Wednesday, August 19, 2015

School memories

TODAY IS THE first day of school in Quincy. That means lots of Facebook posts with photos of kids. Why anybody would ever want to embarrass their child on social media is beyond me. I've never plastered pictures of Emily on Facebook. Ever. Honest.

My cousin, Natalie Hart, posted a great blog about her memories of her first day in high school. She used the word "exorcising" in the title. I have no recollection of my first day in high school. None. I've tried to exorcise most of my high school memories, and largely succeeded.

In high school, I was a Geek. NOT a Nerd. 
By the time I entered 10th grade, it was my third school in three years. We moved from London, Ontario, to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and things were very different. I was a skinny geek with no social skills and no clue about life in general. Thankfully I did make friends, but I can remember maybe 10 or 15 people from my class, and that's it.

I got bullied and shunned. I suppose it's about the unfairness of life, and how you cope, and all that crap. Whatever. So I've blocked a lot of it out. I do remember graduation and the immense sense of relief I was done. Little did I know I had four or five more years of institutionalized learning to go, though college was much better.

I survived high school by playing sports and staying awake in class, most of the time. Now some names and faces are coming back, and I'm smiling a little bit. Gosh. I was so young and dumb, really, really dumb.

I have great respect for teachers and administration in our schools. My daughter got a great education in Quincy. There are so many good things about our school system. And your experiences are largely about what you make of them.

Good luck on the first day of school. I hope the memories are positive.

2 comments:

  1. So, as I recall, you were the coolest 10th grader to show up at GRCH that year. And you got me through whatever class we were taking in the northwest classroom (was it Spanish?) by making quiet and hilarious comments from the back row. Plus, you were the only person in the entire city of Grand Rapids who knew where the Blizzard's played. So, I thought you very smart and cultured. Thanks for blogging and facebooking. It's fun to follow you!
    Mary Kuiper Vermeulen

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    1. You are one of the few people who I actually do remember - and my mother thought the world of you, too! We have a lot in common, like beautiful daughters and a love of music. Thank you Mary .... you made my day!

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