I feel so pissed off (and somewhat depressed) right now. I am a high school sophomore (2.5 uw, 2.75 w. I know this is really bad but I was struggling with a lot.) For context, I am currently dealing with a Psychology teacher who doesn’t teach, I have yet to see her teach anything throughout her entire 20 years of “teaching”. This isn’t like a story of a regular bad teacher or whatever, it is almost impossible to pass her class. She gives off tests in the most stupidest way possible, she expects us to memorize a diagram even though we dont even know what we’re looking at and she doesn’t tell us what we’re looking at. My future feels like it’s on the line right now because of her. I currently have a D in her class and the rest of my other classes A’s and B’s. I’m already struggling with my mental health and dealing with unfortunate circumstances I didn’t choose. I have noticed half the class change their schedules from that class (understandably so), yet of course I got sick on Friday and I sent an email, in which she responded saying no. She has yet to give me a reason why. I have tried to take online classes in FLVS (The florida’s version of online school) to at-least boost my GPA by taking AP Gov, yet I’ve for some reason been denied because it’s “at school”… and I can’t take it at school. The only AP course I have right now is AP Biology. I have sent an e-mail about this and no response. I have done everything I can to make my future not look like a McDonalds worker and everything is against me. I don’t know what to do, I need advice yet I feel like im going nowhere. I’m struggling with my anxiety and depression and dealing with everything at once makes me feel like I’m never going anywhere in life and end up homeless on the street. Please, help me.
Your future is not on the line because of a teacher you don’t care for (and for whom you really cannot possibly have “yet to see her teach anything in her 20 years of teaching”. ) You will have many supervisors/professors/etc you don’t like in your future. Best to learn how to experience it. If you have a challenge with a teacher or class or schedule, set up a meeting with your school counselor, for both academic and mental health help.
Your school counselor is the only one who can deal with this.
I’m not sure how you could have seen this teacher teaching poorly for 20 years when you are about 16. Rumors?
The number one thing you need to do is get help regarding your anxiety and depression. This is way more important than worrying about what courses you are taking and all the other things you mentioned in your initial post.
First off, deep breath!
I agree with the above post that first and foremost, work on your health. If you are feeling depressed and anxious be sure you are talking to a professional to get those issues well managed.
Also, a poor grade in an elective isn’t going to derail your college goals. But talk to your school guidance counselor in person.
And don’t worry about loading up on AP classes. One AP as a sophomore is pretty typical where I’m from.
I assume that Psychology is a one-semester class & AP Biology is a full-year class. Since withdrawing from the class is no longer an option, you need to try your best to earn a final grade of “C” or higher, if mathematically possible. Since you are performing better in your other classes, including AP Biology, this could potentially benefit you when colleges evaluate your sophomore grades. I would hold off on taking any more AP classes until 11th grade. You also need to work on improving your GPA junior year >3.0 & senior year >3.25, another potential plus for college admissions (and the less weight placed on psychology).
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Talk to your school counselor and if you have a teacher you are close with or a parent or a friend’s parent, they may help you
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I don’t care what you do in high school - there’s always a solid future out there for someone who works hard.
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Please be “sensitive” to career roles. There are a lot of people who work at McDonalds or other fast food who make a very good living. I’m not suggesting its your future but it is for many who work hard to support their families so don’t shame any careers - you never know who you offend.
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My guess is, if you have a 2.5 / 2.75, your schedule may be too hard for you - so taking APs may not be wise. It’s ok to stretch but you shouldn’t go to something well beyond your strengths.
Sending emails doesn’t always work - sometimes conversations need to happen face to face. Sometimes you need to get parents involved. If the counselor can’t meet, maybe have your parents set up a meeting with a principal. If they are not involved, ask a teacher you trust or have a rapport with what to do.
But remember, no matter what you do in HS, you still have a successful future ahead if you want it and work hard for it.
So don’t let this get you down - but breathe. Make sure you get exercise and sleep and take appropriate classes that are right for you. And you certainly don’t need to load up with APs.
Good luck.
First of all, I agree with other answers. The most important thing right now is your health. This is more important than any one class in psychology or any AP classes.
This is exactly right.
I do not understand why you are taking any AP class at all. You do not need any AP classes at all through all four years of high school. I would recommend that you do as well in this class now that you are taking it, but do not feel that you need to take any more AP classes and definitely do not strive to take a lot of them.
One daughter attended a very competitive suburban high school. Many of her friends were very competitive and striving to take many AP classes. One friend was less competitive and took exactly no AP classes at all throughout high school. She still got accepted to multiple good universities. Which friend is currently a Physicians Assistant (which involves I think a master’s degree in addition to her bachelor’s degree)? Of course it is the friend who took no AP classes at all.
I also know someone else who had a similar GPA (B’s and C’s) through all four years of high school. I sort of suspect that they may have also suffered some mental health issues but we have not talked about it. They went on to a relatively low ranked but still competent university, got into a major that they cared about and really liked, worked very hard and did VERY well. They then transferred to a relatively highly ranked university, continued to do VERY well, got a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree, went on to a PhD at a different university, and are now a professor emeritus at a very good university in a beautiful location where they would never have gotten accepted straight out of high school. They also never took an AP class in high school.
And one daughter never took an AP class in her life, and is currently studying for a PhD in a very good program.
It really is possible to do well in life starting with how you have done up to now, and without taking any AP classes at all.
The key is to get your mental health in order, and to develop good study habits.
In many high schools in the US, you will be surrounded by highly competitive students who are striving to take many AP classes, and who may be bragging about how well they are doing and how many AP classes they are taking and which highly ranked universities they are aiming to attend. Please learn to politely ignore them. They are high school students. They do not know what is really needed to succeed in life. Straight A’s and lots of AP classes are not needed at all to do well in life. Finding the path that is right for you is needed, but there is no hurry to get there. Life is long, and at this point you really just need to find your pace through it, and learn not to let everyone else bother you.
And I agree that you should talk to your high school counselor about this. You should make an appointment to talk to them in person.
You should also find some appropriate mental health counseling. Again, mental health is very important, and a high school student having some issues with mental health is way, way more common that most of us would like to admit.