I Wish They Had Those Classes When I Was in High School

When I was in high school in the late 1980s, our elective classes were very limited.  PE. Chorus. Band. Art. Home Ec. Foreign Language.  That’s about it.

Now?

My kids take guitar.  Or Web Page Design.  Or 3D Design & Sculpture.  They take a computer class that “teaches” them Word, Excel and Powerpoint in a world where most kids already know how to use those programs by the time they finish elementary school.  They take personal finance and learn about Dave Ramsey, 401Ks and retirement planning.

Man, I wish I was in high school again.  My “C” average would have easily become a “B” if I had electives like that to choose from.  I took Chorus for three years straight (I was the piano player and sang alto) but that wasn’t enough to bring my overall GPA up much at all.

Having said that, I would NOT want to be in high school again because of all the social politics that come into play.  My daughter (CG) and I have had lengthy conversations about our high school experiences.  “The Breakfast Club” is a movie that still resonates for a reason, folks. She knows a few people and has a couple good friends (although they will be attending a different school this year because of the new school zones).  When I was in high school I knew a ton of people (my yearbooks are COVERED in signatures and well wishes), but I really only had 1-2 people that I considered friends (and I’m still friends with them to this day even though we almost never see each other).  She has the same experience that I had – not quite an outcast, but not in with a clique either.

My son, CB, now going on his fourth school in four years because of the constant zone changes in our school district, has two friends – neither of which live in our neighborhood or go to his school – and is pretty much a loner as a result.  He’s extroverted and outgoing, but just hasn’t formed any solid friendships in school because of the constant shifting.  I think his philosophy has become, “Why bother forming friendships when we’re just going to have to change schools in 1-2 years and never see those people again?”  He had a good friend in elementary school that lived in our neighborhood for two years, and they hung out a lot, but then the boy’s family moved and CB just never found anyone else.  We’ve lived in the same house for 12 years and yet my son has attended 1 elementary school, 2 middle schools and 2 high schools.  He had a best friend in elementary, they got separated in middle school, reunited for their last year of middle school and freshman year of high school, and are now separated again.  They talk every day via Skype while they play video games together and I think it’s amazing that they’ve figured out how to maintain their friendship despite being put together and ripped apart every couple of years.  But school itself, from a social aspect, is tough for him.

But at least the classes they are taking make up for the constant shift in schools.  CB is very excited about taking Guitar (he wanted to take it last year but since he was a freshman he did not make the cut). CG is interested to see how her 3D Design class shapes up.   I’m excited he’s taking Personal Finance and hope it sticks because I know how great that class was for CG.

And their new school might actually end up being a good one for them. But when it comes time for college application essays, I definitely want my kids to write about how they can adjust with aplomb to any changing situation and outline their school swap history as the primary example.