Please give me positive stories about teenagers that have struggled at school but have gone on to do well after

[piedpiper1976]

Just that really.

Well - my mum - excluded from her school before O levels - married at 18 - single parent at 26 - qualified as a teacher when I was 16

I left school with O level History/English and Geography CSE - I now have a masters and a job I love

DD1 - struggled throughout school - threats of managed moves, exclusion, school refusal - even in 6th form we had teacher turning up to get her to go in - she's now smashing it at uni.

In my job I work with young people who never finished year 11 - and we get them back on track - not everyone fits the same hole!

I have a group of old friends from school days. the one who was taunted at school and outside of school for not being very clever has gone on to do the best out of the whole group of us - own business, employing multiple people, second home abroad etc. Another friend who wasn't particularly academic started off on one of the old youth training schemes back in the eighties and also worked their way up to a top banking job. My sil left school with virtually no GCSE's and has also done fairly well in a decent career.

DH.
Flunked school, skipped most of his GCSE exams. Worked as an apprentice agricultural welder for a year or two then joined the Navy aged 18. Done 24+ yrs now, absolutely adores it and doesn't want to leave. Earns more than me (straight A student, University, goody two shoes teenager etc).

also my ex - did well at school but had to leave at 16 to support his mum - got an apprenticeship in a creative industry - now runs his own successful company

I know two. One who failed all their A levels, struggled for a year to get back into education, then went back and did A levels and got a first class honours degree and a really good job! His parents were supportive but also backed off from dictating what he should do next, giving him the space to find his own way.

Another one dropped out of A levels and took a year off, finally went back, got them and just completed his degree.

I also know several who didn't get on with formal education but went straight to work and are really doing well in their careers.

School is a very narrow environment and doesn't suit everyone. Colleges are often better for children who don't study in a conventional way and have more options for study areas, like BTechs or NVQs.

My dd2 hated school and left as soon as she could. Went to college instead and is about to qualify (age 19) as a beauty therapist and has a great job lined up in a posh spa. She hated school from the start and often begged me to home school her.

Struggled how? Mentally/academically?

I’m both; I had debilitating anxiety at school and wasn’t very bright in most subjects I came away with a mostly C’s and D’s.

Leaving school made my anxiety clear up massively - albeit it did come back later in life but this was due to a traumatic expensive happening.

I also went on to do in house training and gained a HE qualification. To be honest, I worked really really hard to gain the qualification, I thought I’d be set for life with a decent career and expected to be paid accordingly. I was wrong. It’s probably more a matter of wages where I live just aren’t very high - but it was absolutely atrocious in that line of work. I had that job for a few years before having our first baby. I then looked at jobs working from home and found a job not too far away, working from home, paying almost double what I was on 5 years into my HE qualification as a starting rate.. and was advertised for people fresh out of education needing only basic GCSE’s.

I had a shit time at school, when people say their the best years of their life and tell kids “you’ll be wanting to go back one day when you’re in the real world” is absolutely bollox - I’d never step foot into school again. I’m very happy and content with my life now.

My DB was bloody awful at school. Never expelled but often suspended, he sat his exams but didn't actually attempt them at all- he left with nothing. After a few years working hospitality and manual jobs he did an evening college course to get some GCSEs and he joined the army (much to all of our surprise) but he loved it. He got some decent qualifications and left about a decade but now using the skills, experience and qualifications the army paid for is in a very very well paid job in a secure sector.

Some of my friends as well left with few qualifications but have gone on to succeed albeit it does limit some careers. I do think even some very intelligent and talented people just don't do well at school, it doesn't have to define the rest of their life. One who comes to mind is someone who scraped through school, always in trouble but once she was free has done very well in hairdressing. She lives and works in Aus now but did hair for TV and all sorts!

Ot depends what you mean by well, but DS enjoyed the social aspect but was largely ignored in every other way. He was a low average in everything academic, sporty, musical and did just enough to stay out of trouble. He's now really thriving in a management job with a large retail chain and seems to get promoted every 6 months.

I work in a PRU (school for children excluded from school) and in recent months we've had visits from 2 ex students. One to service our fire alarm and one to install some IT equipment.

DS really struggled in 6th form. Came out with very average to not very good qualifications but enough to get him a good apprenticeship. He's in his second year now, off here there and everywhere with work, just bought himself a new car and is thoroughly enjoying life. School can be incredibly difficult for some people and I say that as a teacher myself.