I have no idea what made me start thinking about it. Maybe it is because everyone around me has kids or are having babies. Maybe it's because you hear a lot about moms that home school their kid (scoff) which I never agreed with because how the hell do they learn the survival methods and communication techniques that only 4 years in high school will afford them. To say home schooling is sheltered is not a far cry from the truth.
Let's face it, high school S-U-C-K-S! Being in classes are OK because it's like a sanctuary from the wild just outside the door. But when that bell rings, it's every man for themselves. Walking through the halls of high school as a fresh(meat)man has got to be one of the scariest, sweat inducing, vomit procuring things to a young person. That is unless you know the older kids, i.e. have a brother or sister that's older or you are one of the freshman girls dating a senior guy. But for the most part we aren't.
So you put your head down and try to hurry through the gauntlet as fast as possible, not making eye contact for fear you will get singled out for something, anything that you are doing that happens to be out of the "norm" or you use the buddy system and walk to your next class with an acquaintance, pretending to be wildly engaged in a conversation, so much so that you are oblivious to what is going on around you. Or if you are really lucky, your next class is in the classroom your previous class was just in and you have a "get out of jail free" card for that one hall trip. Either way, your objective is to remain invisible to all who are older, cooler or bigger than you.
Sadly, even with best laid plans, someone always becomes the brunt of someone else's abuses during that hall walk. Whether it's just getting shouted at to make his or her friend's laugh and point, or being the unknown target of a spit ball, seldom does time between classes occur without incident. The thing that really bothers me about the whole thing however, is that apart from a very, very small subset of the "individuals" who don't care what other people think of them" we are content to just keep living life like this. Don't get involved, don't stand up for the underdog, stay invisible at all costs lest you become the brunt of that persons heckling and bullying. Even when you know it's wrong and the people laughing are probably thinking the same thing you are but they can't socially afford to say anything, we all do the same thing. Nothing.
There was a particular incident that I've never forgotten about involving a boy (I think) who called him(her)self "Cat." Just from the name, I'm sure you can deduce that this was an "individual" and I honestly could not tell you if this was a boy or a girl. But, he(she) was different therefore wearing a bright flashing neon sign about his(her) head that said "Free Bait Here!" During one of the times between classes I was at my locker (at this point I was a junior and not so afraid of the gauntlet anymore) and Cat happened to walk past me. Then I heard people scurrying and turned to see what was going on.
One of the football jocks, and when I say jock I am talking straight out of any high school movie you watch-tall, big, with the IQ of a snail, but popular just because he was a footballer and wrestler and wore the letterman jacket- was "parting the seas" and when he had a clear shot, launched a 2" thick Biology text at the back of Cat's head. It nailed but didn't faze him(her?). Cat just kept on walking totally ignoring the laughing and pointing. To this day I regret not saying something to this shithead. I also know that today, he is fat, still living in Ludlow and works at a liquor store. Justice works in mysterious ways. But I wish I had stood up for Cat.
It doesn't get better until you are a senior and then the other kids respect you by default. Senior year was definitely much more relaxed and I made sure I never made an underclassman feel like I felt those three years leading up to senior year. But of course the cycle continues. You try to teach your children right and wrong and treat others the way you want to be treated and that's all fine and dandy for home and extracurricular activities, but once you are inside those high school halls, you become one of the masses. You keep your nose to the ground and don't look up until you are safely outside and back in your comfort zone. It's not like this for everyone but the majority of us lose our individuality when we go to high school only because we want to be like everyone else. You become an individual at the wrong time in high school and you get singled out, you become a target. It sucks.
I'm speaking mostly from personal experience because I didn't have a clique in high school. I had friends and acquaintances but never a group I could run to the shelter of and feel good about who I was with them. I count those people lucky. So while I can understand why people choose to home school their kids, the things you go through in high school are almost rites of passage and you learn from them.
OK, I totally rambled in this post and probably made no sense! My apologies!!
Let's face it, high school S-U-C-K-S! Being in classes are OK because it's like a sanctuary from the wild just outside the door. But when that bell rings, it's every man for themselves. Walking through the halls of high school as a fresh(meat)man has got to be one of the scariest, sweat inducing, vomit procuring things to a young person. That is unless you know the older kids, i.e. have a brother or sister that's older or you are one of the freshman girls dating a senior guy. But for the most part we aren't.
So you put your head down and try to hurry through the gauntlet as fast as possible, not making eye contact for fear you will get singled out for something, anything that you are doing that happens to be out of the "norm" or you use the buddy system and walk to your next class with an acquaintance, pretending to be wildly engaged in a conversation, so much so that you are oblivious to what is going on around you. Or if you are really lucky, your next class is in the classroom your previous class was just in and you have a "get out of jail free" card for that one hall trip. Either way, your objective is to remain invisible to all who are older, cooler or bigger than you.
Sadly, even with best laid plans, someone always becomes the brunt of someone else's abuses during that hall walk. Whether it's just getting shouted at to make his or her friend's laugh and point, or being the unknown target of a spit ball, seldom does time between classes occur without incident. The thing that really bothers me about the whole thing however, is that apart from a very, very small subset of the "individuals" who don't care what other people think of them" we are content to just keep living life like this. Don't get involved, don't stand up for the underdog, stay invisible at all costs lest you become the brunt of that persons heckling and bullying. Even when you know it's wrong and the people laughing are probably thinking the same thing you are but they can't socially afford to say anything, we all do the same thing. Nothing.
There was a particular incident that I've never forgotten about involving a boy (I think) who called him(her)self "Cat." Just from the name, I'm sure you can deduce that this was an "individual" and I honestly could not tell you if this was a boy or a girl. But, he(she) was different therefore wearing a bright flashing neon sign about his(her) head that said "Free Bait Here!" During one of the times between classes I was at my locker (at this point I was a junior and not so afraid of the gauntlet anymore) and Cat happened to walk past me. Then I heard people scurrying and turned to see what was going on.
One of the football jocks, and when I say jock I am talking straight out of any high school movie you watch-tall, big, with the IQ of a snail, but popular just because he was a footballer and wrestler and wore the letterman jacket- was "parting the seas" and when he had a clear shot, launched a 2" thick Biology text at the back of Cat's head. It nailed but didn't faze him(her?). Cat just kept on walking totally ignoring the laughing and pointing. To this day I regret not saying something to this shithead. I also know that today, he is fat, still living in Ludlow and works at a liquor store. Justice works in mysterious ways. But I wish I had stood up for Cat.
It doesn't get better until you are a senior and then the other kids respect you by default. Senior year was definitely much more relaxed and I made sure I never made an underclassman feel like I felt those three years leading up to senior year. But of course the cycle continues. You try to teach your children right and wrong and treat others the way you want to be treated and that's all fine and dandy for home and extracurricular activities, but once you are inside those high school halls, you become one of the masses. You keep your nose to the ground and don't look up until you are safely outside and back in your comfort zone. It's not like this for everyone but the majority of us lose our individuality when we go to high school only because we want to be like everyone else. You become an individual at the wrong time in high school and you get singled out, you become a target. It sucks.
I'm speaking mostly from personal experience because I didn't have a clique in high school. I had friends and acquaintances but never a group I could run to the shelter of and feel good about who I was with them. I count those people lucky. So while I can understand why people choose to home school their kids, the things you go through in high school are almost rites of passage and you learn from them.
OK, I totally rambled in this post and probably made no sense! My apologies!!
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