High School Memories

[Ray Garrison]

Moon's post starting me thinking about this.

A lot of songs, TV shows and other pop culture media frequently portray high school years as sort of the high point of unfettered youthful abandon and one of the happiest times of our lives.

I don't know about you folks, but nothing could be further from the truth for me. High school was four of the worst years of my life. I didn't fit in with any of the "cliques", had only a couple of friends, hadn't discovered girls yet and had no social life, hated most of the classes I had to take, gym was hell on earth (used to get beat up twice a week every week for four years), you get the picture.

If someone gave me a magic wand and said I could go back in time to the point where I was 14 and start all over again, the prospect of having to go through high school again would send me running screaming the other way.

What was high school like for you?

[Duke Spinner]

high school ....

was a place to meet to get a ride to Mendon Ponds Park

why go to school, when ya can Party all day ..??

basically, the cirriculum was so boring, i could pass by going once a week for Test Day ...[<)]

[oldtimer]

I kept busy with music, but got out a year early to go where the real fun was--college. Now that was radically better, way more unfettered.

What did I learn in high school?

1. Band and orchestra were a great source of dates. Flute players were usually the cutest, but single reed players were the best kissers (the rare female drummers weren't bad either). If you were in marching band you did not have to take gym.

2. Sometimes a lot of whiskey at once could cure a cold.

3. Would I want to do it again? No way.

[ygmn]

I do not remember....

If I went back I would do a few things different....like have more fun...

Less stupid things

Less trouble with the law..

Less trouble with Parents..

And not marry that exwife of mine after College...hehehehe

[Marvel]

HS was awful for me as well. I was so middle of the road. Grades were so so, My dad taught at my HS school, and was always a nice guy and didn't interfere in my life. Even when he should have. A lot of the same things Ray mentioned, although I didn't get beat up. Not that I didn't has some friends or some great times, but it had nothing to do with school. I didn't drink or smoke. Didn't 'do it' with any girls.

My wife hated HS too, even though she got excellent grades and was an honor student. For both of us it was more the whole social attitude. That is why we taught our own kids, all the way through HS. Two have finished college, and did extremely well. The third is in his freshman year and doing great so far, especially considering what has gone on at home through this past six months.

[dougdrake]

Guess I'm in the minority. High school was a blast for me - some of the most fun I've ever had. It was 4 years of "firsts" - kiss, drink, driving, building friendships, etc... Not sure I should be alive to tell about it, though. Would do it again, but not still living it - life moves on.

[oscarsear]

Grew up in WLA and attended HS from 67 thru 70. Need I say more. Los Angeles and a teen at the end of the 60's. Still HS could have been better but it could have been much worse. I wish I'd paid more attention to my studies. BTW this is when I seeded my true interest in music as I ushered at the Hollywood Bowl for 2 summers while in HS. That's right the H Bowl at the end of the 60's.....WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!

[J.4knee]

I barely remember HS. My best time was after I joined the NAVY, not that I really loved being in the NAVY and doing what we called Navular things but the opportunity to come to work one day leave port and the next time you set foot on dry land you are in another country was pretty cool for me. I spent most of my time either home ported in Japan or stationed there on shore duty and had an absolute blast. I eventually got to the point where it was time to return to the good old US of A but I think I got to look at things from a fairly unique perspective.

[jt1stcav]

I agree with J.4knee about my 6 year stint in the Army...last 3 years spent in Germany traveling all through Europe, the beer, and the women![]

The first 3 years of high school were okay...I wasn't a jock or in band (did take piano classes though), but I was into art and on the year book staff as an artist and photographer. I had a few really good friends, never got beat up (was chased into the woods once by some burnouts but never caught), and only one girlfriend (but we never did it until many years later after my tour in the service). My grades could've been better, but I got by. Overall, things were okay until I finished my junior year...

That summer my dad got a major promotion that required us to move from East Hartford, CT to Jacksonville, FL! WTF...it's my senior year! Now I couldn't graduate with my girlfriend, or be with my friends on the year book staff; kids I've known and grown up with for over 8 years! All the plans I had, the parties, the prom, all for naught. Now I had to start all over again in a totally new high school in a different state with a bunch of strangers...I didn't participate in any of the school events, games, or other activities, no class photos, no high school ring, no year book, and no prom! I had no real friends and didn't date anyone...I just went to my classes and barely passed my exams, and that was it. I did go (reluctantly) to my graduation. I had much more fun after school at my job at McDonalds on Jacksonville Beach! After graduation I immediately enlisted into the Army, and forgot all about my lousy senior year!

I was never mad at my dad for taking that promotion. Afterall, he did it for the financial security of our family, and financially it was a major advancement (unfortunantly, the firm he'd been with for 14 years later went bankrupt, so they sold their new house and moved to Lakeland where his new job awaited him). It was just bad timing...

[SteelerFan]

I'm with you Ray, HS was awful for me. I had spent grades 7 thru 9 in a private military school for boys and then my family moved to FL where I started public HS as a sophmore. I was very shy anyway and I was such a fish out of water. I remember I just hated my open periods, I had no friends and was too shy to sit in the library or anywhere else so I just used to walk up and down the halls for 50 minutes. It being FL with no AC in the school all of the classroom doors were left open so students would see me walking by probably 10 times. I really felt like a fool. The worst part was I had discovered girls but simply didn't have a clue what to do about them. It was 3 years torture.

[cluless]

I went to 3 different high schools, 2 years of catholic HIGH school in Maryland (they threw me out, LOL, well not exactly, they just suggested I'd be happier elsewhere), a year of public High school in Maryland, and a final year ( or was it only an hour or two or a day) of high school in Long Beach Mississippi, and quite frankly, it all sucked!

If I had to choose the years that were the best (so far), I'd have to say my late 20's/early 30's.

[oldtimer]

Went to one year of Catholic high school, learned more than two more years in public school.

[WMcD]

I will agree with Ray about one thing. I resent how Hollywood and TV (same thing) portrays school. Of course this teaches me that anything you see on the big or small screen is likely inaccurate.

Chaminade HS in Mineola NY was very good. It had an excellent program of math and science in those days. Much of this was due to the efforts of a few old line teachers from the religious order.

The main guy, I still keep in touch with. Yup, it was the teacher that changes your life. Here Hollywood reports well.

There was one problem. No girls. Maybe that was better afterall. Another matter was that after the nuns in grade school, the brothers and priests in high school were wonderful.

My biggest gripe about college (engineering) was the few bad teachers. I will not give the name of the institution. It really does not take too many teaching critical courses to really make life miserable. There are good reasons that many have "the college nightmare". I'm not saying they were all dullards, senile, sadists, hostile to students, or incompetent. But those labels fit quite a few.

In my view, the part of decline of math and science in American schools is due to the teaching staff. The schools are going to have engage in TQM for teaching, course sylabus, assignments, labs, etc. That may mean that we wind up with two or three guys with canned, well integrated courses on the Internet. A.C. Clarke said that if something can be taught by computer, it should be.

Let me add that the path to a Ph.D shows that someone is a good student. It does not show that they are a good teacher. Yet this is how people get to teach.

Actually, law school was not too bad. It is far different than enginering, or any liberal arts or polyscience. It ws a terrific intellectual experience. If anyone has the opportunity to attend, I'd recommend it just for that..

I did find some profs whose style was appealing. Something clicked. So I signed up for all their classes. Good for the GPA.

+ + +

I've taken classes in several areas since. And I've been in the "real world" for years where everything has to be clear, on time, well presented. None of this "figure it out for yourself". I have to make things perfectly clear.

Some of the presentations in classes I've attended are fairly wretched. I broil and stew. Wanting to shout, "If you did something like this with a client you'd be out of a job in 60 seconds." Yet it passes as teaching.

So I conclude that when young students gripe that teaching is bad, they ARE correct.

My rant.

Gil

[ranjith]

I've been out of HS only couple years, or barely even that. It started shakey, but turned into an awesome experience. Mine was somewhat quite opposite of that of Jim's story. It was hell before I switched to the HS where I graduated from. I was born and brought up in India, we left India when I was about to complete gr.9. Somewhere between bad influences and disrespectful behaviour I wasn't really a role model of a kid. But moving to Canada did a whole lot of good. It was an eye-opener and a chance for a new beginning. And I'm glad I chose to be a better kid. It was a blast from there on, a new place new friends new part-time jobs , sports, music... and a few minor mistakes here and there. If I had a chance to, I'd never wanna do it all over again. I have a slight difficulty understand why someone would want to do it all over again, you wouldn't be "you" if none of that didn't happen , if you know what I mean.

[sunburnwilly]

OT , Where is sunburnwilly ? BTW , what does OT stand for ?

[Coytee]

I'd suppose that the cute picture on the top row, 4th one over is NOT Willy...but I'd not mind sharing a sunburn with her []

[Marvel]

OT stands for Off Topic, i.e., is not related to the main use of this forum.

Bruce

[sunburnwilly]

Thanks Bruce ...

[sputnik]

.......Where is sunburnwilly ?......

The answer can be found in Sunburnwilly's ex-girlfriend's yearbook.

Hint: He's the one with the bow tie and ruffly shirt.

[sunburnwilly]

" Speeeeeew !!! " Yer Killin Me Sputnik !!! []