Thursday, March 25, 2010

What were you like in high school?

Some coworkers and I were chatting this morning, and we got onto the topic of how much we've changed since high school. One of the ladies married her high school sweetheart, and was very thankful to have missed out on the joys of dating as an adult. Another was VERY glad she had NOT married her high school sweetheart!
At the time (back in the dark ages, before the dawn of civilization) I thought I was hideous. Fat, ugly, and obviously not popular. Well, it's true I wasn't very popular. Neither was I an outcast, though. And looking back at those pictures, I was not fat. I was perfectly normal, healthy, and if I may say so...pretty.
My clothes were a disaster, but that really wasn't my fault. I lived with a mother who insisted on buying all my clothes, and choosing them every day. Her goal was to make me look as hideous as possible. No, I am not just remembering "teen angst". That really truly was the goal. She was hoping the girls would mock me, and the boys would avoid me. Well, the boys thought I was a great friend, nothing more, and the girls were fortunately able to look beyond the bulky nurses shoes and knitted sweater vests. I didn't have a lot of close friends, since I wasn't allowed to socialize outside of school, but I wasn't picked on either.
I look at my students now and wonder what they will remember from high school. Most of them don't realize just how amazing they are, and some of them will never figure it out.

What were you like in high school? If you could go back, and tell your young self one thing, what would it be?

5 comments:

koreen (aka: winn) said...

I was overweight, social awkward, and a typical "guy's friend". From what I remember, that is. I've tried to block those dreadful years out. After all, there's no reason to hold on to the memory of holding the highest grades in Accounting and Bible classes, is there? Or to getting a "joke date" for a banquet? Or to being overweight AND bench pressing my weight? Nope. Some memories are worth being left behind. ;)

SSTyrner said...

I was, like, in high school.

Anonymous said...

I actually had alot of fun in high school and look back fondly on the remember whens! I was by no means ms.popularity but I had alot of friends from all the typical high school cliques, I will admit to being probably a bit to much of a party girl! What I would tell my young self is to be more adventerous and to figue out earlier than later there is a whole wide world out there waiting to be explored.
Buffy

BethinBC said...

Overweight , poorly dressed & not popular with the guys. Never part of the in-crowd. But I still have no really bad memories....except for when my best friend had her first boy/girl party & didn't invite me!! (What would be the point) I learned early to use humor & make people laugh - the class clown. I still had plenty of friends & was smart enough to be on the honor roll. I learned 'this too, shall pass'.......a phrase that still works for me today.

Janell said...

I hated high school although it was a lot better than middle school. Middle schoolers are vicious! I'd always wanted to be included in the popular crowd and somehow I ended up there in grade 12. The funny thing was that I found them to be extremely shallow so I guess I wasn't missing out on much after all.