How much school did you miss as a kid because of JW issues?

rebel8

I was just remembering all the school I lost. Were you guys taken out of school too or is it just me? I know my mother has mental health issues, so maybe it's just me that had this experience.

In elementary school, I went home early any day they celebrated someone's b'day or had any holiday celebration.
Taken out of Health classes for entire weeks while they discussed puberty and sex education. Could not even stay for discussions of menstruation.
Taken out of Science classes, again for entire months while they discussed evolution.
Forced to drop Science in high school for same reason. Had to take extra Science classes in college in order to get a degree.
Taken out of Music classes whenever they sung anything offensive, which was all the time. Not just holiday stuff either. I was taken out for an entire semester because the class was re-enacting a play in which one of the characters said someone was "flat chested". (Of course there was no problem forcing me to spend entire summers with my foul-mouthed jw cousins who said much worse.)
Taken out of gym classes because of refusal of preventative medical care to keep my blood disorder in check. (not that I minded missing gym!)
Missed months of school at a time for the same reason. Too sick to go to school. Almost got held back a grade in 1975 for this reason, while my jw mother was in the fervent 'Armageddon is coming this yr, who needs doctors' phase. She ended up convincing school officials to waive the attendance requirements and let me work at home. I don't know how she managed that one.

Crumpet

Wow - you missed quite a bit rebel8, but not as much as me!

We took all our family holidays during term time, because it was a good way to avoid worldly association - so that was probably about 5 weeks a year.
I missed 3 and a half years between 10 and 14 because my mum found a rude poem in my lunchbox and they decided I should stay at home from now on whilst my sisters went to school. it was only when i started bringing reproach upon jehovahs name by telling people that being at home was like prison that they sent me back to school.
my attendance record when i went left school at 16 was 75% although I can't equate how much oft his was down to JW related stuff.
I guess in total between my school life of 5 and 16 I missed probably about 5.3 years of my 11 years of education. 3.5 years at home, and then only 75% attendance average which equals another 1.8 years.

God thats shocking! However my informal education did start early - I could read quite well by the age of 3 and was learning from 18 months. Its not all bad!

Lady Lee

My mother forced me to quit school at 16. So I missed 3 years of schooling. Got to stay home and raise my 2 brothers and sister instead

rebel8

We took all our family holidays during term time, because it was a good way to avoid worldly association - so that was probably about 5 weeks a year.

I missed 3 and a half years between 10 and 14 because my mum found a rude poem in my lunchbox and they decided I should stay at home from now on whilst my sisters went to school. it was only when i started bringing reproach upon jehovahs name by telling people that being at home was like prison that they sent me back to school.

Oh-mmmmyyyyy-gawd!

Aren't there laws preventing parents from taking their kids out of school for 5 wks to go on vacation?

Now onto important matters, what did the poem say? :)

logansrun

rebel8,

I strongly suspect that you are exaggerating.

Taken out of Science classes, again for entire months while they discussed evolution.

I've never heard of any US public school at any grade level discussing evolution "for entire months." Hell, I went to Chicago Public Schools all my life and I can count on one hand the number of times evolution was mentioned, which is a travesty. (And just look at Kansas!) Your statement above is, to be blunt, very suspect.

B.

PaulJ

I DID get sex education, but missed all assemblies, birthday celebrations (on a couple of occasions), religious education lessons. You just get used to it....

upside/down

Although I went to a prestigious Catholic school... and got a full ride academic scholarship... I skipped college and boldly joined the ranks of the "pioneers" with visions of Gilead grandeur in my sights...with the New System bound to be here by 1986 (the International year of Peace and Security)...

Silly u/d... thought he was doing the "right" thing...

Silly, silly u/d

u/d (of the dumbass with a good heart class)

minimus

A lot. But I liked not having to go to school on celebrations because I'd sleep late and have a day off.

RichieRich

I was homeschooled for the seventh grade. I didn't learn crap.

Everytime there was a birthday party, I had to sit closeby, and watch... which is just as bad as not being there.

I could never go to any sporting events.

Crumpet

Aren't there laws preventing parents from taking their kids out of school for 5 wks to go on vacation?

rebel8 - my parents would get done for me truanting nowadays for all those holidays and a fine, but back then a note saying I was on holiday was sufficient!

the poem was something very crude about Uncle Dick playing with Aunty Fanny - such as you'd expect from a child. I think it had four lines and rhymed. My mother made a huge deal about how when she found it she was vomiting literally in shock and disgust! Of course the elders were dragged in. How freaky that seems now! I was a babby - I didn't even fully understand that these were double entendres - obviously my mother did though! Anyway one minute i was looking forward to secondary school - next I was at home by myself studying for 10 hours a day.

How much school did you miss as a kid because of JW issues?

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