Describe something you learned in high school.
I’ll be completely transparent here and tell you I hated my high school experience. I went to a uniformed Catholic school with a bunch of snobby rich kids. I was often bored in class, most the teachers weren’t engaging enough for me. I could have also been bored because it wasn’t challenging….I took all Applied courses.
Which leads me into my story, join me down memory lane for a moment if you will….*the space around you gets all fuzzy as a memory comes into view*
In high school, I was chunky, shy, a bit of a rock chick and didn’t associate with many people who weren’t my friends. At the time, because it was normal, my dad smoked in the house and I had a few friends who were smokers. We were pushing boundaries and had unnecessary teen angst.
My friend’s locker was right by our smoke pit, in which she would often venture for a cigarette before classes, I would sometimes keep her company (I didn’t smoke at the time). One day, I met up with her to discuss something for another class, just before my biology class. I hardly ever went to my classes at the time, still averaging an 80 over all, but I hardly went to school period. I was depressed and hated it there.
My biology teacher and I didn’t get along, he was an old fart who pretended like we didn’t all know he hot boxed his car every day, but I digress. I walked into class a few seconds after the bell rang and he decided to make an “example” out of me. He called me up to the front of the class and made accusations about me and how he saw me smoking at the smoke pit and called me a deviant, and so forth. Well….I was not having any of that nonsense. So, I stuck it to him, giving it right back to him in a calm and authoritative voice. I squashed all his accusations, even hinted at his pot smoking in the most subtle way possible, ending with “Send me to the principals office if you have a problem with me then, but I will let her know that you accused me in front of the entire class of something I didn’t do. I’d love to hear what she has to say about that….” He looked at me red faced and the entire class was in complete astonishment, ooo’ing and quietly giggling at my bravery. He informed me to sit down and he proceeded with class.
It was at that moment that I knew I had a voice, that I could stand up for myself and not just stand by and take harsh and inaccurate criticism. I am no one’s punching bag, nor should anyone be. It was a huge lesson for me to question authority, to stand up for my rights and not be bullied.
That was my biggest lesson in high school. And trust me, I had to find my voice more than once in that school.
Hope you enjoyed my ballsy teenage self.
Ciao!!
Mama on the Move 