expelled 3 times.

Hey friend, 

Before going on my own journey of an “education in the world“- traveling and building online businesses as my own alternative education…

I was asked to leave 3 high schools. ( 2 for sure, and the 3rd we came to an agreement that i best leave before being forced)

I had excelled in school (primary captain, extension classes in English & maths etc) until around the age of 12 or 13 when I my desire for independence and my questions grew too strong to be restrained.

See, I became disruptive, challenging and got into fights with students, arguments with teachers and just refused to play the game. 

But the real reason I was asked to leave these schools wasn’t because of those things…

Kids did much worse around me and were allowed to stay.

I was asked to leave because of one thing…

My questions. 

My insistent and relentless questioning of the system, of the values, of “what the fuck are we even doing here.“

A constant stream of questions that nobody had the answer to.

The school could tolerate kids having sex in the sports shed outside.

Kids high in the classroom.

Fights on the oval.

Cyber bullying like you wouldn’t believe.

Nudes being shared on everyones phones. 

These things could be tolerated, managed, worked on.

But my insistent questioning and challenging of the system- could not.

This made it clear to me that the teachers were not truly interested in the well-being (let alone thrival) of students- but purely in maintaining the system and their safe place in it.

- Jay

Jay Topp is a 23 year old writer, marketer, film maker & self-led educator originally from Australia, now based between Latin America & Europe. You can see his films here. Instagram here. And his business website here.

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re: s