School.

[Ballad]

'ay Smogonites.

I've been online schooled all my life. I'm thinking about starting up public school next year. Seems like it'd be a good thing to do; gets me used to classroom environment so I don't get ruined in college, and particularly social interaction.

A few concerns though...

I know personally I don't think it does since none of my friends ever say anything about it and I don't hear about it much. But how much physical bullying actually goes on?

If you join a sport and miss a class(es) or an entire day doing a meet or something for that sport, how's it handled? If it's a teaching day do they give you notes or something? What about test/quiz days? Do they usually take off points for these assignments? I know in my online school a late assignment gets a 50% point reduction, would anything similar happen in this case with a public school?

Do you guys generally find that stuff is taught well enough to understand it and get A's consistently? I know this is dependent on teacher and student but I figure there's got to be something that can at least be partially assumed from this.

Socialization. What do you do to meet people? I ask this because a lot of my friends have tons of other people they hang out with. Do you randomly say hi to people? Is it just people you meet getting paired up for assignments or something? People you just randomly socialize with at lunch tables or sitting next to each other in class?

Do you guys think I'm right wanting to give up online school for public school anyway?

 

[Stagnant]

Never heard of pure online schooling.

Depends on where you live and your grade level. The older you and your fellow classmates are the more people tend to keep things to themselves. Bullying is a non-issue.

Teachers often work hand in hand with their sports departments. Some teachers will say "You knew ahead of time of what we were doing and that is no excuse to not hand in an assignment." Most teachers aren't dicks like that though.

Honestly, again depending on the grade level, Ele-Mid-High School are a breeze. You will probably have no issues getting A's as long as you do the work. Otherwise, you will pass regardless with 'minimal effort'.

To meet people I suggest joining activities that you enjoy or have been wanting to try out. Such as, Choir, Band, Sports, Art, and other school activities such as that. Don't dropout of any classes though (bad rep!... not that such a thing truly exhists). More or less, just be yourself around people. They will probably be interested that you've taken Online Courses for such a long time and from their you have some groundwork to work with. More than likely, someone will 'take you under their wing' and you will gain several friends. Finally, make sure you attend school activities... socializing events more or less.

Junior High (Middle School) and High School is more or less about socialization.

 

[Lusit]

Bullying is a non issue, and the classes (Even the 'advanced' ones) are ridiculously easy. Don't worry about it at all.

 

[Blackhawk11]

Hey!

Don't be concerned. Changing school settings can be scary, but you can handle it. I promise, it's not gonna be nearly as bad as you might be thinking about.

Physical bullying should not be of any concern to you. You will not get beat up, stuffed in a locker, or flushed down the toilet. Disclaimer: Mental/emotional bullying does occur, but it isn't common and shouldn't happen to you. People might make fun of you, but without knowing how you act I can't say that for sure. Even if you act a little different (you've been online schooled, I assume it's quite different than regular school, so you might act strange to the people you meet), people won't make fun of you for it, and if they do, it won't be to your face. Don't let any thoughts of any kind of bullying bother you.

Sports are a great thing to get involved in at school. It's a way to meet new people, let out some energy, and challenge yourself physically instead of mentally. If for some odd reason you'd need to miss a day for sports (tournament or something?) you get an excused absense and you get the same number of days you were absent to complete any homework assigned while you were gone. This applies if you're sick and miss a few days as well. Tests are generally made up before or after school, you just have to arrange a time with your teacher. (Note: that is the policy at every school I've been to and I assume it's fairly standard, though your new school may be different).

I'm a good student. I pay attention in class and I do all (ok, most) of my homework. I have a 4.0 (all A's). Public school is, as mentioned, ridiculously easy provided you are good at paying attention in class and understanding what you hear. Learning is pretty dependent on teachers, but they normally 'teach to the test' (a policy I kind of disagree with), which means if you do your homework and take notes you'll do great in the class.

You meet people everywhere! Many of my good friends (at least two of them are people I consider among my best friends) are people I started talking to in class, because they were sitting right next to me! Don't be afraid to ask your peers questions. When I changed schools awhile ago I tried not to rely on the teacher as my first option when I didn't know how to do a problem. High school (in my opinion) is where you either learn how to be social or fail miserably at it. As long as you try to talk to people, you'll be fine. Riding the bus, playing sports, and joining clubs are places where you can meet people in a social setting. You practically have to talk to people then. Don't be shy, but don't be so obnoxiously talkative that nobody wants to be around you. Find the right mix between them that works for you.

DO IT!

 

[cantab]

'ay Smogonites.

I've been online schooled all my life. I'm thinking about starting up public school next year. Seems like it'd be a good thing to do; gets me used to classroom environment so I don't get ruined in college, and particularly social interaction.

Firstly you should say where you live. My answers will be based on my experience in the UK

I know personally I don't think it does since none of my friends ever say anything about it and I don't hear about it much. But how much physical bullying actually goes on?

Not much bullying, but fights certainly happen. Thefts happen too - I had some git nick my graphic calculator, a not-cheap bit of kit.

If you join a sport and miss a class(es) or an entire day doing a meet or something for that sport

That doesn't happen in UK schools

What about test/quiz days? Do they usually take off points for these assignments? I know in my online school a late assignment gets a 50% point reduction, would anything similar happen in this case with a public school?

In the UK there are two deadlines for work that 'counts'. There is when the teacher wants it, and then there is when the exam board NEEDS it, which can be months later.
(In the UK, your qualifications are all handled by external examination boards. Coursework gets marked by them, and exams are written and marked by them.)
Hand in an assignment, whether it's regular homework or exam board coursework, late, and you'll probably earn a detention, though not all teachers care.
Miss an exam, unless you're genuinely ill (and it has to be properly getting medical treatment ill), and you're in big trouble. If your school lets you you might be able to resit it, but you'll have to pay the fee. If it was the last set of exams, you're gonna be delayed getting your qualifications - having missed your June exam the next chance isn't until next January.

Do you guys generally find that stuff is taught well enough to understand it and get A's consistently? I know this is dependent on teacher and student but I figure there's got to be something that can at least be partially assumed from this.

Well I got As in everything, good teacher or bad. But I had one very bad teacher, another bad one that we actually managed to get changed (!), and a fair few who were poor at controlling the classroom.

 

[akuchi]

I think everyone is being a little optimistic. I dunno how much socialisation you've had, or where you're going, or how old you are but bullying definitely does not quit once you're of a certain age. I'm twenty and there is a somewhat 'bullying' attitude exhibited, by example, from the people I live with at university.

People will always pick on the outsider. Don't assume you'll get flak from people, but be prepared for it, and don't let it get to you. The trick is to ignore it until they like you.

 

[Firestorm]

I didn't see too much in the way of physical bullying really. Depends on your area I'd assume.

As for friends, you already have some friends it seems. Will they be at the school you're going to? Meet up with them and meet their friends. Most of my friends are people I met through friends I already had. They then become your friends as well, and you meet their friends. Your network just grows like that.

If you miss a class due to a field trip or sport, you usually have to inform the teacher first to get signed off on it. Ask a friend, or even the teacher if they're a good one, what happened in your own time after school hours. If there were any notes, grab those. Unless your teacher is a total bitch like one of mine was, you won't lose marks for handing in something late because you were away for a school event.

Grading is done teacher by teacher. No one can really help you there.

I think public school is a very good thing for kids to experience =) Although one of my friends used to be homeschooled until university. He seems to be fine. I met him by working on a project with him throughout a semester. We had a common interest (games) and him and another guy in our group are still good friends.

 

[Stagnant]

I think everyone is being a little optimistic. I dunno how much socialisation you've had, or where you're going, or how old you are but bullying definitely does not quit once you're of a certain age. I'm twenty and there is a somewhat 'bullying' attitude exhibited, by example, from the people I live with at university.

People will always pick on the outsider. Don't assume you'll get flak from people, but be prepared for it, and don't let it get to you. The trick is to ignore it until they like you.

You sound to pessimistic. Sounds like to me you take to many smalls things to seriously. Sure there will always be some form of bullying and in the end it ultimately depends on how you deal with it.