[lit-ideas]
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 17 Feb 2006 10:33:27 -0600
Paul Stone in a post yesterday (?) said that he loved being in high school.
That surprised me. I didn't think anyone had enjoyed being in high school. I
despised it, hated it, loathed it and would kill myself before doing that again
-- in fact, I had a nightmare not long ago where it was determined that I
hadn't passed a math course and would have to go back to high school for one
more year. I woke up in a cold sweat. Speaking of returning to high school,
has anyone seen the Comedy Central series Strangers With Candy? What a hoot
that was.
High school made my blood run cold, but it wasn't because I was picked on or
bullied. I was a popular kid, even if I do say so myself. I was elected a
class officer every year. I was president of the senior class. And under
capable we were the first class not to leave a gift to the school -- maybe the
only one not to have. Father Elliot, old Chrome Dome, called me in and told me
that he expected our class to gift the school a set of encyclopedias. "Yes,
Father," I said. "Consider it done." I managed to hold my laughter in until I
was out of the office.
What was life like at Catholic High? Easy enough. Whenever I didn't have an
assignment done, I'd raise the issue of racial integration, it didn't matter
what class, and get into arguments with my priest-teachers -- they were against
it! Not because they were racist bigots, of course, but because.....oh my, so
many reasons.
There was only one teacher I liked and respected. All the teachers were
priests except one demented nun. They hated us as much as we hated them. The
teacher that I liked told me that when time came for the faculty to vote on
various medals for graduating seniors, that he had recommended me for the
civics medal, but that all the rest of the faculty was vehemently opposed
acknowledging me in any way. I was considered a disruptive influence and they
shouldn't reward that. He told me that because he knew I'd get a kick out of
it. He was right.
High school? No thanks. We didn't have yearbooks, thank God, so I've been
spared that pain, and I didn't buy a class ring so there have been few things
in my environment to trigger traumatic stress syndrome reactions, except for
the fact that old Gitmo is only 3 blocks from where I now live.
Paul, I don't know whether to feel sorry for you or envy you. Maybe you should
have gone to Catholic High School for Boys. If you came away loving that, then
I'd know. Ah, those were the days.
Did anyone else here hate, loathe and despise high school or am I just a
disruptive influence?
Mike Geary
High School Graduate
Memphis
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