Why I Didn't Finish High School

People are always asking me if I'm really a high school drop out. The answer is, yes, I am. But I did finish college so it isn't as bad as it sounds.

When I was a freshman in high school my parents informed me that my dad was going to be going on sabbatical my senior year. This meant that I would be spending my senior year in Belgium. In order to not have to deal with a foreign school I figured I would try to finish 4 years of high school in 3 years. I took extra English and Math classes. I did well enough with my heavy load. By the end of my junior year I was only lacking 1 credit of PE and 1/2 a credit of world culture/geography.

I didn't think this was going to be a big deal. I figured I could take a swimming class and keep a journal while I traveled around Europe with my parents. Maybe even write a report. We had to have a special meeting with the principal to approve the plan. It was a no go. Even though my father was a professor at BYU he wasn't qualified to direct my studies. Now if he taught high school that would be different. Apparently he was just way to overqualified for the job. When we asked how they suggested I finish my schooling, they said I should just stay home.

Oddly enough my parents didn't think I should be left to my own devices at 17. Go figure. So as soon as we arrived in Belgium they enrolled me in a local school. It was a Catholic all girls school, where of course they spoke Flemish. I don't speak Flemish. All I needed, though, was to pass PE and 1 semester of geography, no big deal right? I could figure out that much.

It turns out I had a hard time in ALL my classes, even English. Yes, I has minor issues in my English class. I had to use British spelling and that threw me. PE wasn't just sports and running. One day we were expected run and jump off a bouncy thing over a pommel horse. I didn't participate that day.

One day in Math class the teacher got upset with me. I had misunderstood what we were supposed to be working on and was doing the wrong assignment. She was fed up and decided to malign me in front of the class. She got right up in my face and started yelling at me in Flemish. She said I was stupid and lazy and all sorts of other things. I ignored her. I pretended like she wasn't even there. The class thought it was hilarious and proclaimed me a hero at lunch. They couldn't believe I was so gutsy. I wasn't trying to be cool, I just didn't know what else to do. It was all pretty horrible, and I never went back.

Why am I bringing this up? Well recently I was volunteering at my kids school. I was asked to make some copies and on my way to the copy room I saw two construction workers. It is a new building and so there are construction workers around finishing up minor details like exits signs, sidewalks, and the playground. As I passed them I heard one of the workers telling the other that he was stupid, and he didn't understand how he could live here when he didn't speak English. He went on and on. The other worker just went on with what he was doing and pretended like the first worker wasn't even there. It was pretty horrible and my pent up anger from when I was in Belgium came bubbling up. I told the first worker he was an ass. He seemed surprised, but didn't respond.

I complained at the front office. I'm not sure what I expected them to do, I'm not sure what I wanted them to do. I told them that I didn't feel my children should have to be exposed to blatant racism in the halls of the school. They told me they had no control over the workers (uh . . aren't they paying them?) and suggested that I take my kids aside and talk to them about things they might have heard. Ya. Okay.