What "grade-level" education did you reach?

I apologize in advance if this was addressed under the "good or crappy education" thread but in scanning I don't think I saw it.

I'm greatly impressed with all of the ex-Sci kids here and their ability to write clearly and concisely. They also seem to have pretty well developed critical thinking skills.

While I know vocabulary, reading and communication are obviously big parts of Scientology, I wonder if you later on found large gaps in areas of your learning such as history, biology, math, culture, current affairs, government, economics, etc.

Do you find wogs making reference to things that wogs consider common knowledge but Scientology kids are unfamiliar with? Pop culture or otherwise? This could either because they aren't exposed to them or Scn might have a blind spot about them.

For those that have left and wanted to catch up on your education, did you ever get evaluated to see what grade level your education had reached in the Wog/Non-Scientology world?

e.g. after "graduating" Delphi did you later find that you had a 9th grade education?

There is a similar thread already in the Your Story forum.

In my case, I quit school after 9th grade. It was a public school. Because of all the educational gaps I had for going to True School earlier (where we learned nothing) and for periods of going to course full-time instead of school, I could never keep up with the other kids and never even bothed with high school. My self-esteem was so shot at that time, I often considered suicide and came close a few times but changed my mind in the last minute. Luckily, I discovered music and making my own music and DJing saved me.

I was never encouraged properly to do well in school by my parents, I was never encouraged to read privately. Not that my parents purposely negelcted me, they were just completely gobbled up by Co$ and had serious financial problems and just had too little time to spend with me. I cut classes regularly and when one of the schools I went to wanted to conduct an investigation to find out to why I was failing in each subject, my parents were furious at me for drawing attention to myself, and I was ABSOLUTELY not allowed to mention that they were Scientologists. I was afraid Social Services would take me to foster care so I complied. In hindsight, I think foster care may not have been the worst idea, my parents really needed a wake-up call.

So when I was turned 16 I never went back to school and kept going with the music. Looking back, I'd say the lack of a proper education is my one Achilles' Heel. When I was about 24 I finnally realised that my life wasn't going anywhere and that I no longer wanted to be a member or in any way be affiliated with Scientology. I stopped making music and went to a college prep-school for a year and then entered University - a terrible shock for me. Suddenly I was in an envrionment where most kids came from stable homes, had encouraging parents, stable economy and had been properly educated. The first two years were hell for me, and I even took a semester off to go travelling inbetween. It became shockingly clear to me how damaged I was intellectually and socially.

Now I've managed to make up for most of the basic stuff. I'm still terrible in math, physics and chemistry but better in the social sciences. My grades tell me that I'm by no means stupid, but I have to work twice as hard for them and I'm a slow reader. But so are other students, so I'm not alone in that, but the lack of a proper schooling has still taken its toll on my social skills. I never got to go through all that normal stuff kids go through in school. Never got to have a favorite teacher that I would go out of my way to impress, or go to Prom, or play in a school sports team, or have a graduation party with the family.

My parents still to this day take the Scientology stance that it was my own fault for failing in school. They say I had MU's, which of course I did because the Scientology school hadn't educated me properly. We still have huge arguments about it and I really don't se us ever seeing eye-to-eye on that one. My schooling turned out the way it did indirectly because of their involvement with the Co$ and directly because of their compliance to the Scientology beliefs. Even though they are both off-lines and are getting more and more critical of So$, they're still in denial about how them being Scientologists has affected their kids.

Now I'm hungry for knowledge constantly. I've decided I want to be a journalist because that's what a journalist does - gathers knowledge. The drag is it that I'm 30 and most people in my classes are 10 years younger and already have connections, etc, while I more often than not feel like I'm from some other planet.

I guess I just have to live with it. I've got a couple of years left of school before I have a Masters and (hopefully) can get a decent paying job that I like. Mostly I've realised that I'm not socially functioning the way I need to and I've still never had any serious relationship. I've only recently begun to consider that I'm suffering from depression (yeah, that phenomenon doesn't exist in Scientology and you'd be surprised how strong denial can be) and probably have been for 15 or more years. I'ts just gone on and on and I've never really adressed it.

Scientology, if anything, has been the cause of it. Scientology destroys lives.

Wow Holden!

Thanks for sharing that story. That was amazing. I commend you for recognizing where you might have gaps in your education and choosing to work on those rather than just giving up which is probably what most people end up doing.

It sounds like you have a very firm grasp of what things in your life are went well and which things in your life weren't so wonderful without using those as reasons or crutches to not resolve or rise above them.

Thanks again. Sorry that this thread repeats things mentioned in Your Story. I'll go check that out.

[RLSteve]

Well, my education is at least G.E.D. quality.

I didn't graduate from Delphi because when I turned seventeen, I still had years left of work before I could finish their graduation program. So I decided it was best that I quit and move on with my life.

What I ended up doing was finding a Scientologist down in Southern Cal who had her own Scientology school, Advanced Education Academy. She gave tests to Scientology kids who wanted to leave school early to join the Sea Org. I wasn't planning to join the Sea Org, but... I had gone to high school for four years and I wanted my high school diploma. So, she gave me a test, I passed it, and she awarded me a high school diploma.

Years later, when I applied for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and they wanted a copy of my high school diploma, I sent them a copy of it. For some reason, they didn't find this high school diploma acceptable, and they advised me to take a test to get my G.E.D. because that would be more valid than my high school diploma. So, that's what I ended up having to do.

I've only had some community college, but I kept dropping in and out of community college. I never really knew what direction I wanted to go.

Now I'm living in LA as an aspiring actor. Don't know if I'll return to college or not.

My lack of education today has more to do with my lack of perseverity and proscrastination than it does with my Scientology environment. Of course, deciding not to graduate from Delphi did kind of leave me directionless afterwards as I didn't have the core subject requirements needed to apply for Universities.

If I had graduated from Delphi, I'm guessing I probably would have found direction in life more easily. I probably would have gone to UW and at least have a BA today.

[RLSteve]

My parents still to this day take the Scientology stance that it was my own fault for failing in school. They say I had MU's, which of course I did because the Scientology school hadn't educated me properly. We still have huge arguments about it and I really don't se us ever seeing eye-to-eye on that one. My schooling turned out the way it did indirectly because of their involvement with the Co$ and directly because of their compliance to the Scientology beliefs. Even though they are both off-lines and are getting more and more critical of So$, they're still in denial about how them being Scientologists has affected their kids.

For ten months, I went to a Scientology school in Seattle. I have had a few acquaintances from that school who've told me they've had gaps in their education. I don't think this school graduated any students, and none of the students who went there long term ever went to college, except for the one who told me he had gaps in his education and had to take a bunch of high school level classes in community college.

It just seems to me, most Scientology schools, with the exception of Delphi, don't seem to have much of a structured curriculum and it's certainly not on par with what you'd receive in a wog school.

For ten months, I went to a Scientology school in Seattle. I have had a few acquaintances from that school who've told me they've had gaps in their education. I don't think this school graduated any students, and none of the students who went there long term ever went to college, except for the one who told me he had gaps in his education and had to take a bunch of high school level classes in community college.

It just seems to me, most Scientology schools, with the exception of Delphi, don't seem to have much of a structured curriculum and it's certainly not on par with what you'd receive in a wog school.

Most Scientology schools are just la-la land until the kids are old enough to join the SO. Gladly, I think a few schools have had to shut down in some countires. I the U.S. you can alter the curricilum a lot more in the name of religion.

My self-esteem was so shot at that time, I often considered suicide and came close a few times but changed my mind in the last minute. Luckily, I discovered music and making my own music and DJing saved me.

Music is a savior. I know that firsthand, and live it daily.

I was never encouraged properly to do well in school by my parents

Shame on your parents. They put CO$ ahead of their son. Shame on the cult.

It became shockingly clear to me how damaged I was intellectually and socially.

No worries there, HC. We are all broken.

but the lack of a proper schooling has still taken its toll on my social skills. I never got to go through all that normal stuff kids go through in school. Never got to have a favorite teacher that I would go out of my way to impress, or go to Prom, or play in a school sports team, or have a graduation party with the family.

I am so sorry you had to miss these social milestones. They are part of growing up.

My parents still to this day take the Scientology stance that it was my own fault for failing in school. They say I had MU's, which of course I did because the Scientology school hadn't educated me properly. We still have huge arguments about it and I really don't se us ever seeing eye-to-eye on that one. My schooling turned out the way it did indirectly because of their involvement with the Co$ and directly because of their compliance to the Scientology beliefs. Even though they are both off-lines and are getting more and more critical of So$, they're still in denial about how them being Scientologists has affected their kids.

I hope your parents will wake up one day soon and realize what they have done. They did you a great disservice, so now it is your job to 'outgrow' your parents; succeed in spite of them.

Now I'm hungry for knowledge constantly. I've decided I want to be a journalist because that's what a journalist does - gathers knowledge. The drag is it that I'm 30 and most people in my classes are 10 years younger and already have connections, etc, while I more often than not feel like I'm from some other planet.

I guess I just have to live with it. I've got a couple of years left of school before I have a Masters and (hopefully) can get a decent paying job that I like. Mostly I've realised that I'm not socially functioning the way I need to and I've still never had any serious relationship. I've only recently begun to consider that I'm suffering from depression (yeah, that phenomenon doesn't exist in Scientology and you'd be surprised how strong denial can be) and probably have been for 15 or more years. I'ts just gone on and on and I've never really adressed it.

Scientology, if anything, has been the cause of it. Scientology destroys lives.

I encourage you to seek help for your depression. Remember the healing power of music. Become an award-winning journalist and write about how scientology tried, but was unable to destroy you. I admire your courage and strength.

Thanks for your kind words, AnonyMozart!

I love that quote in your signature, btw.

was full high school equivalent. Many of us went on to college with technology in hand. what we did after that was up to us.