I keep hearing horror stories about student life in FCPS – depression, suicide, self-harm, etc. But FCPS has the answer. Apparently, it’s all the parents’ fault, at least that’s what they tell the parents.
Well, that settles that, doesn’t it? WTF? Not even a teensy bit of blame for the school? I know it’s a complicated problem, but ALL the parents’ fault? Makes you wonder if you can believe the rest of the shit they’re trying to teach you.
As teenagers, you guys don’t have a lot of options, but you do have some. One you may not know about is attending NoVA Community College INSTEAD OF high school. If you are 16 or 17 you can do that. Have your parents file a notice of intent to homeschool:
(http://www.fcps.edu/dss/osp/StudentRegistration/homeinstruction/)
and then register as a dual enrollment student at NOVA (http://www.nvcc.edu/future-students/admissions/current-high-school-students/¬)
and take all your “homeschool” classes at NOVA.
Besides getting out of FCPS, just think how grades from actual college classes will look when you apply to a four-year college! The college gets evidence about how you’ll do in college classes, and best of all, no AP tests!
(For those who say “it’s only a crappy community college,” look at how many VA schools will accept most if not all NOVA classes for transfer credit. They’ll even guarantee admission with a NOVA associates degree if you meet certain requirements (http://www.nvcc.edu/current-students/transfer/Search/GAAAdmission.aspx ) (not easy, but not impossible either.)
Finally, a little off topic, but high school is not the real world - you’ll be out of there soon and able to make your own choices and really start living. Hang on, and if you start thinking maybe you can’t, get help. One local resource is Crisislink:
CrisisLink’s Suicide Prevention Hotline:
(703) 527-4077
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, answered by CrisisLink in D.C. & Northern Virginia:
1-800-273-TALK
1-800-SUICIDE
1-888-628-9454 (en espanol)
or text them: http://crisislink.org/crisislinks-text-hotline/ (text: Need Help to 703-940-0888).