Struggles with Traditional School as a Child

And What I Learned Outside the System

Growing up with intense ADHD, traditional school was never a good fit for me.

Sitting still.
Staring at the board.
Trying to follow the lesson…

It felt impossible.

While the rest of the class worked quietly, I’d be off in my own world sketching in the margins of my notebook.

Some kids would whisper:

“What’s wrong with that kid?”

I heard them.
I just didn’t care.
I was different and I knew it.

The First Person Who Really Saw Me

Then something changed.

A teacher came into my life someone who didn’t try to “fix” me.

Instead, he saw something in me.
Potential.

He gave me space to grow literally.
He moved me to a small room at the bottom of the school where I could learn at my own pace. There was a ping pong table for breaks, and even an old gaming PC we used for schoolwork.

That space became my safe zone.

And slowly… I started learning.

In that room, I learned to read.
I learned to write.
But most importantly
I learned that I could learn.

The Rise of Classroom Anxiety

Even though I began to grow, new challenges followed.

I started to develop something I now understand as classroom anxiety.
The idea of walking into a classroom started to feel scary.
It wasn’t panic or chaos it was quiet dread.
It made everything harder.

Middle school only intensified it.

I was far behind, still working on 3rd or 4th grade-level material while my classmates had moved ahead.
Kids would ask:

“Why are you doing baby homework?”

I’d shrug it off with a quick:
“Focus on your own work.”

But inside? It stung.
It made me feel small.

School Wasn’t Built for Me But I Kept Going

I hated being in those classrooms.
And to be honest, it wasn’t easy for the teachers either.
They had other students. One-on-one time wasn’t always possible. But some of them really tried and I’m grateful for that.

School was never easy.
But I got through it.
And more importantly I kept going.

I didn’t follow the traditional path.
I built my own.

Through projects.
Through creativity.
Through learning on my own terms.

And when I look back, that one teacher’s belief in me still means everything.
He saw something in me before I saw it in myself and that made a lasting impact on who I am today.

If School Didn’t Work for You You’re Not Alone

People always say school is important and I agree.
But if you didn’t catch much of it like I didn’t…
If you feel behind or disconnected from “the system”…
That doesn’t mean you’re doomed. It just means your path is different.

Here’s my advice:

Start learning about real life.

Learn how to pay bills.
How to invest.
Learn history.
Learn how the world actually works.
Start building a version of adulthood that makes sense for you.

You don’t need a perfect school record to grow.
What matters is that you’re learning now.
That you're doing it because you care.