As I saw it, school was to be a series of (sometimes slippery) stepping stones into the entrance hall of adulthood. It seemed pretty straightforward to me; you would attend for 13 grueling years and graduating would mark the finish line, somehow bringing meaning to everything from petty playground drama to sleepless nights spent brainstorming ways to get out of PE.  I imagined myself, clad in cap and gown, ready to embark on new adventures