How did you fare in High School as a JW?

by PaintedToeNail 41 Replies latest jw friends

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  Aussie Oz

  Well it did not make me popular thats for sure! Picked on and teased, called 'jovo' a lot.

  Had one real friend all through high school. Was pretty awkward trying to explain JW stuff so in the end i didnt try. Was never part of a group so i never had peer pressure to take drugs, smoke, drink or chase girls (who thought i was weird anyway) Stayed away from sports and was in the library a lot.

  In the end, i didnt really scar me. Left at the end of year 10 to start a job. Wasnt interested in higher education, probably being in a small country town put that out of reach anyway.

  Wouldn't want to repeat the time though!

  Oz
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  Phizzy

  I kept it a secret as long as I could, when pressed as to whether I was one or not I replied "My parents are " which was true, I wasn't baptised then, and as I never pushed my beliefs at all it was never really a problem.

  One day the hardest guy in the school, it was a rough place, all his brothers were in Prison, came up to me and asked in an aggressive way "Do you believe in God ?" , remember this was the 1960's when it was fasionable to throw out all the old stuff, I replied "Yes I do", expecting to be punched or at least belittled, instead he looked around at the assembled cronies and onlookers and said "So do I !". I was most surprised.

  My reply would be different today though.
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  TOTH

  I grew out my hair and acted like an asshole. I tried HARD to not be seen as a jw kid. some kids that knew me from earlier school years knew I was but figured I was no longer one by my behavior. But in all fairness, it was the late 70's and my folks had more or less quit attending meetings. So it wasn't like I was dodging elders every day.
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  Apognophos

  I didn't mind being uninvolved in the social scene because I wasn't very socially oriented. I had a few quasi-friends who I hung out with at school, and my mother was even okay with my going over their houses (gasp!). This was because the cong. lacked kids my age and I suppose she was worried that I would become completely antisocial if I didn't at least spend time with some nicer worldly kids. I was never picked on for being a Witness, mostly respected for it, and it helped that I went to school in a posh suburban county with the same kids from K-12.

  However, academically, I was seriously underachieving. I wince when I look back at my records. I was never encouraged to think about how my grades would affect my future, therefore I went through school in a sort of apathetic fog. Having to balance homework, service and meetings only made it worse because I often did not find/make the time to complete my homework or study for tests. Of course there was no reason to care about GPA if I wasn't going to college.... I did end up going to a community college for two years, desultorily picking up an associate's degree in a subject I didn't care for because it was the only Witness-friendly subject that came to mind and I had spent no time thinking about what kind of career I could be passionate about -- most of the answers would have been Witness-unfriendly, and what's the point of thinking that far ahead when the world's going to end soon, anyway?

  So in hindsight, I don't feel like I missed out on stuff like dates and friends -- I only wish I had thought more about my future and studied harder!
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  PaintedToeNail

  So, for many of us, it was a painful experience. Missed social contacts and educational benefits. Blondie seems to have been able to juggle high school fairly well (good for her!).

  For me, it still seems to be haunting me. I don't have any social connections and it is damned lonely!
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  cobaltcupcake

  Oh god, high school! There were only two JW kids in a school of 1200, so I stuck out like a sore thumb with my long skirts (my father insisted I wear skirts at least 3 days a week) and my nonparticipation in everything. The other JW kid was a bad example type who didn't want the JW label, so he avoided me.

  Heeding the admonition to avoid "bad association" and especially boys, I wrapped myself in a protective "ice princess" demeanor as I walked through the halls. I did have a few friends, although I did not see them outside of school, but most of the time I walked through the corridors saying over and over in my head, "It doesn't matter what they think of you. It only matters what Jehovah thinks of you."

  I did get laughed at, whispered about, pointed at, and since I took myself very seriously it all hurt terribly. My parents were not available to me as confidants, so I was lucky when a JW girl a year younger than me started in my sophomore year. At least she and I could talk.

  I had anxiety attacks all the time and a knot in my stomach every second of the day. I was a smart kid, and my teachers put pressure on me to take the college-prep courses instead of business courses, so I was constantly having to defend "my" decision.

  The whole experience was torture.

  And at the end I never got to attend my graduation because we were at a stoopid district convention.
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  snare&racket

  James dont be such a dick

  Painted TN, it is a very difficult and sad upbringing for a child. Those years only come once and are stolen forever. The threat and fear indoctrinated in you and constant policing by your very own parents for things you want to do by nature makes for a very inhumane youth. Parents that had a non JW youth that lock down the life of their own kids should know better. JW parents that were brough up brainwashed themselves know no different.

  I would never force such a regime on my children. it only takes a scratch to the surface to see its all bollocks, youd think that a parent would at least scratch the surface before taking christmas, birthdays, education, girlfriends, parties, sports, music, films, games, friends and much more away from them. As Hitchens said even if it was true and god asked me to tie my firstborn to an altar and sacrifice him, id tell him to Fu*k off and id take the consequences.

  But we can start our own life again painted TN, at any age, its all up for grabs and make sure you have fun now xxx now our lifes desicions are ours and not our parents.

  I worked hard to undoctrinate my siblings, my nephews and nieces are enjoying birthday parties and will have an awesome Xmas this year. It makes me so happy to see them have what we were denied...I mean for goodness sake, no birthdays because on two occasions bad things happened in them? What about the absolute LIE that JW kids get presents all year round.... Bollocks! The worst memory is being dragged on the ministry on Christmas day, it was a semi wealthy area where many of my school friends lived. I remember being so sad and wanting to cry. All their nice houses all decorated, knowing they were enjoying nice food, presents and family time. I was handing out magazines on a cold day with my study group leader, wrapped up in coats, scarfs and cheap gloves. I remeber this day like it was yesterday... I knocked on my friends house, he opened the door,the warmth hit me and he just laughed... Neither he or his mum wanted magazines asking whether Jesus was a king or a baby in a manger... It was a low moment for sure. 18 years ago but raw as it ever was.

  Cant wait to have kids and have awesome Xmas and birthdays x
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  Balaamsass

  JR High Sucked. A number of classmates dads were in combat. I got pulled up and held by a crowd for the National Anthem with the Teachers OK. Got tired of being a punching bag.. so I became very effective at fighting...a good Christian boy lol!! High School was not as bad, but it is like looking through the window at the candy store. It does negatively affect ones ability to interact with others later in life...especially in social settings at work. Not taking college prep courses put me behind the curve and made working for a degree at night school later even more difficult.
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  Apognophos

  That's a good point, Balaamsass. I know that being limited in associating with "worldly" kids harmed my social development, which was already naturally stunted due to my personality. To this day I have no ability to communicate with the opposite sex. And most of my fellow kids in the congregation were jerks who I had no interest in hanging out with.
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  designs

  High School was a mix, no sports at school, no prom at school or Friday night dances, little hanging out with people at school. We had 30 teenagers in our congregation all going through High School so we had our own world and surfed, camped, had bike rides, motorcycles, football games you name it.