What Were You Like in High School?

[Lanolin]

Did anyone go to single sex high school? ...just wondered what that was like.

while I didnt really enjoy a lot of high school I think it would have been weird to go to a single sex high school. I think a lot of parents believe that its somehow safer or they get better education there, but in reality students seem to come out of those places without really knowing how to interact with the opposite sex on a daily basis, as just normal people or human beings...as Ive observed.

its serves to objectify the opposite sex it seems...setting up a false dichotomy. Several schools that used to be all boys have now opened their doors to girls and girls are finally getting a quality education on equal footing.

 

[Lanolin]

university was a better experience..you could be yourself, there was no pressure to 'fit in' as there seems to be in high school. Not sure why high schools are the way they are...they seem to set up students for failure a lot of the time and dont really prepare those who leave or drop out for the real world.

but then university can be a bit out of touch with reality in some aspects of it too. But it is what you make of it you dont surrender your control or wellbeing to the mercy of the group or whatver class you get placed in as you do in high school. so much 'peer pressure' happens in high school.

 

[GardenofWeeden]

Since this old thread has been resurrected, I was sort of popular but not popular. I was in the orchestra as a the cello section leader, I played sports, was in the musicals' pit orchestra, chamber quartets, the local symphony orchestra, I had a lot of acquaintances, but I wasn't actually friends with many in school, I was a member of YFC (youth for Christ), a good student in all advanced classes, a member of concert choir (I had to take summer school to make room in my schedule), I was part of a couple active youth groups, I bowled on Saturday mornings, took private cello lessons on Saturday afternoons and I worked at a local restaurant. I was a very busy girl. I did anything to keep me away from home.

 

[Lanolin]

Since this old thread has been resurrected, I was sort of popular but not popular. I was in the orchestra as a the cello section leader, I played sports, was in the musicals' pit orchestra, chamber quartets, the local symphony orchestra, I had a lot of acquaintances, but I wasn't actually friends with many in school, I was a member of YFC (youth for Christ), a good student in all advanced classes, a member of concert choir (I had to take summer school to make room in my schedule), I was part of a couple active youth groups, I bowled on Saturday mornings, took private cello lessons on Saturday afternoons and I worked at a local restaurant. I was a very busy girl. I did anything to keep me away from home.

Garden of weeden I wonder what you were like in primary school.

I had friends in high school that played piano and did ballet lessons and gym and all that but, I never did anything like that as those things cost money so never had the opportunity. I dont know if its cos we actually had no money or parents just didnt want to invest in me. I never asked for those things and they were never offered.

My dad played an awful lot of vinyl records though and spent all his money on that. I ddnt know it was a normal teenage thing to have extra private lessons. When I got older (and still looked like a teenager) I recall I went to church and was asked to join the youth group. I never went to church in high school, was never invited. I figured if your family wasnt christian nobody would invite you.

 

[Bob-Carabbio]

* What were you like in high school?

Bored out of my mind.

 

[GardenofWeeden]

Garden of weeden I wonder what you were like in primary school.

I had friends in high school that played piano and did ballet lessons and gym and all that but, I never did anything like that as those things cost money so never had the opportunity. I dont know if its cos we actually had no money or parents just didnt want to invest in me. I never asked for those things and they were never offered.

My dad played an awful lot of vinyl records though and spent all his money on that. I ddnt know it was a normal teenage thing to have extra private lessons. When I got older (and still looked like a teenager) I recall I went to church and was asked to join the youth group. I never went to church in high school, was never invited. I figured if your family wasnt christian nobody would invite you.

In elementary school, I rode a bus to church. My parents didn't go. My Grandpa (mom's side) was a Southern Baptist preacher, and she was forced to sit in church, so she never went as an adult and never made us go. She didn't forbid it, just didn't require it.

I guess I was a normal, middle class kid? Ever see that Christmas movie, "A Christmas Story" with Ralphie? My winters were a lot like that; cold and snowy with snow suits and scarves. I rode my bike everywhere. I LOVED playing with the hula hoop and I was very good at it too, I could walk around the block and not stop hooping. I played with the neighborhood kids a lot, bowled on Saturday mornings. My dad worked at the bowling alley, so we all bowled a lot. I was the only girl in the neighborhood, so i played football, baseball and basketball with the boys. I wasn't allowed to play in little league baseball (mom didn't think it was proper for a girl to play baseball), so I volunteered in the concession stand. At least I got to watch the games and had a part in the program this way, plus I got to eat all the popcorn I could eat.

I got sick in 5th grade, with some type of virus I couldn't shake for months, so I did a lot of at-home study to keep up with my class. By the time I went back to school, I was doing high school social studies and math, and I was reading on a college level, according to those tests they give kids. That's how I ended up in advanced classes later, not because I studied a lot or anything. My teachers thought my mom was helping or doing my work for me, so they made me test before going back to my class.

We were a member of the YMCA, so we took swim lessons and I took ballet and tap lessons until grade 4. My mom worked, so I was cooking full meals for the whole family by age 10. I walked or rode my bike to and from school, no bus until Jr High, then no bus in high school.
That about covers it.

 

[Lanolin]

In elementary school, I rode a bus to church. My parents didn't go. My Grandpa (mom's side) was a Southern Baptist preacher, and she was forced to sit in church, so she never went as an adult and never made us go. She didn't forbid it, just didn't require it.

I guess I was a normal, middle class kid? Ever see that Christmas movie, "A Christmas Story" with Ralphie? My winters were a lot like that; cold and snowy with snow suits and scarves. I rode my bike everywhere. I LOVED playing with the hula hoop and I was very good at it too, I could walk around the block and not stop hooping. I played with the neighborhood kids a lot, bowled on Saturday mornings. My dad worked at the bowling alley, so we all bowled a lot. I was the only girl in the neighborhood, so i played football, baseball and basketball with the boys. I wasn't allowed to play in little league baseball (mom didn't think it was proper for a girl to play baseball), so I volunteered in the concession stand. At least I got to watch the games and had a part in the program this way, plus I got to eat all the popcorn I could eat.

I got sick in 5th grade, with some type of virus I couldn't shake for months, so I did a lot of at-home study to keep up with my class. By the time I went back to school, I was doing high school social studies and math, and I was reading on a college level, according to those tests they give kids. That's how I ended up in advanced classes later, not because I studied a lot or anything. My teachers thought my mom was helping or doing my work for me, so they made me test before going back to my class.

We were a member of the YMCA, so we took swim lessons and I took ballet and tap lessons until grade 4. My mom worked, so I was cooking full meals for the whole family by age 10. I walked or rode my bike to and from school, no bus until Jr High, then no bus in high school.
That about covers it.

interesting

no I've never seen A Christmas Story with Ralphie.

When I picture a 'normal, middle class life' it might be like Greg Heffley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books or maybe those Babysitters Club girls. Though their parents all seemed to be well off and they never had any pressure to earn extra cash for the family (or find work to support their parents) They also has things like summer camp and holidays away. My family never went on holiday! In school holidays we just stayed at home. That was our holiday...not going to school.

My dad subscribed to Readers Digest and I read all those non fiction Readers Digest books at home (though none of the condensed books- they were simply decoration) and I loved doing homeworks and finding out facts in these books. He also took us to the library. I learned so much more reading books that interested me than I did learning at school. lol

The roads when I grew up were so dangerous that it would have been suicidal to ride anywhere. If you werent on your bike getting run over by cars, you'd get bitten by roaming wild dogs. Its become better now, but there was also stranger danger and the buses were never reliable. My dad took it upon himself to chauffer us children everywhere. It was crazy. We could never walk home by ourselves!

My local high school had a reputation for gangs so I didnt go there, I went to the one up the hill my sister went to. If there were any gangs there nobody would ever asked me to join anyway so I dont think it would have made much difference. lol

 

[GardenofWeeden]

interesting

no I've never seen A Christmas Story with Ralphie.

When I picture a 'normal, middle class life' it might be like Greg Heffley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books or maybe those Babysitters Club girls. Though their parents all seemed to be well off and they never had any pressure to earn extra cash for the family (or find work to support their parents) They also has things like summer camp and holidays away. My family never went on holiday! In school holidays we just stayed at home. That was our holiday...not going to school.

My dad subscribed to Readers Digest and I read all those non fiction Readers Digest books at home (though none of the condensed books- they were simply decoration) and I loved doing homeworks and finding out facts in these books. He also took us to the library. I learned so much more reading books that interested me than I did learning at school. lol

The roads when I grew up were so dangerous that it would have been suicidal to ride anywhere. If you werent on your bike getting run over by cars, you'd get bitten by roaming wild dogs. Its become better now, but there was also stranger danger and the buses were never reliable. My dad took it upon himself to chauffer us children everywhere. It was crazy. We could never walk home by ourselves!

My local high school had a reputation for gangs so I didnt go there, I went to the one up the hill my sister went to. If there were any gangs there nobody would ever asked me to join anyway so I dont think it would have made much difference. lol

I think you are either younger than I am, or you are from another country/area, or both.

I grew up in the city. Not a large city, maybe 40,000-60,000 people, but we had sidewalks, and parks and things like that. In the 1970's when I was a kid, stranger danger wasn't a thing yet. It was fairly safe to walk or ride, as long as we stayed on the sidewalk when we walked, and off the main roads when we biked. The local FOP sponsors a little league baseball park right by my house, that had so many kids playing they had 3 separate leagues, each with about 10 teams.

I read every book in my elementary school library. Then I started walking to the public library. I was only allowed to do that during the day. If it got dark I had better have been home. My dad would come get me, but he would be cross. I couldn't go anywhere where a neighbor didn't know me, and watched out for me. It was really a great time to be a kid. I knew the families in every house for 11 blocks almost every direction, and that was A LOT of houses.

Gangs weren't in my town or my high school until many years later. Those girls in the Baby Sitters Club were definitely a bit more upper class than I was(and am now). My parents were factory workers, not accountants or doctors. Those families lived along the river, or out of town a bit in sub divisions. Now-a-days, sub divisions are common, but back then they were for families who had "made it" out of the city to a safer area for their families. Those houses, in the Babysitter's series and movies, would cost at least $500,000 maybe a mil now. My parents paid $12,000 for our house in 1972, and we sold it for $75,000 in 2017 after my dad passed, and it was one of the higher priced homes on the block, because it was on a larger, corner lot.

 

[Lanolin]

I think you are either younger than I am, or you are from another country/area, or both.

I grew up in the city. Not a large city, maybe 40,000-60,000 people, but we had sidewalks, and parks and things like that. In the 1970's when I was a kid, stranger danger wasn't a thing yet. It was fairly safe to walk or ride, as long as we stayed on the sidewalk when we walked, and off the main roads when we biked. The local FOP sponsors a little league baseball park right by my house, that had so many kids playing they had 3 separate leagues, each with about 10 teams.

I read every book in my elementary school library. Then I started walking to the public library. I was only allowed to do that during the day. If it got dark I had better have been home. My dad would come get me, but he would be cross. I couldn't go anywhere where a neighbor didn't know me, and watched out for me. It was really a great time to be a kid. I knew the families in every house for 11 blocks almost every direction, and that was A LOT of houses.

Gangs weren't in my town or my high school until many years later. Those girls in the Baby Sitters Club were definitely a bit more upper class than I was(and am now). My parents were factory workers, not accountants or doctors. Those families lived along the river, or out of town a bit in sub divisions. Now-a-days, sub divisions are common, but back then they were for families who had "made it" out of the city to a safer area for their families. Those houses, in the Babysitter's series and movies, would cost at least $500,000 maybe a mil now. My parents paid $12,000 for our house in 1972, and we sold it for $75,000 in 2017 after my dad passed, and it was one of the higher priced homes on the block, because it was on a larger, corner lot.

good spotting
I dont assume everyone is like me or had the same experience but a lot of people older than me eg baby boomers semed to have this idyllic childhood in a safe suburb back when suburbs were new. Suburbs came about because of the car and thanks to american influence but in other countries suburbs were built on a shoestring. Zoning laws also affect how people live and what density of population there is.

when property developers plan a subdivision they have to take into account where the children will be going to school. If there are enough families, govt will provide funds for a new school to be built. This was back in the day when the govt would spend money on education. Nowdays they washing their hands of it and insisting schools be run as small business enterprises, where they get sponsored by Real Estate companies. lol

Of course those renting and who cant afford to own property eg working class dont get much say and cant afford to support a school while middle to upper class families with more resources put everything into the school, it seems thats just the way it is. Ive never worked in a high school but ive worked in primary schools and tertiary education.

In some high schools they had a rule if you couldnt make a sizable 'donation' to the school your teenager wasnt allowed to go to the school ball.

 

[Lanolin]

In NZ because of british influence I suspect people are a lot more reserved and private than americans are. And because of british influence and general xenophobia if you were not english you would be ignored or snobbed. Racism was a real thing.
In the suburbs everything has to be fenced off and we dont go round each others houses unless invited or we know them eg they are family. Very different from what most people are used to living in villages with shared spaces or commons. Also in the 80s everything started turning to be user pays. If you were well off and could afford , life was good, if you couldnt, too bad! But then the stockmarket crashed. That wasnt good...

 

[Lanolin]

DiD anyone go to a high school that was run by a clique of girls called Heather? Just wondering....

 

[Pipp]

I only went half a year in public highschool. I was very timid and scared and bullied pretty bad. Even had a teacher watch people pick on me and allow it... he even set me up to be picked on. I was pulled out and put in a private Christian school.

 

[HealthAndHappiness]

I only went half a year in public highschool. I was very timid and scared and bullied pretty bad. Even had a teacher watch people pick on me and allow it... he even set me up to be picked on. I was pulled out and put in a private Christian school.

Shame on the teacher.
Ecclesiastes 8
"Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."

Was Christian school much better? How did it work out?

 

[Noel25]

This thread makes me nostalgic. I miss a lot of the old users. ❤️

 

[MessengerofTruth]

I left and never looked back. I have never been to a reunion and I am perfectly happy leaving the past in the past. It was simply a blip of my life here on earth!

Same here...

 

[Jhayann]

I think Highschool is one of my memorable days. We are enjoying being highschool and this days I'm not yet religious person. After class if we don't have a practice with other dancer we will drink all day. Doing cutting classes but in the end we are still having a good grades. We just want to enjoy before we go into the college.

 

[Lanolin]

In nz its the opposite, for some on the academic track, high school is all serious because there are not many universities (or colleges) to apply for and competition to get in is stiff, plus its super expensive. Its all about prepping to get in.

also you cant drink or obtain alcohol as you are underage in high school. But when you do get into university the drinking and party culture is something else, because by that time you are 18 you are considered adult.

Unless you are already rich tho and can just buy your way in. Depends. I rememebr being shocked that some students would cheat and lie and get others to do their assignments for them. Or had parents who did their homework for them (or 'helped') I never understood why. If you cheat and lie your way into things just to get ahead and your parents condone this, then your whole adult life will also be about cheating and lying. I think for many teens the pressure was way too much, which is probably why nz has such a high youth suicide rate.

 

[Pipp]

Shame on the teacher.
Ecclesiastes 8
"Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil."

Was Christian school much better? How did it work out?

It was definitely better. I stayed there a while then finished at home due to some medical issues. Thankfully it all worked out in the end

 

[Lanolin]

It was definitely better. I stayed there a while then finished at home due to some medical issues. Thankfully it all worked out in the end

just wondering was your private christian school all girls or co-ed?

 

[Pipp]

just wondering was your private christian school all girls or co-ed?

Co ed and also all grades in one big school room. There were only about 15 of us in the whole school. It was a private school , basically like a supervised homeschool group.