alliance for Self-Directed Education is a nonprofit in the US, but no matter where in the world you are, they should be able to point you in a direction for how to get started with some kind of alternative... hopefully.
If you sign up for the ASDE forums, they do ask for a donation on the registration page, but it's optional. Nobody will judge you for not donating. I also have an account on those forums: SoulRiser. But like I said though, I'm pretty antisocial. :)
Catalyst Learning Network - Catalyst is a learning community.
Catalyst offers a program that can replace school. Teens pursue their own interests, develop their strengths, and receive support, coaching and mentoring.
Catalyst members from all over the U.S. and the world connect online and pursue learning activities of their choice ... outside of the standardized environment of school.
Write About It
Writing about your feelings can help you to deal with them. You can do this in a private journal, or you can get it published on the School Survival blog if you'd like to share it with others.School Survival Discord / Chat
We have a Discord server for you to join if you need support, or just someone to listen to you: click here to join.If you've never used Discord before, just click the link above and follow the instructions. You don't need to install anything - you can chat with us using just your browser.
