[pylon]

I certainly agree with a lot of points with going to learn in a classroom environment, however, for a kid like myself, I also learned what it was like to get picked on day in, day out, and that was probably the biggest reasons for my failures. I dreaded going there, as I knew I would be tormented by the "popular" kids.

A big problem in that equation too, is the fact that teachers when they see a kid like I was, do nothing to help, and sometimes partake in the bullying. I actually had a retired teacher tearfully apologize to me 10 years ago for the treatment I recieved. That teacher, cornered me after school called me a pimple faced, snot nosed, punk loser, that will never amount to more than a burger flipper, and that, and I quote "was burning to death, he wouldn't piss on me to put the fire out." I went to the principle at EP Scarlett with this, and they told me I was lying, and he would never say that. I dropped out 2 days later, as a direct result and was that loser for quite a few years until I fought my way through the workforce. The system had failed, and I had nowhere left to turn.

I happened to run into him at Peanuts pub when I was 27, right after I had collected an award from the MDA as the top VW salesman in the city in that same hotel. I told him, I dropped out because of what you said, and struggled for a lot of years as a result. You violated the trust that should be between a teacher in student, and in my eyes, failed the system that was supposed to be there to help me. Once you told me you couldn't give 2 craps, I knew I was destined too fail. While I may not be a doctor or a scholar, I am the best at what I do, and made the most of the cards I was dealt, without the help of you or your colleagues. The public school system shares absolutely NOTHING in my successes, in fact it set me back probably 5 years.

I have honestly never seen a man look so remorseful in my life. He broke down and apologized and said he vividly remembers the incident, and felt bad, yet couldn't apologize as it could have resulted in him being reprimanded or even fired. A lot of help that did for me dickwad. Even after he knew I had dropped out, the guy refused to extend the olive branch.

What he and the system failed to realize was my behavioural issues were centred around the fact that I was constantly bullied, and in defense mode every minute I was at school. Outside of school, I was just a normal kid that liked cars and sports. But when I showed up there, I was the dirty jew kid, with acne, a teenage mother sister who I constantly had to stick up for, and had a lot of anger as a result.... with public school system did NOTHING to help me, or protect me, and I went to a pretty decent school. Teachers fall into the bullying trap just like a lot of students, or a lot of the time just look the other way.

Was I an angel, certainly not... did I derserve that treatment as a 16 year old kid with a really messed up home life at the time.... not in a million years.