I'm not quite sure how I feel about my high school experience. If "normalizing" means that you can refer to the highlights of high school and remember those experiences, then I guess I can. I went to football games, I was in the band, I went to prom (although not my senior year because, by then, I thought it was silly), etc. It was okay, occasionally really fun, but nothing earth-shattering.
I graduated with a class of 420, ranked 21st, although I did virtually no studying that I can remember. I took honors classes throughout and AP English and Calculus (they were the only AP classes offered) my senior year, and I remember writing most of my AP English papers after having read just the Cliff's notes and doing all my calc homework at school. I recall one incident of having to turn in a paper on an 800-page book on Monday, so I stayed in my room all weekend to read the book that I should have been reading for at least an entire month before that. Obviously, I had no study skills, and didn't really need them to do fairly well. Still, I look back with regret that I didn't actually try in HS. I am thrilled with my life, but I know that if I'd actually studied -- actually had to study -- then I would have taken a different path.
Socially, I had friends from all the different groups and was well liked by everyone, although by nature I am an introvert and shy. HS was mostly fun for me (but not a party exactly), and why wouldn't it be when I did very little actual work? I also had friends of all ages, although all my best friends throughout my life were older than me. I had always wanted to skip a grade, but it just wasn't in the cards since I had a twin who didn't need a skip. I hated that I was limited in participating in certain activities with my friends simply because they were older than me. Interestingly, all my best friends from MS and HS were male, so that my have saved me from some of the drama. I guess everyone knew I was a smart person, but since my grades weren't sky-high, I mostly flew under the radar.
I guess a good thing was that there never seemed to be any stigma about getting good grades at our school. Most of the popular kids were good students as well. I don't remember a ton of bullying either, although there must have been the normal amount. Obviously, being in band I heard the term "band geek," but no one seemed to seriously make fun of band people. I was one of many who moved fluidly between all the different groups.
Did I feel different? I think I always did. I knew I was really smart and I know I always felt older than I was. But I guess I just assumed that everybody had their thing, so I never felt out of place exactly. Did I learn any big life lessons in HS? Not that I can think of. I think the biggest impact schooling, in general, had on me was that I learned that I could get by with a minimal amount of effort (so I learned cost-benefit ratios!), and that was life-changing.
Last edited by mnmom23; 05/14/11 08:08 PM.
