The education system is failing us
Ruby from the Cynics talks about her experience in dealing with ADHD at school and the importance to share our experiences so that we never feel alone.
Ruby: If you ask the majority of teenagers today whether they like going to school, the most likely response you would receive would be, no. The one lesson that I took from my eleven years in school was the need to reform our education system. I was always a pretty good student until I started secondary school. Sitting in a classroom amongst twenty-nine other students, for the first time, became a big challenge. I would find myself building in frustration and restlessness, feeling as though the four, grey walls were closing in on me. By year eight, I found myself getting into more and more trouble and receiving frequent punishments. It was at this point that I started self-harming because the physical pain was a feeling that I could comprehend. I was unaware at the time.
At the age of fourteen, after being labelled naughty, attention-seeking and selfish for two years, I was diagnosed with depression and PTSD. Regardless of that, the school refused to accept that I wasn't choosing to be this way. I continued to get detention after detention, sent out of at least one lesson a day, numerous occasions in isolation and put on behaviour reports with inclusion officers from the council.
In year nine, I realised that things weren't going to get any better unless I moved to a new school. However, by the second day, I had already been temporally excluded. A few months in, after several more suspensions, the head of the year believed that there was more to the picture, and if there wasn't, then they said that I wouldn't be able to stay at the school.
At the end of the same year, I was also diagnosed with ADHD, and I began taking medication. There are conflicting opinions on taking medication; however, I found that they really did help me feel better. But better still wasn't good enough for them, and at the end of year ten, I was kicked out of the school.
Fortunately, I was able to find a college that understood me. I needed to be in an environment where confidence is more important than conformity and obedience. From this experience, I have developed a determination to try and make a change. At my lowest points, one thing keeping me going was music. There is no better feeling than being amongst a crowd of people all singing the same words, at a live gig. To be able to have the same impact on other people, just like my favourite bands have done for me, is what I want more than anything.
If even one person were to listen to my band and made them feel as though they aren't alone - that would be incredible!