I'm being pressured in school.

[CocoaHeyday]

All my grades are between 80-90%, but I'm being forced by Vern (native counselor) to get them higher.
I've also been offered tutoring, and a scholarship (if I decide to work for them) by an accounting company who wants aboriginal students good in math.
Last summer, I went to aviation school because they wanted aboriginal students to come work for them.
And Vern wants me to start tutoring other aboriginal students.

Everything I'm being offered is based on the fact that I'm an aboriginal student with decent grades. Plus, all my teachers are now expecting me to get 90+ grades and one teacher even expected me to get 100. I was even forced to take an assessment test.

The things in school I found fun, I now absolutely hate. They are pressuring me way too much and I want them to stop, but I don't want to disappoint them since I actually like these people. What should I do?

 

[Cogwulf]

You could relax and play along, taking advantage of the situation. Or you could tell your school that if they don't back off you'll drop out.

 

[GarmGarf]

Wait, hasn't this situation completely formed out of racism?

 

[Decaf]

The best thing you can do is take ownership. This is your life, your education. Its short sighted of them to try to mold you into a grade earning machine, because that's not going to help you in any vital way to be successful in life. Some of the things they're trying to do are great though.

If you take advantage of the tutoring you might find that you're able to explore parts of the subject you want to instead of what's part of the curriculum. Then again, if their only focus is trying to get you to earn better grades, then I'm afraid you'd headed to burn out unless you can get them to moderate their efforts. At some point you won't be able to sacrifice yourself for others anymore and all the resentment will build up into some form of rebellion. You won't be able to stop it because at that moment you won't want to. And trust me, I've dealt with people who never go through that part of the process and they aren't better for it.

All that being said, in the world we live in better grades mean better opportunities. There doesn't seem to be much difference between an A and a B when you look around and realize you understand the material just as much as the top student in the class if not better. If you want to work for a space program, a research and development lab or any number of interesting jobs, you better have gotten those A's because someone else who wants that job got 'em and without knowing any more about you, that resume will beat yours.

I was absolutely a B student by lazy choice. I figured 50% of the effort in class made the difference between A and B, so why not just half ass it and live comfortably at 3.0+? I had that philosophy all the way through graduate school and now I'm working tech support. Granted this phase is temporary, but it wouldn't exist if I had taken more responsibility for my transcript.


So advice? Talk to them. Tell them you're afraid of getting burned out because of the reasons you told us. Ask them for the opportunity to make use of your curiosity. Who knows if they'll have a solution for you, but you're bound to feel better if you trust that they're not oblivious to your needs when they try to help you. What's going to kill you is feeling like this whole thing called "education" is for them, not for you. To make it otherwise you need to make yourself heard.

 

[Decaf]

Wait, hasn't this situation completely formed out of racism?

The only behavior that isn't racist is behavior that doesn't take notice of the race or ethnic origin of any individual you come into contact with. By that rationale, teachers that are trying to change the cultural tendency of a statistically disadvantaged group in a positive way are racist. You defeat racism by being more than the color of your skin because you can't expect others to purge their perspective of all ethnic references.

EDIT: Obviously its up to Cocoa how its taken. I just don't like labeling things with emotionally charged terms.

 

[CocoaHeyday]

Wait, hasn't this situation completely formed out of racism?

Where I live, mostly everyone views the natives as drunk bums with no future. Since I'm not, they want me to be a role model for the other aboriginals in my town.

 

[Da Blob]

Where I live, mostly everyone views the natives as drunk bums with no future. Since I'm not, they want me to be a role model for the other aboriginals in my town.

This is Not a Bad thing!

However, it is Now just the goals of others and not your own goal (Yet?)
No one likes to be pushed around, but I would suggest that you take every opportunity that is offered to you.

Opportunities are such temporary-fleeting gifts. One may have only a single "window of opportunity" to become who you wish to be, it is not like one can put an opportunity on a shelf for future consumption....

There comes a time in life, when there are no more opportunities offered, so take advantage of the ones given to you while you are still young.

 

[gepcy loc]

Where I live, mostly everyone views the natives as drunk bums with no future. Since I'm not, they want me to be a role model for the other aboriginals in my town.

What do you want to do? We can tell you what to do all day but until you feel okay and happy with what you do your interests well waver and so well your want to finish what you started.

Do you like being called aboriginal? If not what do you like to be called?
Thats another thing, the more they disrespect you the less likely you are in wanting to help them and at some point I myself would start to ignore them, but i don't know if you would do the same.

 

[EditorOne]

Where I live, mostly everyone views the natives as drunk bums with no future. Since I'm not, they want me to be a role model for the other aboriginals in my town.

Ouch. That's a job you might or might not want to appoint yourself to, but since others have seen fit to do it for you I can feel the shoe pinching.

What position are you in? That is, is the situation pretty much out of your control until you reach adulthood? If so you might want to grow some patience and tough it out until you are empowered. (Here the word is "emancipated," meaning "old enough to make adult decisions.") Then you can decide if you want to be a role model or not.

If it is any consolation, the part of life you find yourself in right now is very often a challenge for any INTP because the agenda you are forced to follow was not designed with INTPs in mind. You've got an additional issue, true enough, but almost all of us can remember situations where full-throated roaring and wall-beating seemed to be the only way to deal with boring teachers, rigid rules and a world filled with meaningless minutia.

 

[CocoaHeyday]

What do you want to do? We can tell you what to do all day but until you feel okay and happy with what you do your interests well waver and so well your want to finish what you started.

Do you like being called aboriginal? If not what do you like to be called?
Thats another thing, the more they disrespect you the less likely you are in wanting to help them and at some point I myself would start to ignore them, but i don't know if you would do the same.

I am very proud of my heritage.

The offers they're giving me are good opportunities, but I'm only 15 and I'm still thinking about what I would like to do with my life.
I decided to accept their offers, but I'll also tell them to back down a little and give me a little space to move around.

 

[Toad]

Boo hoo. Get over it. You have an opportunity to be successful in life. People have faith in you. Just do it and stop whining.

I live in Canada and do you know what people think of aboriginals? They are a bunch of lazy addicts who do nothing but sponge off the government.

Take advantage and start changing peoples opinions, if you're man enough.

 

[Decaf]

Spot on impression of a douchebag Toad. Congrats.

 

[Ulysses]

Cocoa: Perhaps this is too much responsibility for someone your age to handle. If you're not prepared to deal with it yet, I think you should put this aside for now and concentrate on your studies instead. I know from experience how living up to high expectations can be exceptionally tough on a student. Talk to Vern about it if you're worried about letting him down; he'll understand.

And for the record, not all Canadians look down on Aboriginals.

Spot on impression of a douchebag Toad. Congrats.

It's what he does.

 

[Adymus]

I'm being forced by Vern...

Ernest P. Worrel, is that you?

 

[Toad]

What else do you expect from me? I'm Toad, the douchebag.

I do hope you will do well though. Obviously, you have the potential and opportunity to do something great. Coal under pressure turns into diamonds. Learn to deal with it if you want to make something of yourself.

 

[Infinite Regress]

And Vern wants me to start tutoring other aboriginal students.

Everything I'm being offered is based on the fact that I'm an aboriginal student with decent grades. Plus, all my teachers are now expecting me to get 90+ grades and one teacher even expected me to get 100. I was even forced to take an assessment test.

People in this world, *generally* don't suddenly offer to help unless there is something in it for them. It doesn't seem the case with you, so these opportunities and help you are being given - you should take them and be grateful for it.

You're counselor, teachers, companies are seeing enormous potential in you, that you may not be aware of.

Plus, they are giving you a chance to be a role model to your community - which is great, be proud of the recognition.

The only thing I am suspecting is you may be uncomfortable with the amount of responsibility that is arising in this situation...?

 

[LAM]

You are seriously being offered a job by a company at 15?? What grade are you in? I wish I get offered a job when school starts again here in Sydney and I am in grade 10 >
The way I see it: You get scholarship, a paying job probably better than what a lot of people have, a chance to become a positive role model and thereby indirectly help others, learn a lot of new skills and the chance to meet interesting people. Including people like yourself who are in the same boat.
I see it as an unmissable opportunity. You have been given a MASSIVE headstart in life. You have teachers educating you, financial support and probably if you did become a role model you would also be perhaps admired.
I can only wish for those things. I am going to have to earn a scholarship the hard way. Chance are I will have to work on a job with half as much pay as your potential job. And the only reason I will be doing it is so I could learn more socialising skills which would serve me well later on in life. I will probably have terrible bosses and people who do not understand me at all while you will have people who Actually WANT you to work with them and for them. You will meet other smart aborigines with whom you will probably make meaningful friendships. You will be promoting your people, while I might be promoting meaningless products.
And I am a person who gets 90%+ scores... I have it easy compared to say most of the other people I know. Some of them are drug addicts already, drunk, smoke, have to work in macdonalds just to pay for their food and clothes. You meanwhile have been given a better headstart than if someone gave you a million dollars. You can't learn anything from a million dollars... (Well yes but not as much as he can in his situation.) If you don't want this I will gladly take it and so would almost every other Year 10 in the world... Its a b it hard now but just imagine how much easier it will be in the future! I am so jealous of you if you haven't noticed :P

 

[LAM]

An opportunity rarely happens twice... You can at least try if it is such a major problem (bigger than what you get from it?) or you could just work for the company and float through school. Or you can put in work into both and make it a lot better. Speaking of which; I am such a hypocrite on the putting effort into school thing >< . I put in half effort at least to stay in the 90%+ area.

 

[Sugarpop]

What else do you expect from me? I'm Toad, the douchebag.

I do hope you will do well though. Obviously, you have the potential and opportunity to do something great. Coal under pressure turns into diamonds. Learn to deal with it if you want to make something of yourself.

It may also turn into finely grained dust. I have this from, like, MacGyver. Also, what is your position on eugenics?

 

[LAM]

It may also turn into finely grained dust. I have this from, like, MacGyver. Also, what is your position on eugenics?

Eugenics: when you stop "inferiror" or stupid people from reproducing? Or something like that. Something about how the ratio of stupid to smart people is going to become even worse. Stuff like that right?

 

[sombertime88]

you have an amazing intalect..blow my mind :P