Still Having a Bad Day? Exchange Your Rants For Hugs Here!

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

That is the worst kind of advice I've ever heatd. You must tell people they are wrong with an even tone and civilized manners, so they feel stupid and you look unhurt.

You're right, but kids at my school don't take both of those kindly.

[Zathoth]

Well, whatever you do dont handle bullying the way I did.

By just taking it. I dont know what you should do though...

[DreamEternal]

You're right, but kids at my school don't take both of those kindly.

Yeah, but trying to be scary is more likely to make you look silly. I tried before.

[little wilson she/her]

I got rear-ended today. I dropped one of my friends off after work (we carpool since we work near each other), and was going to the store right down the road to get milk. And I got rear-ended. My car is mostly fine, though there's a nice dent on the bumper on the passenger side (he tried to swerve to avoid me but was too close), so that's good. I wasn't terribly worried, because I figured "I have insurance, and I didn't cause the accident, and he has insurance, and everything will be fine."

 

I called my insurance, because even though it's after-hours, my insurance has 24/7 claim service. They let me know that I'd have to pay the deductible if I wanted repairs done under my own policy. I'd already talked to my dad, and he told me not to let my insurance do that, since I'm not at fault. They told me to file the claim with the other driver's insurance. So I called them.

 

Turns out they're located in Chicago, and even though they say you can file a claim at this number, they don't have after-hours service, and they also say that you have to report a claim within 48 hours of it happening, yet because they don't have after-hours service and their office is only open Monday-Friday, I can't report until Monday morning. Over 48 hours later. And now I'm worried that maybe they won't cover it so I'll have to pay for the damages and I really don't want to even if I can afford it. So now I'm getting stupidly emotional and just want to curl up in a ball on my bed and cry. Even though that won't fix a thing.

 

Ugh. And this day was going so well.

[maxal she/her]

I got rear-ended today. I dropped one of my friends off after work (we carpool since we work near each other), and was going to the store right down the road to get milk. And I got rear-ended. My car is mostly fine, though there's a nice dent on the bumper on the passenger side (he tried to swerve to avoid me but was too close), so that's good. I wasn't terribly worried, because I figured "I have insurance, and I didn't cause the accident, and he has insurance, and everything will be fine."

 

I called my insurance, because even though it's after-hours, my insurance has 24/7 claim service. They let me know that I'd have to pay the deductible if I wanted repairs done under my own policy. I'd already talked to my dad, and he told me not to let my insurance do that, since I'm not at fault. They told me to file the claim with the other driver's insurance. So I called them.

 

Turns out they're located in Chicago, and even though they say you can file a claim at this number, they don't have after-hours service, and they also say that you have to report a claim within 48 hours of it happening, yet because they don't have after-hours service and their office is only open Monday-Friday, I can't report until Monday morning. Over 48 hours later. And now I'm worried that maybe they won't cover it so I'll have to pay for the damages and I really don't want to even if I can afford it. So now I'm getting stupidly emotional and just want to curl up in a ball on my bed and cry. Even though that won't fix a thing.

 

Ugh. And this day was going so well.

 

That sucks. Makes me thing of that one time, in Vancouver, when the car we ranted got vandalized. One of the window had been broken by some junkie looking for small change to buy drugs.

 

No biggie we thought: we have insurances, but we also were all the way across the country. So I called my mom to ask for advice, then the insurance company. Luckily, we did not have a deductible, so we thought: just let the insurance company take the bill. After all, we can't possibly be held responsible for a broken window on a rental car in another city thousand of kilometers from home? Can't we?

 

Can't we?

 

Well apparently, yes, we can   While the insurance company did pay for the broken window, they also did charge me an extra on my policies for daring asking them to do their job: insure me. Alright, that was expected, but I did not expect they would ask me an extra 100$ per year just for ONE reclamation on a NON-responsible accident on a RENTAL car in ANOTHER city while we were TRAVELLING.

 

Not only they did that year, but the year after and the year after and the year after and the year after and I eventually sold the car to buy a new nicer one. I made a series of call to insure it and..... yes, you saw it coming: they STILL remembered how SIX years ago I made a reclamation for a broken window     

 

And yes, they did charge me an extra.

 

How much did replacing the window initially cost? 500$. How much more did I ended up paying in insurance over the years? I dare not say.

 

I should have paid for the window and left the insurance out of it     

[Briar King]

Next time someone tries to call you a wimp, try your best to intimidate them. Get right up in their face, close as you can, and, in a very low voice, a dangerously low voice, tell them exactly why they're wrong.

This is how things were done in my time in HS but this was in late 90's when a nice fist fight would only earn you detention or Saturday detention. It's different times now though. It's lovely to put people in there in place. Idk the punishment now days if a glorious fist meets a face so it's probably not a good idea to do this at school.

Ed: not saying you should do this at all just saying it's how it was done in my day.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Briar King

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

This is how things were done in my time in HS but this was in late 90's when a nice fist fight would only earn you detention or Saturday detention. It's different times now though. It's lovely to put people in there in place. Idk the punishment now days if a glorious fist meets a face so it's probably not a good idea to do this at school.

 

I was lucky. When I started High school I was the kid who arrived about 2 hours early cos my Dad dropped me off on his way to work. I was too lazy to walk to the bus stop that was about 500 metres ( 546 yards ) down the road from where I lived so a 2 hour wait was worth it to me. Anyway when a year 12 guy tried to bully me when I was reading outside my home room, I kneed him in the balls, head butted him in the face and smashed my book as hard as I could into his head. A teacher was walking past, saw the whole thing and laughed at the year 12 kid for being beaten up by a year 8 and continued walking. I wasn't punished.

 

Note the year 12 guy was 17 and I was 13.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

This is how things were done in my time in HS but this was in late 90's when a nice fist fight would only earn you detention or Saturday detention. It's different times now though. It's lovely to put people in there in place. Idk the punishment now days if a glorious fist meets a face so it's probably not a good idea to do this at school.

Ed: not saying you should do this at all just saying it's how it was done in my day.

I was lucky. When I started High school I was the kid who arrived about 2 hours early cos my Dad dropped me off on his way to work. I was too lazy to walk to the bus stop that was about 500 metres ( 546 yards ) down the road from where I lived so a 2 hour wait was worth it to me. Anyway when a year 12 guy tried to bully me when I was reading outside my home room, I kneed him in the balls, head butted him in the face and smashed my book as hard as I could into his head. A teacher was walking past, saw the whole thing and laughed at the year 12 kid for being beaten up by a year 8 and continued walking. I wasn't punished.

 

Note the year 12 guy was 17 and I was 13.

 

And I'm from the era when a "fight" I witnessed went like this: 

 

Girl 1: You wanna go?

Girl 2: Yeah, but I don't wanna get suspended! 

 

Both girls were suspended for 3 days, even though not one punch was thrown. At the end of my brother's senior year, there was a food fight. He stayed out of the cafeteria, assuming everyone caught in the crosshairs would be punished. Sure enough, there were reports of students who weren't even involved being given detention or suspended. He saw one teacher (who, ironically enough, taught Leadership) dragging a girl off to the principal's office, completely ignoring her protests that she wasn't even fighting. (Those claims turned out to be true—she was trying to get out of the cafeteria and happened to cross this teacher's path on her way.) 

[SmurfAquamarineBodies he/him]

And I'm from the era when a "fight" I witnessed went like this: 

 

Girl 1: You wanna go?

Girl 2: Yeah, but I don't wanna get suspended! 

 

Both girls were suspended for 3 days, even though not one punch was thrown. At the end of my brother's senior year, there was a food fight. He stayed out of the cafeteria, assuming everyone caught in the crosshairs would be punished. Sure enough, there were reports of students who weren't even involved being given detention or suspended. He saw one teacher (who, ironically enough, taught Leadership) dragging a girl off to the principal's office, completely ignoring her protests that she wasn't even fighting. (Those claims turned out to be true—she was trying to get out of the cafeteria and happened to cross this teacher's path on her way.) 

 

Food fights actually happen?

 

I always thought that food fights were a product of Hollywood. I have never even heard of an actual food fight happening. Though to be fair very few schools in New Zealand have anything that resemble a cafeteria.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Food fights actually happen?

I always thought that food fights were a product of Hollywood. I have never even heard of an actual food fight happening. Though to be fair very few schools in New Zealand have anything that resemble a cafeteria.

Yes, but they're pretty rare nowadays. I have no idea if thy were common or not back in the 80s and 90s (I was homeschooled during the latter) but at the high school I attended, the staff was pretty strict. My friends and I would eat lunch on the floor in a spot by the stairs, since there weren't enough tables, and we were always pretty tidy. But one day, some students who had first lunch made a mess, so when second lunch rolled around that same day, our spot was off limits. No second chances, no warning, no acknowledgement that we were not the ones responsible.

So yes: food fights do happen, but some schools are not above imposing severe penalties when they do.

[Curious Anamaximder he/him]

Wow....

[maxal she/her]

Back in my day, there was at least one food fight per year. It was planned. Everyone knew when it could happen, including the teachers. 

 

They just let it happened.

 

Just as they let the water balloons fight happen.

 

Good old 90s.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Back in my day, there was at least one food fight per year. It was planned. Everyone knew when it could happen, including the teachers.

They just let it happened.

Just as they let the water balloons fight happen.

Good old 90s.

Wish I could've been in high school back then. When I was a sophomore, I took Leadership (taught by the teacher who bullied and manipulated the sweetest English teacher on campus into giving her control of the dance team). The advanced course was for the student council, who were in charge of planning all school assemblies. For the end of year assembly, they were planning to have the incoming and outgoing presidents fight with fake swords, but the fittingly named Mrs. Butz made them change it to a rap battle. A very lame one.

[maxal she/her]

Wish I could've been in high school back then. When I was a sophomore, I took Leadership (taught by the teacher who bullied and manipulated the sweetest English teacher on campus into giving her control of the dance team). The advanced course was for the student council, who were in charge of planning all school assemblies. For the end of year assembly, they were planning to have the incoming and outgoing presidents fight with fake swords, but the fittingly named Mrs. Butz made them change it to a rap battle. A very lame one.

 

A rap battle?     

 

Oh that must have been quite something to see... or to hear 

 

Back when I was in High School (or the equivalent of), I was on the year book comity. We had a student who was good at drawing and he had made several caricatures of our teachers. Funny stuff, nothing mean or anything. Can you believe they made us take it out of the year book?      

 

I guess some teachers have not sense of humor   

[Orlion Blight he/him]

There was an incident at my first junior high (before we moved out of state) that started as a food fight and became infamous because it progressed to a fight involving a bunch of thrown chairs. This happened a couple years before I entered this school, and students and teachers were still talking abt it.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

A rap battle?     

 

Oh that must have been quite something to see... or to hear 

 

Back when I was in High School (or the equivalent of), I was on the year book comity. We had a student who was good at drawing and he had made several caricatures of our teachers. Funny stuff, nothing mean or anything. Can you believe they made us take it out of the year book?    

 

I guess some teachers have not sense of humor   

 

It was something, all right. Something really stupid—and I mean really stupid. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Butz micromanaged every single line of that battle to make sure there was nothing even halfway offensive in it, because they were the most awkward, clunky, purposely inoffensive lines I'd ever heard. And there's nothing wrong with being sensitive to triggers, but they rapped about things like how much they liked spaghetti and how much they loved school. Like I said, it was really stupid. A sword fight with those plastic swords you get from Walmart would've been much more entertaining.

 

Although, I think Butz lost some credibility after she took control of the dance team. I didn't mention it before, but under the English teacher, that dance team was award-winning on a national level. They'd perform for their fellow students at some assemblies, and everyone agreed they were really good. Well, Butz took control and promptly drove that team into the ground. They stopped winning awards, stopped competing on a national level….and everyone agreed the English teacher should have control of them again. So, my senior year, I think Butz was ordered to stop micromanaging the end-of-year skit, because that year's duel between the incoming and outgoing cabinets had a distinct Mafia flavor to it. And not in a metaphorical way, either—it opened on the outgoing cabinet setting ridiculous terms for the incoming cabinet, which the incoming cabinet refused; was followed by all the lights going out; then, when the lights came back on, the outgoing cabinet members were all lying unconscious on the floor and the incoming cabinet was talking about all the changes they'd make. It was awesome.  

 

And I believe it. Some teachers are so sensitive.  

 

There was an incident at my first junior high (before we moved out of state) that started as a food fight and became infamous because it progressed to a fight involving a bunch of thrown chairs. This happened a couple years before I entered this school, and students and teachers were still talking abt it.

 

Yikes. Yeah, the food fight at my school wasn't nearly that bad. Some thrown food was all that happened, and while the teachers who overreacted will probably tell you that it was their overreaction that prevented things from escalating….well, I knew those students, and I'm pretty sure that isn't true. There's such a thing as "letting off steam," and had they been allowed to do it, I'm fairly certain they would've been responsible. 

[Silverblade5 he/him]

Maybe I misspoke earlier. What I meant was that you should make sure that they know you're not one to be messed with.

[maxal she/her]

It was something, all right. Something really stupid—and I mean really stupid. I'm pretty sure Mrs. Butz micromanaged every single line of that battle to make sure there was nothing even halfway offensive in it, because they were the most awkward, clunky, purposely inoffensive lines I'd ever heard. And there's nothing wrong with being sensitive to triggers, but they rapped about things like how much they liked spaghetti and how much they loved school. Like I said, it was really stupid. A sword fight with those plastic swords you get from Walmart would've been much more entertaining.

 

Oh yikes, that makes me think of my English classes back in High School... Since formal oral presentations had run out of favor, the new fab to evaluate our speaking skill was to put us in groups of four and have us "pick a topic" out of a box of cards. We were then required to talk for a few minutes on the picked subject.

 

Rather lame, I tell you, just as were most of my English lessons. They purposefully designed the oral testing this way because too many kids were shy to speak up in English. Come on. You won't get better of you don't speak. Anyway. I may be needlessly angsty over it because I was actually quite good at oral presentation and the format did not allow me to use my best skill set.

 

Anyway, that being said the main problem with the "oral" was not so much the format, but the topics. I mean, we are a bunch of 15 years old. How can you possibly think "Do you like to play with dolls" or "Are you afraid of lightening?" are interesting subjects to talk about??? I recalled when my turn came, I unfortunately picked: "When do you frown?" 

 

My answer was quite formal: "I don't frown.". Teacher let an exasperated sigh and told to pick another topic, then another, then another until I had spoken enough to call it an "evaluation".

 

Made me think of your rap contest on lame subjects such as "How much do you like spaghetti?" or "How much do you like school?"     

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Maybe I misspoke earlier. What I meant was that you should make sure that they know you're not one to be messed with.

 

There are many ways to accomplish that, though. One way—and this is one I wish I'd discovered earlier—is to find a hobby that is sure to get you teased, and then embrace the heck out of it. Become a brony. Take up knitting. Join a LARPing group. Do something that people will make fun of, and wear it on your sleeve. Tell them about it with pride. Wear that identity on your sleeve, and dare them ​to tease you for it. This will both let the other students know not to mess with you, and keep an overly paranoid staff from assuming you're trying to instigate a fight. 

 

Oh yikes, that makes me think of my English classes back in High School... Since formal oral presentations had run out of favor, the new fab to evaluate our speaking skill was to put us in groups of four and have us "pick a topic" out of a box of cards. We were then required to talk for a few minutes on the picked subject.

 

Rather lame, I tell you, just as were most of my English lessons. They purposefully designed the oral testing this way because too many kids were shy to speak up in English. Come on. You won't get better of you don't speak. Anyway. I may be needlessly angsty over it because I was actually quite good at oral presentation and the format did not allow me to use my best skill set.

 

Anyway, that being said the main problem with the "oral" was not so much the format, but the topics. I mean, we are a bunch of 15 years old. How can you possibly think "Do you like to play with dolls" or "Are you afraid of lightening?" are interesting subjects to talk about??? I recalled when my turn came, I unfortunately picked: "When do you frown?" 

 

My answer was quite formal: "I don't frown.". Teacher let an exasperated sigh and told to pick another topic, then another, then another until I had spoken enough to call it an "evaluation".

 

Made me think of your rap contest on lame subjects such as "How much do you like spaghetti?" or "How much do you like school?"     

 

Well, it's good to know foreign language classes aren't any less dumb in Canada I suppose. When I took Spanish, they'd teach us everything from the alphabet to prepositions through songs that might have been amusing to third graders. Maybe. They were so catchy that they're still stuck in my head, as much as I want to get rid of them. 

 

The worst part about that rap battle was that it wasn't supposed to be educational. It was supposed to be fun. Hearing two teenage boys rap about how much they like spaghetti and school isn't fun; it's lame. 

 

I always liked oral presentations, too. One history teacher I had was infamous for his "Two Minute Drills," where he'd give us a topic to research ahead of time. We would then talk for two minutes about what we'd learned—no visual aids, but note cards were allowed. Nearly everyone else hated those drills, but I loved them. 

[maxal she/her]

Well, it's good to know foreign language classes aren't any less dumb in Canada I suppose. When I took Spanish, they'd teach us everything from the alphabet to prepositions through songs that might have been amusing to third graders. Maybe. They were so catchy that they're still stuck in my head, as much as I want to get rid of them. 

 

The worst part about that rap battle was that it wasn't supposed to be educational. It was supposed to be fun. Hearing two teenage boys rap about how much they like spaghetti and school isn't fun; it's lame. 

 

I always liked oral presentations, too. One history teacher I had was infamous for his "Two Minute Drills," where he'd give us a topic to research ahead of time. We would then talk for two minutes about what we'd learned—no visual aids, but note cards were allowed. Nearly everyone else hated those drills, but I loved them. 

 

At least, I had foreign language classes, though I seriously dispute referring to English as a foreign language... I mean, we are surrounded. Most jobs require you to speak English. Even to work at McDonald, you need some English, though that's mostly in the Montreal area. Outside, it's quite the opposite... 

 

I recently learned students, in Ontario, are not obliged to take second language classes pass the 8th grade. One of my intern is from Ontario and when I prompt him to try out his French speaking skills, I was appalled to find out he had none as he had not taken any classes while in High School       Really? I have to take English all the way till the end of secondary school, worst if you fail English, you don't get your diploma. After that, in Cegep (in between cool level right before University) we still have to take English classes based on our skills. If you do well enough in the ranking system, you get English literature. I missed it by a few percentage... it would have been a disaster: I hardly knew how to write a sentence back then, much less a dissertation     

 

That being said, those classes were NOT great. What WAS great, was the English immersion program I followed in 6th grade. I learned one fourth my English there, another fourth watching TV (thank you Will Smith   for having enable a whole generation of French kids in Quebec to learn English), another fourth when I picked up reading in English and the last fourth through being forced to actually write it both at work on and on the Internet.

 

School taught me, to the most, one third of my current skills and it failed to teach me grammar.... 

 

I wish I had heard the spaghetti rap....               

 

I would have LOVED your history class! School looks so much more dynamic now then in my time. Nowadays kids are lucky 

 

Edit: For those who had followed my weather angst, I'll let you know we were greeted, this morning, by our first snowflakes     

Edited October 17, 2015 by maxal

[Zathoth]

There are many ways to accomplish that, though. One way—and this is one I wish I'd discovered earlier—is to find a hobby that is sure to get you teased, and then embrace the heck out of it. Become a brony. Take up knitting. Join a LARPing group. Do something that people will make fun of, and wear it on your sleeve. Tell them about it with pride. Wear that identity on your sleeve, and dare them ​to tease you for it. This will both let the other students know not to mess with you, and keep an overly paranoid staff from assuming you're trying to instigate a fight.

.

Just quoting you so you get notified.

 

Doesnt work, they just alienate you instead, which you shouldnt care about, but do anyway.

 

Popular teenagers get incredibly creative when it comes to making others miserable and they dont have to follow the Geneva convention.

 

Bullying is a huge catch 22. If you fight back they get worse, if you tell someone they get worse, but if you just take it they remain at the same level.

 

The only real solution I could figure out in retrospect is to find the coolest, most understanding teacher in school, tell them what happens, but the teacher cant tell the kids who tease you that you told the teacher. They have to say something like "I saw you making fun of Venture" I never tried any of this, it might not work, so dont blame me if it doesnt.

 

Or you could come up with a convoluted plan for revenge, thats at least fun and lets you keep your pride.

 

Whatever you do, dont let them keep teasing you. Whether you decide to fight back, try Twis advice, or tell someone, do something as long as you have the energy to.

[Delightful]

......has no one heard of getting one thing approved, and then in the moment printing/rapping something completely different?

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

......has no one heard of getting one thing approved, and then in the moment printing/rapping something completely different?

 

They could've done that, but Butz would've made sure they got in huge trouble for it. And I mean if she could have made sure the outgoing seniors couldn't graduate on time—which she might have been able to do—she would have. 

[Delightful]

Ugh. Such a butzkill.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

Ugh. Such a butzkill.

 

Yeah. She really was a butz.