So, I've always wondered...

[Shiny]

High school was actually fine for most people. It was middle school that was more like Hell. I guess most people by high school matured enough.

I can say that my school is probably not like a lot of schools, but every stereotype you can imagine was fulfilled. Theater geeks, jocks, cheerleaders/mean girls, nerds, arty kids, punks, emos, skankers (ska kids) sassy black girls, etc. etc. There were also the druggies who would sell in school to a lot of the popular kids. The black popular kids would do weed and the white cocaine...I'm sure when writers write about American high schools it' a lot like my high school was.

[Jinx]

High school was actually fine for most people. It was middle school that was more like Hell. I guess most people by high school matured enough.

I can say that my school is probably not like a lot of schools, but every stereotype you can imagine was fulfilled. Theater geeks, jocks, cheerleaders/mean girls, nerds, arty kids, punks, emos, skankers (ska kids) sassy black girls, etc. etc. There were also the druggies who would sell in school to a lot of the popular kids. The black popular kids would do weed and the white cocaine...I'm sure when writers write about American high schools it' a lot like my high school was.

See, my high school had all of this as well, but people intermingled and they were all friends with everyone. It was pretty cool, actually.

[Pike]

God, middle school was the worst. Sixth grade was the worst of the lot because everyone was terrible and cruel to each other, I dunno why... kids were 12-13ish so I think it's just that age. People mellowed out a bit in seventh grade but then you had to deal with the eighth graders picking on the "sevies".

The cliques were really pronounced in high school but it didn't result in bullying so much as it resulted in just... who you hung out with, I guess.

So yeah middle school was the worst.

[Shorty]

In agreement.

[Rebellious Eagle]

God, middle school was the worst. Sixth grade was the worst of the lot because everyone was terrible and cruel to each other, I dunno why... kids were 12-13ish so I think it's just that age. People mellowed out a bit in seventh grade but then you had to deal with the eighth graders picking on the "sevies".

The cliques were really pronounced in high school but it didn't result in bullying so much as it resulted in just... who you hung out with, I guess.

So yeah middle school was the worst.

Pretty much this. Middle school was awful to me but in high school no one really cared about singling people out and just stuck to their own groups and I made friends from all kinds of groups. I mean, there are cheerleaders and annoying football jocks and the "I'm sooo cool, look at my hip clothes" kids but no one really cares enough to bother each other.

[Jowy]

It took four years of therapy to undo middle school.

[fire_of_avalon]

My high school experience was weird. I definitely agree that more bullying happened for me in my middle school years, especially seventh grade. In eighth grade I turned thirteen and became a bad bitch. I wasn't mean, I just stopped taking trout off everyone. When I went to high school I had my friends and wasn't involved in any extra curriculars, so I stuck with just my group of smart, slightly awkward people. There were the jocks/cheerleaders and the rednecks. Those were pretty much the only cliques. They didn't usually bully people, but when they did I was usually like an interceptor. I didn't stand for stupid trout. I have some good memories and bad from high school, and I kept all of the friends I wanted to keep.

Sometime later this year will be the 10 year reunion for my graduating class and I don't really care at all. I have no intention of going and reminiscing with people I didn't care about then and don't care about now. Some of my closer friends from that era are annoyed with me about it, but I'd rather just have a relaxing night with friends than wear a dress and stand awkward and silent as people talk about their kids and how great it'll be for them to go to Madison.

[Agent Proto]

The only thing I usually hated about high school was lunch period, especially during Junior and Senior years, I didn't really have a group of friends I could sit down with, so I usually ended up eating alone or with a group of guys who didn't mind me. It was a bit depressing at the time, so I spent most of my time after I ate in the library or waiting by the stairs for lunch to be over.

[Shiny]

Glad to see that many EoFFers were bullied horribly in middle school. I say good because we managed to find each other on the interwebs to share experiences. You are not aloooone. :sing:

Middle school was definitely crap. High school wasn't much better. I mean it was fun and I had a great set of friends during that time, but that reunion can smurf right off. I don't actually harbor any bitterness to anyone, but I can say that many of them are still probably annoying. I find it funny how some people who were straight up dicks in high school have friended me through FB, but out of curiosity I friended them back only to see that they're pregnant, or a college drop out working as a cashier at some troutty Dollar Store/Hooters/some other troutty place. Success really is the best revenge.

[Pike]

My ten year high school reunion was last year and I didn't go. Yeah screw that, I'm not gonna show up and be all "I'M WORKING OVERNIGHTS AT TARGET " Almost all of my good high school friends moved away and wouldn't be going anyway.

I'm hoping I'll have more books published in another ten years and will feel a bit less like a failure xD

[kotora]

I went to a very good high school with mostly well-off kids, if I were to attend a reunion there wouldn't be anyone to mock for being a failure. At best I could look down on them for having boring careers in law or business or whatever. Good thing there's no reason for me to ever attend a reunion.

[Shoeberto]

I'll chime in and say that middle school was the worst in terms of bullying. Kids are just all full of hormones and turn into monsters.

Jowy's post about therapy to undo middle school is pretty similar to my story.

[Del Murder]

...is High School in America anything like it's portrayed in TV shows? Like with the football team and cheerleaders being the head of the social pyramid and all the bullying and locker pranks etc?

It's pretty much exactly like that. We even randomly break out into song.

[Freya]

Yeah I mean we had the jocks and stuff but they weren't dumb. Most jocks were also the smart kids. They were just active in everything sports, academics etc. Personally our cheerleaders were not "hot" and only wanted to be cheerleaders to try to become popular. All the impressionable girls who thought because of the media that that would happen. It didn't.

Middle school did have the most bullying wise. I'll agree with that. My town was really into sports but a lot of the non sports kids could careless so we weren't bullied or anything over it.

[Pumpkin]

It wasn't like that at my school. There were no cliques or groups or outcasts. Everyone hung out with different people. If you were friends with them, you would spend time together and if you weren't you would say hi and ask how they were doing in class or in the hallway. There were a few rude people but they didn't bully and it's like that as an adult. The cheerleaders and jocks were not the most popular (heck I don't even know who was a cheerleader or a jock) and there was no social ladder. Two of the biggest nerds I've ever known were very popular with most of the ladies and one of them had a new girlfriend every month or so, which is not at all like in the shows. Lunch hours were usually spent at restaurants or at the park across the street. Sometimes kids from the other nearby high school would come hang out. Sometimes a few of the teachers would come hang out.

Overall, nothing like they show on TV.