Analyzing the Time I Wasted During My High School Years

When I was younger, I hated school. I was bored. I wanted to be home. I faked illnesses on a regular basis. Then I was a preteen and truly enjoyed being at school. For two whole years, I loved it! I loved being with my friends everyday. And I even learned useful information during those two years. I can remember my seventh grade year well- parts of speech, biological functions, social studies, and a lot of independent reading. All of this information was useful and I retained much of it. Not true of the following years.

Eighth through twelfth grade was a blur of relearning or memorizing information long enough to pass a test. Being a visual person, I passed tests with ease because I could "see" what I studied long enough to regurgitate it. I learned American History as I had been learning it for the past seven years- same information again and again. I had lots of study hall classes. I even had three in one semester during my senior year. I was forced to take more English classes where I did not learn anything new. Exposure to literature meant reading Macbeth one year. I did take a woodshop class but being the only girl in a class full of guys...well, I didn't ever have to do a thing nor did I want to. With no interest in science I was horribly bored. I had already learned all the science I personally needed. Same held true for math- except maybe Geometry. I loved solving theorems. I also took French and did very well. I'm pretty certain that Geometry and French were the only two subjects which offered new material for me which I actually found interesting. I'd consider all other classes a waste of time since I didn't retain any new knowledge from them.

In my eyes, I spent 5 years wasting time. I could have learned French and Geometry outside of a school setting. I could have spent that five years taking college classes or apprenticing with a local artist. I could have spent that time doing something USEFUL like learning a new trade which could have enhanced my life, given me some sort of experience in preparation for the real world. I should have been encouraged to spend that time discovering myself, my interests, and my talents. Upon graduating high school, I should have had some direction or a path of some sort. No one should spend their first few years of college figuring out what they want to do- they should already know and they WOULD know if they had been given the space growing up to make those discoveries.

Instead, I spent my days in square rooms being told what to think, what I could wear, what questions I could ask. To use the restroom I needed a pass. If I ate my lunch outside with a few friends it was normal to have a school employee come by to make sure we were not breaking any rules. My every movement was caught on tape and I had a fine collection of "pink slips" for my many infractions. Nothing criminal, of course, but rules were rules. Many of the infractions were actually intentional, in hopes of getting a few days off with the blessing of the school as my punishment. It usually worked. All I wanted was a little privacy and respect.

I'm not someone who looks back on high school as great fun. No, I wasn't bullied. I had a lot of friends and was very active in sports. During those years I played softball, ran track, managed the soccer team, and was captain of the volleyball team. I went to all "the" parties and my circle of friends was popular. The socializing was fun but in my eyes did not compensate from the time that was being stolen from me. Besides, any real socializing occurred outside the school walls. I desperately wanted to do things which held personal meaning and resented being deprived those opportunities. The status quo was not good enough for me then and that rings true for me today.

I suppose when I think back there is one memory that sticks in my head, one I think about often. A rather demeaning teacher stood in front of our class, on the first day of school, with a tape player in her hand. She pushed play and out came the infamous Pink Floyd lyrics, "We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control." Then she gave the class a stern look, her cold eyes lingering on each individual briefly, and proclaimed that anyone who agreed with that song had no place in school. Looking back, I agree now. My children won't be going. No young adult needs that kind of "education". I guess I learned something after all!