Skip class less

It is a habit of mine to miss school a lot for silly little things; it started in kindergarten with serious social and scholastic anxiety when I missed fifteen days (although five were admittedly for chicken pox), and there has only been one year where I have missed an acceptable amount of time: third grade, two days absent.  Being sick or not so often has taught me how to keep up with classes even despite my lack of presence, but it’s not a good habit to have gotten into and it needs to be broken.

Last year, I was absent seventeen days.  Seventeen!  So I’ve been making a serious effort to go to class this summer and not skive off for no good reason.  True, I did end up missing two days in a row (one due to an orthodontist appointment in mid-July that could not have been feasibly rescheduled before about the beginning of September and another because I was seriously ill), but for a six-week course and someone who usually misses at least once every week, I am proud of myself.

I can’t miss school for no reason this coming year, though, because I already have college visits scheduled - how ironic that they always have to be during the week when they want us to stay in school - and with nine periods a day, another four APs and an independent study course, it would be potentially devastating to fall far behind.  So my idea is this: if I can miss two days or less for the first semester, I will consider this done.

It’s not like I want to miss class so much.  I love education.  Some days I miss out of sheer laziness, but today was one of those stupid “my family is so poor that I’m down to two pairs of undies that are both dirty and all of my clothes have been worn this week” sorts of days.  At least I’m making some real headway on my lab report.  :/

Could be worse.  I’ve been productive, at least—created my application resume and tried to find some information on attaining a GED and whether colleges will accept one with an excellent score and outstanding grades in high school and on state and national examinations.  I’m a junior this year; technically I can earn my GED next October and enroll somewhere for spring ‘09.

Why?  Because I have social anxiety and severe depression.  Kind of a problem when you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning and find yourself throwing up before class.  :)

This is my fifth day absent of the year, and who knows how many classes I have had to miss from orthodontist appointments and band lessons.  I am trying, honestly, and I am not behind by any stretch of the imagination (I am actually ahead in almost all of my classes besides chemistry, and for that I have a study book anyway) and my teachers generally have no problem with me, but all of these absentee days are going to have a huge toll on the college application process.  Still, it should be impressive that I can earn A-pluses and miss so many days, and it shows that I have the determination to make up all of my work even though I am sick easily, right?  This is an excused absence, anyway, my mum is in the hospital and I am visiting today.  :/