25th High School Reunion
This year is my 25th high school reunion. Will I go? At first I said, "No way!" I went to my tenth, fresh off a divorce, with blonde hair and a hot body. Did I impress anyone with my new look? Uh, no. I ended up sitting at a table with the same five people with whom I shared a cafeteria table for four years. And the people I couldn't stand in high school? Still couldn't stand them. But then I got the call for "Jeopardy" and said, "Hell, yes, I'm going!" Win or lose, it was a nerd-makes-good story. Yet as of today, I'm still on the fence about the whole thing.
As I send my kids off for the first day of school tomorrow, I've been reflecting on my educational years. My youngest son is required to bring a stapler to school for the third grade. I felt it my parental duty to relate my third grade stapling story to him. A girl named Sharon Barnes decided she wanted to know what it felt like to staple her finger. Not the brightest crayon in the box. So she did it and to no one's surprise it hurt like hell. Lesson learned? Never staple your own flesh. Duh.
A shout out to some of my favorite teachers:
- Miss Benson, 6th grade. You made learning an enjoyable challenge.
- Mrs. Youel, 9th grade English. You told us, "there are no stupid books, only stupid people."
I still have to disagree with you there. But, you also taught us the basic structure of writing an
essay and that form has served me very well over the past 25 years.
- Mr. Youel, 10th grade history. Every kid needs a teacher like Mr. Youel. Fun, understanding
and he really knew his stuff.
- Miss Bonnie Brown, 12th grade English. You took the time with an Honors English class to
give us a remedial course in grammar. I still freak out if I use "this" without a corresponding
noun. Thank you.
And the letter I've been waiting to write for 25 years:
Dear Berea Board of Education,
In the tenth grade, I wanted to drop Geometry. I didn't need the math credit and even at 16, I knew that math at this level was not going to pertain to what I wanted to do with my life. But you wouldn't let me drop it.
So, I just wanted to let you know that in the past 25 years I have earned a Bachelor's Degree, had many part- and full-time jobs, been married twice, given birth to two children, buried a parent, and was a Jeopardy contestant. And in all of that time, never once was I required to figure out the hypotenuse of an isosceles triangle.
What I really needed to learn from math was how to balance my checkbook or to understand the ramifications of credit card interest. If these are not skills you are teaching your students today, then you should.
p.s. Thank you very much for the comprehensive sexual education class. Contrary to current belief, the knowledge of birth control did not turn me into a nymphomaniac immediately but did come in handy when my moral compass went askew in college.
THE SUPREME WISDOM OF THE QUEENOSHEBA
Education is a life-long process. Even after you've finished school, read - explore - discuss. Not only does learning open whole new worlds, continually challenging and enriching your brain can help stave off Alzheimer's.
As I send my kids off for the first day of school tomorrow, I've been reflecting on my educational years. My youngest son is required to bring a stapler to school for the third grade. I felt it my parental duty to relate my third grade stapling story to him. A girl named Sharon Barnes decided she wanted to know what it felt like to staple her finger. Not the brightest crayon in the box. So she did it and to no one's surprise it hurt like hell. Lesson learned? Never staple your own flesh. Duh.
A shout out to some of my favorite teachers:
- Miss Benson, 6th grade. You made learning an enjoyable challenge.
- Mrs. Youel, 9th grade English. You told us, "there are no stupid books, only stupid people."
I still have to disagree with you there. But, you also taught us the basic structure of writing an
essay and that form has served me very well over the past 25 years.
- Mr. Youel, 10th grade history. Every kid needs a teacher like Mr. Youel. Fun, understanding
and he really knew his stuff.
- Miss Bonnie Brown, 12th grade English. You took the time with an Honors English class to
give us a remedial course in grammar. I still freak out if I use "this" without a corresponding
noun. Thank you.
And the letter I've been waiting to write for 25 years:
Dear Berea Board of Education,
In the tenth grade, I wanted to drop Geometry. I didn't need the math credit and even at 16, I knew that math at this level was not going to pertain to what I wanted to do with my life. But you wouldn't let me drop it.
So, I just wanted to let you know that in the past 25 years I have earned a Bachelor's Degree, had many part- and full-time jobs, been married twice, given birth to two children, buried a parent, and was a Jeopardy contestant. And in all of that time, never once was I required to figure out the hypotenuse of an isosceles triangle.
What I really needed to learn from math was how to balance my checkbook or to understand the ramifications of credit card interest. If these are not skills you are teaching your students today, then you should.
p.s. Thank you very much for the comprehensive sexual education class. Contrary to current belief, the knowledge of birth control did not turn me into a nymphomaniac immediately but did come in handy when my moral compass went askew in college.
THE SUPREME WISDOM OF THE QUEENOSHEBA
Education is a life-long process. Even after you've finished school, read - explore - discuss. Not only does learning open whole new worlds, continually challenging and enriching your brain can help stave off Alzheimer's.
posted by Queenosheba @ 8:11 PM
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