High School Was A Joke!
I don't mind saying that high school was the absolute MOST forgettable part of my life so far. I went through many different stages of rebellion in high school, finally to settle on my exhilarating "couldn't-care-less" attitude of my senior year. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't a trouble maker . . . I just didn't feel like putting my heart and soul into high school, even though everyone around me seemed to make SUCH a big deal out of it. Instructors would warn their class with menacing, squinted eyes and a morose voice about "the real world" and how DIFFERENT and harder college was than high school. As for "the real world," well . . . I certainly HOPE I'm living in a real world, I'd be kind of pissed off if the past nineteen years of my life were all just a dream, because then I'd have to start all over. Oh, and the part about college being totally different from high school? I certainly HOPED it would be! Thankfully, it WAS totally different. I would have hated to find out that after four years of the perilous torture of high school I would have to actually PAY for another, more advanced stage of perilous torture!
By "perilous torture" I mean the unGodly things that several high school instructors and administration said were supposed to prepare me for the :::gasp::: "real world." For example, the first bell rang at 7:10am at the public high school I went to for my last two years. This required me to have to get up at 5:30am. How many normal jobs or careers require one to be awake at 5:30 in the morning? Most businesses are 9-5 (my FIRST job in the "real world" was). Another example of a "real-world" fallacy is the rather large, menacing security guard who patrolled the student parking lot. During my senior year, I was fortunate enough to be in the DCT program which allowed me to leave school at 11:05am to go to work. Even though I left school at the EXACT same time everyday, I would hear the loud, booming voice of the golf-kart driving security guard yelling, "Hey GIRL! Where's your pass?!" One would THINK that Mr. Security Guard would have remembered that I was a DCT student after seeing me EVERY SINGLE DAY AT THE SAME EXACT TIME, but no such luck. One of the most refreshing things I find about the "real world" is that I don't get harassed daily by a demanding, grumpy security guard.
The most cruel and unusual punishment my public high school ever enacted were the five minutes between classes and the skimpy thirty-five minutes they allotted for lunch. My public high school was VERY big, so the chances of getting to a class on the OTHER side of the campus in just five minutes were slim to none, considering the INSANELY crowded hallways I had to FIGHT my way through most of the time. As for the thirty-five minute lunch breaks, most HUMANE jobs (including MY first job in the "real world") allow at least an HOUR for lunch.
Another completely ridiculous high school situation is the social caste system. How often in the "real world" does one see the "goths," the "preps," the "weirdos," or the "geeks" congregating together? Never. For one thing, most people outgrow their label stages by the time they reach the so-called "real world," and when they find they have to work and coexist with people they might not like, they learn to LIVE with it!
Thankfully, I never belonged to ANY "clique" in high school. I basically WAS my clique. No matter HOW insecure I might have felt, I always made sure I had an attitude about me that made a statement, but was NOT to be labeled. I didn't even DRESS predictably, I dressed according to how I felt each day--VERY diverse styles.
Don't get me wrong, I did CONSIDER the available "cliques" at first. There were several . . . the goths, the artistic kids, the musicians, the punks, the skaters, the cheerleaders, the sports people, the nerds, the hard-partiers, the wannabees, etc. After observing several possible cliques, I realized that I didn't really want to be labeled as ANY of them . . . I just WOULDN'T be comfortable with it. I was cordial and friendly to everyone, but I never got CLOSE to anyone at any high school I went to, because I knew if I hung out with any group of people for too long, I would be labeled as part of their "group." It was just TOO disheartening to be stuck with a label--it would've made me feel even MORE trapped than I already felt.
All in all, the whole "social status" thing didn't matter much at my public high school, but at the very small PRIVATE high school I went to for my first two years, it was INSANE. Everyone who went to the private school had basically grown up together and thought the same closed-minded way, so newcomers--especially independent, open-minded newcomers--weren't accepted much. Guess who I was? The independent, open-minded newcomer. I know I probably scared most of the students when I first arrived there, because I was just coming out of my dark-clothes phase. I had long straight dark brown hair (almost black) and pasty white (practically transparent) skin. There began to be crazy rumors spread about me, the funniest one being (in all seriousness) that I was a witch from a cult. When I first heard the rumors, I worried that I would NEVER have any friends, but eventually I just saw the humor in the situation and whenever anyone was dumb enough to ask me if I had been in a cult (and they actually DID ask me), I would say "yes" to some and "no" to others, just to throw them all off track. Thus began my rebellion.
After my dark-clothes phase withered out, soon came my vinyl pants phase. I had four pairs of vinyl pants--purple, black, maroon and an actual black LEATHER pair. Of course, no one at the private school wore leather pants except me, and when I had the nerve to wear a black leather skirt and matching leather top, I got QUITE a bit of disapproving stares from the administration. Even though the skirt and top covered everything up, it was obviously considered taboo just because it was leather-ish. From then on, I was even MORE compelled to dress outside of the box--not only because I LIKED interesting and unique clothes, but because I thought the whole rumor thing was pretty amusing after a while. I realized that I just couldn't RESPECT people who judged me based on what I wore or what rumors were being spread, so I just continued to wear what I wanted and believe what I believed.
The last straw at my private school was the day my biology teacher told my class that the Loch Ness monster was a dinosaur, and that dinosaurs from the past were REALLY "dragons"--and that some dragons even breathed fire! He also went on to say that there still were dragons on this earth . . . just on another part of land not discovered yet. He was DEAD serious about his little theory and he even tried to base "evidence" on verses from the Bible. My first reaction was to burst out laughing, but being the open-minded and curious person I am, I looked in my Bible index for the word "dragon." There was a verse that said the Lord KILLED a serpent that was also described as a dragon and a verse in Revelations about a dragon coming out of the sky during the second coming. Nope--nothing in there about fire-breathing dragons living on earth. It was at THAT point I realized I couldn't stay at a private high school to get a fairytale education . . . I had to switch to a public school to save my intelligence level from being corrupted.
Initially I was hopeful about my public school. I thought that I would have more freedom to express my opinions or wear what I wanted. True, I had THAT freedom, but I STILL despised high school. Why? Because I was forced into classrooms for SEVEN HOURS a day! I felt trapped and most of my teachers were just plain BORING! There were VERY few classes where the teacher actually TAUGHT for the entire class period. Most of them would finish twenty or thirty minutes ahead of time. We weren't aloud to leave the classroom (even when the teachers had stopped teaching), so I would have to just sit there bored STIFF--I could hardly STAND it! Sure, I made decent grades--just enough to get a scholarship--but I didn't overextend myself. I knew that high school grades didn't even MATTER in the long run, only college grades do.
College was like a breath of fresh air after being forced into a building seven hours a day, seven days a week for FOUR YEARS with all the drama, uptight administration and obscenely early mornings. I hear some people complain about how "hard" college is . . . I have yet to see it. To me, college is ten times easier than high school! After all, there are only about three classes a day (at the most) and those classes usually only meet about twice or three times a week, so there is always PLENTY of time to study. There are no annoying bells signaling the end of class, I can leave class when the instructor is actually DONE, there are no crowded hallways with only five minutes to rush around in, I can eat whenever I want, I get to pick my own classes, I have actually made wonderful friends without any superficial judgment and I actually find myself WANTING to go to class. Imagine that! Plus, I live on campus, so I finally have the BLISSFUL freedom to finally just do what I want WHEN I want, without having to explain myself to anyone.
I haven't regretted, nor will I EVER regret rushing though high school. There was no big, scary "real world" waiting for me when I got into college, just the dawning of another stage in my life and the opportunity to finally learn things that MATTER. So, while other people may pine for their lost "glory days" of high school, I will be milking my college experience for ALL it's worth . . . and lovin' every minute of it. ;)
By "perilous torture" I mean the unGodly things that several high school instructors and administration said were supposed to prepare me for the :::gasp::: "real world." For example, the first bell rang at 7:10am at the public high school I went to for my last two years. This required me to have to get up at 5:30am. How many normal jobs or careers require one to be awake at 5:30 in the morning? Most businesses are 9-5 (my FIRST job in the "real world" was). Another example of a "real-world" fallacy is the rather large, menacing security guard who patrolled the student parking lot. During my senior year, I was fortunate enough to be in the DCT program which allowed me to leave school at 11:05am to go to work. Even though I left school at the EXACT same time everyday, I would hear the loud, booming voice of the golf-kart driving security guard yelling, "Hey GIRL! Where's your pass?!" One would THINK that Mr. Security Guard would have remembered that I was a DCT student after seeing me EVERY SINGLE DAY AT THE SAME EXACT TIME, but no such luck. One of the most refreshing things I find about the "real world" is that I don't get harassed daily by a demanding, grumpy security guard.
The most cruel and unusual punishment my public high school ever enacted were the five minutes between classes and the skimpy thirty-five minutes they allotted for lunch. My public high school was VERY big, so the chances of getting to a class on the OTHER side of the campus in just five minutes were slim to none, considering the INSANELY crowded hallways I had to FIGHT my way through most of the time. As for the thirty-five minute lunch breaks, most HUMANE jobs (including MY first job in the "real world") allow at least an HOUR for lunch.
Another completely ridiculous high school situation is the social caste system. How often in the "real world" does one see the "goths," the "preps," the "weirdos," or the "geeks" congregating together? Never. For one thing, most people outgrow their label stages by the time they reach the so-called "real world," and when they find they have to work and coexist with people they might not like, they learn to LIVE with it!
Thankfully, I never belonged to ANY "clique" in high school. I basically WAS my clique. No matter HOW insecure I might have felt, I always made sure I had an attitude about me that made a statement, but was NOT to be labeled. I didn't even DRESS predictably, I dressed according to how I felt each day--VERY diverse styles.
Don't get me wrong, I did CONSIDER the available "cliques" at first. There were several . . . the goths, the artistic kids, the musicians, the punks, the skaters, the cheerleaders, the sports people, the nerds, the hard-partiers, the wannabees, etc. After observing several possible cliques, I realized that I didn't really want to be labeled as ANY of them . . . I just WOULDN'T be comfortable with it. I was cordial and friendly to everyone, but I never got CLOSE to anyone at any high school I went to, because I knew if I hung out with any group of people for too long, I would be labeled as part of their "group." It was just TOO disheartening to be stuck with a label--it would've made me feel even MORE trapped than I already felt.
All in all, the whole "social status" thing didn't matter much at my public high school, but at the very small PRIVATE high school I went to for my first two years, it was INSANE. Everyone who went to the private school had basically grown up together and thought the same closed-minded way, so newcomers--especially independent, open-minded newcomers--weren't accepted much. Guess who I was? The independent, open-minded newcomer. I know I probably scared most of the students when I first arrived there, because I was just coming out of my dark-clothes phase. I had long straight dark brown hair (almost black) and pasty white (practically transparent) skin. There began to be crazy rumors spread about me, the funniest one being (in all seriousness) that I was a witch from a cult. When I first heard the rumors, I worried that I would NEVER have any friends, but eventually I just saw the humor in the situation and whenever anyone was dumb enough to ask me if I had been in a cult (and they actually DID ask me), I would say "yes" to some and "no" to others, just to throw them all off track. Thus began my rebellion.
After my dark-clothes phase withered out, soon came my vinyl pants phase. I had four pairs of vinyl pants--purple, black, maroon and an actual black LEATHER pair. Of course, no one at the private school wore leather pants except me, and when I had the nerve to wear a black leather skirt and matching leather top, I got QUITE a bit of disapproving stares from the administration. Even though the skirt and top covered everything up, it was obviously considered taboo just because it was leather-ish. From then on, I was even MORE compelled to dress outside of the box--not only because I LIKED interesting and unique clothes, but because I thought the whole rumor thing was pretty amusing after a while. I realized that I just couldn't RESPECT people who judged me based on what I wore or what rumors were being spread, so I just continued to wear what I wanted and believe what I believed.
The last straw at my private school was the day my biology teacher told my class that the Loch Ness monster was a dinosaur, and that dinosaurs from the past were REALLY "dragons"--and that some dragons even breathed fire! He also went on to say that there still were dragons on this earth . . . just on another part of land not discovered yet. He was DEAD serious about his little theory and he even tried to base "evidence" on verses from the Bible. My first reaction was to burst out laughing, but being the open-minded and curious person I am, I looked in my Bible index for the word "dragon." There was a verse that said the Lord KILLED a serpent that was also described as a dragon and a verse in Revelations about a dragon coming out of the sky during the second coming. Nope--nothing in there about fire-breathing dragons living on earth. It was at THAT point I realized I couldn't stay at a private high school to get a fairytale education . . . I had to switch to a public school to save my intelligence level from being corrupted.
Initially I was hopeful about my public school. I thought that I would have more freedom to express my opinions or wear what I wanted. True, I had THAT freedom, but I STILL despised high school. Why? Because I was forced into classrooms for SEVEN HOURS a day! I felt trapped and most of my teachers were just plain BORING! There were VERY few classes where the teacher actually TAUGHT for the entire class period. Most of them would finish twenty or thirty minutes ahead of time. We weren't aloud to leave the classroom (even when the teachers had stopped teaching), so I would have to just sit there bored STIFF--I could hardly STAND it! Sure, I made decent grades--just enough to get a scholarship--but I didn't overextend myself. I knew that high school grades didn't even MATTER in the long run, only college grades do.
College was like a breath of fresh air after being forced into a building seven hours a day, seven days a week for FOUR YEARS with all the drama, uptight administration and obscenely early mornings. I hear some people complain about how "hard" college is . . . I have yet to see it. To me, college is ten times easier than high school! After all, there are only about three classes a day (at the most) and those classes usually only meet about twice or three times a week, so there is always PLENTY of time to study. There are no annoying bells signaling the end of class, I can leave class when the instructor is actually DONE, there are no crowded hallways with only five minutes to rush around in, I can eat whenever I want, I get to pick my own classes, I have actually made wonderful friends without any superficial judgment and I actually find myself WANTING to go to class. Imagine that! Plus, I live on campus, so I finally have the BLISSFUL freedom to finally just do what I want WHEN I want, without having to explain myself to anyone.
I haven't regretted, nor will I EVER regret rushing though high school. There was no big, scary "real world" waiting for me when I got into college, just the dawning of another stage in my life and the opportunity to finally learn things that MATTER. So, while other people may pine for their lost "glory days" of high school, I will be milking my college experience for ALL it's worth . . . and lovin' every minute of it. ;)