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My education was neglected. I don't know what to do.
My alcoholic mother neglected my education from age 5 by "unschooling" me (it's code for lazy parents who are too prideful to admit their failure in homeschooling) I'm going to be 18 next year and I've never been so depressed and hopeless.
I tried to motivate myself to catch up academically years ago, but it just made me too upset to even open a text book.
I have no idea what to do. I feel like I have no future.
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You do have a future their are websites that can help as well aslo start from baby steps from the root and make your way up !! I too suck at studying but mootivation is the key to know you made it and youll be there . Nothing happens overnight is the effort you put in to achieve your goal. You got this rooting for you!
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First off I am very sorry to hear someone did that but you know what you are already on the right track you attempted to start your education that is a big step and I am proud of you.
Take it one step at a time. Make learning fun. Whatever level you are on the are books to help you earn such as reading,wriing,spelling math etc... Go to the local library and see if they have free textbooks or some for a few cents. Maybe even some pre- Ged. Classes. You can even ask a co-worker, family member or friend for help. Do not become discouraged. Become active. If you start today in a week how much will you learn then 6 months then a year. You're on your way. Just do not give up if you continue being angry at your mom and quit she wins. If you learn you will win!!! Good Luck to you.
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It seems you are at a stage where you want things to change but cannot bring yourself to try or push forward and make those things happen as is evident from what you said happened when you tried some years ago. The best advice I can give you is to try again and then keep on trying until you push past this mental block that stops you.
I did absolutely useless at school because of bullying being a major problem at my school and as a result I skipped so many lessons I just ended up doing really bad academically. But hope certainly is not lost because I picked myself back up and went at it again with college and after that with university which I started a few years back on a part-time basis. This meant whilst working I was studying from home towards a degree in psychology (am currently on a year out).
Start with something simple if you'd like, perhaps a short course that may have some kind of interest for you and then go from there. If going full time back to university or college doesn't appeal you can always try a university similar to mine where they will send the materials to you at home to study and work towards your qualifications but obviously with this kind of study you need to be able to motivate yourself a lot as you don't have a lecturer constantly telling you to get on with the work.
Make a future for yourself if you feel you don't have one and see what takes your interest out there. You'll find learning all this stuff is actually a wonderful experience. You could even opt to try see if you can find a company that are offering apprenticeships in certain job roles. With these you will have the opportunity to work and learn as you go in your chosen field of interest. I hope something here helps at all.
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First, I'm so sorry to hear this :( and I can definitely understand how this neglect can make you feel the way you do.
Second of all, are you enrolled in high school now? If so, I recommend getting in touch with the school counselor. If you're behind in your studies there can be some other opportunities such as adult school, continuation school, etc. Also, since this is a form of neglect you can always get in touch with someone here: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
You seem pretty smart and I'm sure it goes without saying that soon enough (even perhaps now), you are in charge of your life and future and no one else is. With a few resources I think your questions will be answered and a proper path will come.
In conclusion, if you are enrolled in high school get in touch with your school counselor and explain the situation. Tell them you're in need of some advice and you want to be able to properly graduate. If you're not enrolled in high school, I would go to that website, tell them your situation and that you want to pursue a high school diploma and you don't know where to start.
In the end, I believe I've seen online high schools and that sort. Once you have an idea of what path you want to take--it might be best to do online at your own pace and do what you need to do (work during the day, etc.)
I sincerely wish you the best of luck and don't let this bring you down. I know people who didn't get their diplomas until they were in their twenties. Take your time and stay motivated and remember: you're in charge of your own destiny.
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I am sorry that I could not answer soon enough. I have no idea of how to help but go online to your school district and see what you'd need to know to be a 12th grader and study what you need. I really hope I helped.
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I'm very sorry for the neglect you faced as a child. I can't say that I know how you feel, but I do know that there are good people in the world who you encounter all the time and may not even realize. God has a great plan for your life, regardless of the hard times you've gone through. I encourage you to reach out to people for help. You never know who may among you that can help you with education, depression, and feeling hopeless. If you don't go to church now, I encourage you to go and get plugged in to people in the church. I believe if you allow yourself to not be defeated by the hardships of life that something truly beautiful can come out of it. God bless you.
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The primary purpose of most schools is to keep kids busy while their parents are working. 50-80% of time at school is spent on things unrelated to actually learning anything. And when they do teach you anything, they teach it at the slowest possible pace so that the unmotivated don't get left behind. I honestly think that someone with zero education, but a *drive* to catch up, will be able to equal or exceed most school-educated people in only 2-4 years of intense study. It is entirely possible for you to even go to college if you work at it, though you might go a few years later than normal.
And I'm sure you weren't just staring at a wall for 13 years. Whatever you were doing, you must've learned *something*. In some areas, you're probably better than other people.
I recommend getting the most in-depth GED study book that you can and working toward a GED. If you find it difficult to work on your own, most community colleges will offer fairly cheap GED study courses. For math, khanacademy.org is a good site -- it's designed to teach math in the same way that schools do nowadays. On khanacademy.org, go to "Subjects" in the upper left and then go through "math by grade", starting wherever you feel comfortable.
Once you get a GED, you will have roughly the same level of raw education as a high-school graduate, and you will be able to get into many 2-year universities if you want. After getting an associate degree at a 2-year university, you will be able to transfer into many 4-year universities; there, you can get a bachelor's degree or even more. Your lack of education is a setback, but with determination you ABSOLUTELY CAN reach higher levels of education than even most high-school graduates.
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First off, theres always hope! Many uneducated people have done magnificent things in their lives. There are many ways you can informally educate yourself. Such as reading a variety of books, fiction non fiction. Watching history, science or any educational shows. Theres a billion ways to learn that do not require going to school and you can be just as or even more knowlegable s those who go to school. As for formal education you can try getting your GED! And from there you can pursue a college degree, taking remedial classes or getting a tutor if you need extra help. There are people who go to college years after being in hs who have forgotten or havent even learned half the stuff in high school thats in college. But they are still able to learn and complete their degrees and go on to do great things and get good jobs. Also maybe you have a passion youve been considering. Such as writing, photography, or anything that might not necessarily require a formal education. You could teach yourself the basics and practice practice practice until you get better. And then you can go and get yourself out there selling books or taking pictures or whatever it might be. Dont be hopeless. Life is full of possibilities and anything is possible. You can do anything, dont let your unschooling hold you back. I hope this helps and if you need anything ill be here! Good luck!
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First, it is never too late to start on your future. You have missed so many years of school? So what? You're only 18. I know it seems old but it isn't. You have your whole life ahead of you. You can get those years back. I promise you that you will regret it if you don't start now and do that for yourself if it is what you really want and dream of. Get someone else to help motivate you and hold you accountable for doing your education work. It is okay to seek help. Hire someone if you have to. You can do this. Educate yourself as much as needed for you to get into a community college eventually and if you have the brains for it (which I am sure you do) then after all that a university will seek you out and accept you if you keep your grades up. Don't let something your mother did effect the rest of your life. It is your life and you can do whatever you want to do with it. But you will have more opportunity and success if you choose school. It can be a drag but I believe it is necessary. So go start your future!
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It's hard to find motivation, I've struggled with it myself.
When you are eighteen you can enroll yourself in public school if want, but I think your best bet for your depression is try online schooling, especially if you feel really self conscious about your grade and age. Most importantly don't blame yourself, it's not your fault, you couldn't have the opportunities you should have. Every child should have the right to an education, but sometimes that's obviously not the case. I'm not saying blame your mother either. I know what's it's like to have alcoholic parents and although it may seem easy to blame them for the pain they are causing you, you shouldn't. They are also struggling in some way and maybe you try to talk to your mother about how you are feeling about school. If you have tried talking to her and she's doesn't take it well, then that ok because no one can admit bad habits and they usually hide their emotions, which doesn't mean you should do the same.
Think about what you want to do when you get older. What's your dreams? Goals? Have you looked at jobs? Careers? Colleges? It's hard to get where you want in life without an education. And trust me it'll be worth all the studying. Prove everyone wrong, that even though you had a hard time with your education, due to formalities, it never stopped you from getting where you wanted to in life. I'm sure once you find your motivation everything will work out perfectly and fall into place for you. The one thing you should never do is blame yourself for any of this, push through it. You can do anything you set you mind to. You will become an amazing woman. Just believe in yourself and know you are loved beautiful smart and worth it. Don't let anyone bring you down even if they are you family. Nothing you been through defines you. So go ahead pick of a textbook, because you are going somewhere in your life! :)
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Are you trying to get into college or get a job? I doubt an employer who is hiring people your age would take the time to make sure you really graduated or actually have a GED. In the job world, your grades don't matter. They only care about if you can do your job and be reliable. People your age generally don't have work applicable skills, so they get whatever unskilled job they can get. People who hire teenagers know this and will hire and train. You might have to do some basic math as a cashier, but that's pretty much it for an entry level job.
If its to get into college, you can pass the GED, then go to community college, then transfer.
I think you're taking the education up to this point a little too serious. After high school, grades don't matter unless you're keeping up your GPA to meet college requirements. As far as job, nope. So if you're just gonna get a job, don't trip.
Just in case you were thinking that: because you didn't go to school "normally" doesn't mean you're stupid, you have the ability to learn and retain information just like anyone else.
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First off...Don't feel like you have no future. You can do anything at any age. I understand what it is like growing up with an alcoholic parent. Learning is defiantly hard and it takes up a lot of your time up and it can be stressful. You can do anything you set your mind to...Im 24 and decided hey I want to go back to college to further my career and when I took the placement test I totally failed because I didn't study anything and haven't been in school for years. I totally understand the feeling being like "Forget this why am I so stupid" Which is not true. I learned that negative self talk doesn't go far and I think you just need to focus on yourself. You can get a job and start somewhere and work your way up. You do what your heart tells you and just remember this is not your fault for feeling this way. Maybe even sign up for a local gym or sport to meet new friends and enjoy doing something different. Just know that your 18 and you have SO much life ahead of you. If you are really struggling with depression I suggest going to see a counselor it has helped me a lot. If you need anything else please feel free to contact me. I hope things get better for you
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First of all, don't put yourself down! It's never too late to get your education, but the fact that you're self-motivated to do well gives you a huge advantage that not many people have. I didn't get an education because of my anxiety, I never thought I'd be able to and I had no hope for my future and now I'm doing my education online. You have so many options and you don't have to give up. It'd be a miracle for you to pick up a book and understand everything straight away, but you should give yourself credit for really wanting this and being motivated to do something about it. Don't put yourself down, it'll take time to catch up and learn everything you should have in high school, of course, but that doesn't mean that with hard work you won't get where you want to go. It's just a minor set back and eventually when you try very hard and you do better than you ever thought you'd do, you'll feel incredible. Make that your motivation to do well, put your mind to it and don't give up. You deserve your education, you deserve to have a bright future. Don't let this experience put you off that. I'm so sorry about what you went through, but this is now an opportunity to change your life and prove to yourself that you CAN do it.
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I'm very sorry , you need professional help to find out what level to start at , its easy with internet , your local library has every thing you need to start learning , free , if you have a lap top you can learn more , like when library is closed . I would start at the library tomorrow if I was you . that would also make you happier , take small steps and move forward , let me know how you make out at library , try to be positive , and keep people around you that can help , good luck , keep in touch ..tackle one problem at a time ,,
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There are some brilliant people who lacked a formal education so don't let that stop you.
Decide what you want to do with your life, research what is needed to do it and then you need the discipline and focus to go for it. Don't let your upbringing defeat you, you defeat it! Show yourself and the world what you can do and leave your neglected family life behind you. You're now old to make your own decisions, carve your own path through life and be who you want to be. Don't be upset, be challenged and rise to it.
Good luck.
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I agree with Rainhorse that the mind at this age is going to suck up information like a sponge and learn. I started school a year late due to when my birthday fell and even still it was a struggle as I wasn't quite ready. The subjects i struggled with in school no longer are a struggle when I got out of High school and as I became older.
So what can you do? You'd need to talk to someone about what kind of classes and tutoring there is in your area so you can get caught up on your basic education. If it involves things like being able to read and write, those are vital to function in society and you can learn those quickly with a tutor. Since you are at the age others would be entering college, My best guess would be to talk to a counselor at your local community college, not for joining college but to see if they have info or can steer you in the right direction as they'd have the best idea of what studies you need to be able to pass, what classes there may be for adults to attend to get what in US is called the GED, general education degree. This would be what I would try if in your shoes.
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It's fair to say that decently-paid opportunities in the current job market for unskilled workers are rare, and a lack of any academic achievement is going to be a real barrier. At 18 in the UK one would (if they had followed the path) be just about to start a university education. So is 18 'too old to learn'? Quite the opposite. Your brain is at a stage where it will soak up knowlegde like a sponge mate! I'd suggest you make a real effort to obtain some formal qualifications. Don't let one failure upset you. What was the quote? "Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. But fail better." Adult education is the proverbial 'different ballgame'. And you can do it part-time. Take any job to get some cash and fund it. OK, it might be a crap job. But you won't be doing it for ever, will you? It's just a stepping stone. This will build your self-esteem and confidence. The job will give you some life skills too. There's no reason why you can't become a great prospect in a relatively short time. The employer will see self-motivation and a pro-active attitude. They love these in a candidate. An alternative might be self-employment. Do you have a skill or talent? One that has no requirement of academic achievement? Is it marketable? If you are your own boss nobody checks your credentials. Do you have a friend who might help you make a business plan and help you with operational and financial aspects at first? The practical 'block' to this may be the capital outlay you need to get started. Not all businesses need premises and/or vast outlay on plant and equipment or even materials to get up and running. Is there a realistic gateway to YOUR plan? If there is you could give it a try. I think the main thing to keep in mind is that at 18 it's far too early to be talking about missed opportunities, no future, wasted life, failure etc. You've only just started to nibble at what life has got to offer mate! Come on. Get motivated. The first step is the hardest. In everything. Take that first shaky step and build from there. They might seem frustratingly small steps at first. But steps they are and steps forward. Formal school systems aren't guranteed to turn out big achievers. Many get a lousy experience from 'the system'. And you missing out need not be a mill-stone round your neck by any means. You can do it.
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