1. What kind of school did you attend (Big? Small? Public? Private? Specialty? One-room schoolhouse?) Public grammar school, public high school, and then the local community college for a very short time.
2. What did you wear to school (uniform? dress code? Whatever you wanted?) In grammar school, I actually had to wear a dress or skirt every day. Once I got into high school, it was jeans and t-shirts, day in/day out.
3. How did you get to school? Grade school: walked to and fro. High school: walked home/car pool in the morning. GAWD how I hated the car pool! It was an awkward collection of girls that my mother cobbled together, based on geography, not friendships. A fucking painful way to start the day.
4. Who was your favorite teacher? Why? When I was in junior high, we had a PE teacher we all really liked. She wasn't that much older than we were and was so easy to talk to.
5. What was your favorite subject? Why? English or history. Because.
6. What was your least favorite subject? Why? Math or science. Because. (School brings out the surly in me.)
7. Did you belong to any clubs? I was on the school paper for a while ...
8. Were you a picky reader? Not at all. Read everything I could get my hands on. Especially about Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy.
9. What did you do in your free time? Read. Listened to records. Watched TV. Rode my bike through the forest preserve. Hung out at the zoo or the mall. Went to the movies ... a lot.
10. Did you get good grades? I did, except when I didn't. I either got A's or C's/D's.
11. Did you like/participate in sports? Liked? Yes. Participated? No.
12. Did you have a boyfriend/girlfriend in high school?
13. When did you get your driver’s license? 30
14. What kind of kid were you? (Popular? Class clown? Shy? A nerd? Teacher’s pet?) Nerd
15. Who were your heroes? Streisand. It's not possible to calculate how important she was. A powerful and unconventional woman whose value was seen and celebrated.
16. Were you ever bullied? Yes. I think, unfortunately, everyone is at one time or another.
17. Did you learn how to touch type? Yes.
18. Who was your best friend? (Are you still friends today?) Her name was Judy. No, we are most certainly not friends today. If you want to read about it, here's our history. I warn you, it's complicated.
19. What is one thing you regret about high school? I don't think I regret anything. I hated it and would never go back, but not because of anything I did.
20. What were you most proud about? It made me a better aunt. I'm sensitive to my niece and nephew and how painful adolescence can be.
Bonus: Did you like high school? Hell to the no. My parents' marriage was unraveling. My older sister had a breakdown that no one acknowledged (not even to this day). My favorite grandpa died. A relative molested me. That was within my family. Outside, Vietnam dragged on and then there was Watergate. All this was swirling around me, and I was supposed to care about pep squads and candystripers? PUH-LEEZE! It was during those years I clung to something that has always kept me sane -- the movies.
There were some really great movies released when I was in high school. The Godfather, The Sting, Cabaret, Serpico, Jaws, The Way We Were, The Exorcist ... If only I could have lived all four years in the dark with a package of Twizzlers in my hand.
It hurt my heart to read about your friendship with Judy. BFFs can hurt so much more deeply than casual friends. The hurt never goes away. Big hugs.
ReplyDeleteI'm so fascinated by how memories trigger attitudes. Your answers stir up agitation in me.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember hating school itself, but you couldn't pay me enough to go back and do it again. All that angst!
ReplyDeleteHmm....I'm just back from reading about your friend. I've heard your story before, but can't decide if you'd given a link somewhere between then and now or if I read it back in the day. I was participating in all the memes back in 2008 as Ace at Paint Splotches. Either way, horrible, horrible behavior on her part.
ReplyDeleteAll the worst parts of life in four years: High School.
ReplyDeleteI remember in grade school when girls started wearing shorts under their skirts so they could hang upside at recess. Not me. It was all "decent" skirts, knee socks, and no go-go boots EVERY DAMN day. But all the girls had to wear skirts or dresses. Hard to believe the changes in our lifetime!!
I give you the award for most honest answers to the questions today.
ReplyDeleteYou've reminded me of a P.E. teacher, Mrs. Becker. She was a doll! Everyone loved her. *shakes head, marbles fall out*
ReplyDelete#20. You are a doll, too.
Read your linked post. I'd say "If" it would make YOU feel better, forgive your ex-friend. You can do that from a distance! She doesn't even have to be in the same country!
And now.. Go Cubs! Rah!