Junior High

Wow, it's been a long time....

Since I don't know how much you have heard over the phone or conversation, I will just pick up from here! Well actually this post won't be very informative, but it has given me something to think about for a few weeks.

When you spend much of the day at a junior high, with memories of your own junior high experiences 20 years ago (yes twenty!)... It really is a little disconcerning at first. Here are a few things I have remembered from my own experiences with added insight as an adult.

1. Quarters. Yes, quarters are the currency that moves the population. It is interesting to see the same quarter marked with fingernail polish come in and out of my cash box 3, maybe 4 times during a lunch.

2. One poster I laugh at every day says, "If you fight the paw, you get the claw!" As a student, I remember feeling pretty proud to be a cougar and felt like we were a sporting force to be reckoned with... (GO RMS!) Now, I see very young, gangly, gawky kids feeling the same way I did; only now they don't seem so ferocious.

3. Fads. In the late 80's it was all about tight pants, beads, make-up, long hair, and layers. Today it is tight pants, beads, long hair, and layers.

4. The same stereotyped kids still exist: jocks, cheerleaders, emos (my day grunge), nerds, mollys, and cool kids.

What I didn't expect was to care for these kids. Yes, I knew I would give them the best that I knew how, but didn't think I would emotionally care for their best welfare.

Lastly, seeing and hearing quite a few of these kids stories, I appreciate my own parents and KNOW I am lucky for my upbringing and family.