The trouble with school is that you can't choose the people you get to see every day. If you're unlucky enough to be stuck with classmates who don't really "get" you, you've just got to try to make the best of it. But that doesn't mean you need to "fit in", or at least in the way that people think. If you try to transform yourself into a clone of everyone else, it won't help you make friends. It'll just make you feel like a fake. You also shouldn't shut down or refuse to be friends with everyone who doesn't like you. If you do that, you'll just make yourself miserable. Instead, you've got to work on being comfortable and confident with whom you are while ignoring all the haters. Keep on speaking up, asking questions and getting to know people better. If you send out positive energy, then people will generally send some back to you. A couple of them will stay the same, and you're allowed to forget about them. If you feel like you're doing all that but still not getting anywhere, then don't give up. Just expand your circle. Get a part-time job at a cool-looking place, join an after-school art class or youth group--do whatever it takes to find a couple of like-minded people to connect with. Even if you don't find anyone right away, you'll still be getting some more social experiences under your belt, and that's always a good thing. A fun book called Uncool, by Erin Elisabeth Conley, has some tips for folks like you who want to stay positive at school while being true to your personality: *Throw caution to the wind. *Don't tolerate others' mistakes. *Have patience with people who are different from you. *Don't change just because someone else thinks you should. *Know that even though you may be a misfit, there's always some place where you will be welcomed in the world. In the book Uncool, Erin Elisabeth Conley thinks you should   _  .
always be kind to your friends keep your own personality tolerate others' mistakes help improve characters of others