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Site Purpose:

This is a support site for students who can't stand being forced to go to school. We are not telling you to drop out, rebel or do anything in particular. What you do is your decision and yours alone, we can just provide support and information for whatever choice you may make. What works for one person won't necessarily work for everyone. The point is: the choice is yours to make. And if, for whatever reason, other people refuse to let you make that choice, you will always find someone here willing to listen to you.

It's okay to hate school:

There is nothing wrong with you.

If you hate school, parents and teachers may be quick to label you as 'troubled' or 'defiant' or diagnose you with a bunch of disorders. Nothing could be further from the truth.

There is nothing wrong with hating school, there is nothing wrong with hating being forced to go someplace you don't want to and being "taught" things that don't interest you in ways that would kill you if boredom were lethal.

You're not worthless if you don't get good grades, and you're not mentally ill if the mere thought of school scares you.

In fact, you're probably perfectly sane.

They say school is for learning? Well, being bored is hardly any way to learn anything! No wonder hardly anyone remembers what they were forced to memorize at school. School isn't about learning, it's about training people to be obedient to those with authority over them.

Don't trust school to 'educate' you - only you can be trusted with that!

This psychologist has a message for kids who hate school:

I, as an adult and a psychologist, want to say to any children out there who hate school: you are not alone. Most people hate it too, but usually they don't feel entitled to say so, and many can't bear to think about it so they hardly even know how they feel. You are not mad – you don't have a Deep Psychological Problem (though you might develop one if you stay in school against your will!); and you are not bad for wanting to live your life the way you choose, doing what you think right – that is what everyone should be doing. You are not the problem: coercion is the problem. Being forced to go to school is the problem. (read the rest of this article)

But kids need an education!

If you think kids would not learn anything if it were not for school, you might not be aware that there are alternatives to school. You can even take classes online.

Alternatives to school:
Homeschooling/Unschooling
Online Schooling
Dropping out / getting a GED
Charter schools
More...

And if your parents won't let you try any of the alternatives, you can stay in school to spread the word. If school is driving you insane, here's a guide on how to survive if you hate school. But whatever you do, don't break stuff or hurt anyone, because that will just feed the stereotype that kids need to be kept under control. This site's design is dark and gloomy for one reason only - 'cause it looks cool that way :P

If you have a website, please link to us! Here are some other ways you can help, too.

By the way, "anti-school" doesn't mean "anti-education".

If you need to let off some steam, you can add a rambling here. Anyone can post and it's completely anonymous.

What's on this site

(Feel free to use this image as a banner to link to this site)

Stuff to read Some recommended reading. Survival Kit How you can survive school and make a difference at the same time. FAQ Answers to frequently asked questions (advice and stuff). Comic Relief Some fun stuff to help ease the pain. Spread the word Tell other people about School Survival :) Community Forums, blog, chat, newsletter & more. ... and lots more on the left menu bar.

Get News & Updates

LATEST SITE UPDATE

6 Jan 09 How to make a resume
Happy new year :) Ayliana wrote a guide on how to write a good resume or CV, especially if you have no college experience. Also created a new section for it, about Alternative Jobs & Income Sources... so that means there will be more stuff added in there eventually.

Older site news

Download this site

The School Survival Guide: For offline reading, easier printing & distribution... (It's not the WHOLE site - there's no way the WHOLE site would fit in one text file and still be readable... but it's a good summary anyway).
school_survival_guide_v1-3.zip - Version 1.3

Translation help needed

We would like to have translated versions of this intro available in other major languages - so if you can translate it into your language, please contact me and let me know! Thanks :)