Elsa, I’m very happy for you that your school experience was a positive one. I do know some people like that. My MIL still hangs out with her HS buddies a half-century later and I know a coupla other folks who seem to have benefitted from their HS experience. However…

My wife used to say generically that her HS experience was “fine,” not great but not horrible, until she thought about going to her 20-year reunion and had nightmares and cold sweats about it. Fine? Would a fine experience do that to you? I don’t think so.

We had a nephew live with us and attend HS for a coupla years about 15 years ago. We had an exchange student living with us who attended HS for one year in ’04-’05. Our younger daughter gave HS a try last year. (She stayed for one grading period, got all As, and returned to unschooling at home because HS was just “so boring.”) All of those experiences were “fine,” too. Nobody was horrible to any of our experiencers, no teacher was unmanagably intrasigent, although we did have a number of conferences for our nephew and exchange student where we had to have a frank discussion with a coupla teachers who should’ve gone into a different vocation IMO.

Nonetheless, most of the people we know who were schooled do not have fond memories of the experience. Perhaps our statistical universe is self-selecting for that end of the spectrum. I don’t think so but I have no proof to support my opinion. At root, I have only my own experience as sure and certain knowledge. I wrote about my experience with bullying in sections 1 and 2 here. And I described my HS experience by playing along with this meme.

YMMV and hopefully it does. Significantly.

P.S. I am a blunt and vulgar person. If intensity and harsh language offends, don’t follow my links.