I'm making the switch from a regular therapist to a gender therapist (found one; emailed her; phone consultation tonight; first session comes next!) so I've been reflecting a lot on my life to organize my thoughts. High school was an interesting time for me.
I got kicked out of school in the 10th grade. Repeated at another school the next year and just barely passed with the help of my girlfriend, who wouldn't let me skip class or get into trouble. She was a good influence on me! Unfortunately I got kicked out of that school the next year. Repeated 11th grade at another school and got myself expelled from that one too.
My parents finally gave up on me. I was a 19 year old drop out and I knew I had to graduate. If I do nothing else with my life, I at least had to finish high school. So without my parents help (or knowledge) I visited a private school that prides itself on helping out kids like me. And true to their word, they put up with my crap and wouldn't give up on me. I'm proud to say I graduated on the honor role, and at the graduation ceremony I received a medal from the headmaster for "most improved student." That was a surprise!

Unfortunately I had a major break down and dropped out of college my freshman year. It's the little victories though. Once I get my GD sorted out I plan to go back to college. It's never too late to get an education.