Girls, School, Yada Yada Yada...
There were, again, many good readings this week. Again, I found myself impressed by the writing abilities of many of these girls. Several of them reminded me of some of the aspects of high school, with their honest, vivid writing.
Emily Knox (13) learned that she was the “best kind of popular”. She didn’t try to be popular- she was just herself. When she moved, everyone missed her. The “best kind of popular” is when you don’t try- you are just yourself and everyone loves you as you. Carey Dunne, reminds us (okay- me) of what it was like in gym class (blech!). “Gym was like war. I was forced to battle with these suburban beasts,” lol (102). There was this one girl in particular who was quite terrifying. “Her motto was ‘Blood makes the turf grow- kill, kill, kill!!!!’ Each time she touched grass she became an animal or a Viking…. Whenever I was around her, I wished for a metal shield or sword” (102). (Carey made me laugh quite a bit.)
When Carey was horrified at the concept of swimming (and being in bathing suits) as a group of teens, she would swim as fast as possible. Unfortunately for her, “Coach Hunkel must have mistaken [her] haste and horror for talent” (104). She was pressured by the coach to join the swim team (who later convinced Carey’s mother it was a great idea, as well). Carey refused. As a matter of fact, she so despised the girls who enjoyed pool time (for the chance to show off their bodies), “it made [her] want to pee in the pool to screw them over” (103).
Sara Harari (16) took a more serious tone in her piece. She talks about the prejudice she observed in school. A self-proclaimed “flaming liberal”, Sara supports “women’s rights, world peace, and wind turbines”. The “pacifist” finds herself wanting to battle with the “sexist, war-obsessed, gas-guzzling, raging conservative” in her history class. As Sara explains, she is not normally prejudiced against whole groups of people, but it seems she may have to make an exception for football players. Sara reminded me a lot of myself- wanting to be peaceful but feeling so angry and combative toward those who stand so dramatically against what I believe in.
She also reminded me of myself (and made me laugh) in her rationalization against committing violent acts toward the particular football player- Todd. “Then it hit me. Taking Todd’s head off means suspension. Suspension would mean lots of work to catch up on, plus some very angry parents. I sighed. Not worth it” (99-100). The idea of destroying his life is appealing to Sara- but the personal inconveniences associated with the consequences are her reasoning for choosing non-violence. (I find myself, even today, rationalizing in this seemingly obscene manner, lol.)
Finally, Lisa Chau (18) reminded me, with great vividness, what it was like, physically to be in high school. Lisa describes the ungodly temperature extremes she must endure throughout the day (freezing or sweltering). She has a very clear recollection of the smell (stench) of school, particularly when someone has vomited in front of her. She reminded me of the chaos that is lunch time at school- some people running to get their lunch so they could actually chew. Lisa, however, “being a senior this year, [is] frankly too lazy to run to lunch every day”. The result is that she must inhale her food so she won’t be late to her next class.
I was reminded of how much I hated cutters in the lunch line. Cutters, Lisa confirms for me, “should be put in jail”. She gets conflicted (as I did) about wanting to cut in front of a known cutter, because then she would become the reviled cutter. Most of Lisa’s essay brought me back, but there was one more point that I felt was quite amusing. The bathrooms. Bathrooms with missing doors. Why? Probably because of fires started in them. (This all occurred in my high school.) Obviously the high school girls’ bathroom is a disgusting place, even without the “party thrown… by Always and Tampax” (105-109).
So yeah- whenever someone asks me, “don’t you wish you could go back?” I have tiny glimpses of some of the atrocities that are high school. I am always able to answer with a resounding “NO!”
Do you wish you could go back? If so, WHY???!!! And if not, what about high school so repulses you, that you wouldn’t want a “do-over” with the knowledge and maturity you currently possess?
~Amanda W.
(Quotes taken from the book Red: the next generation of American writers- TEENAGE GIRLS- on what FIRES up their lives today, edited by Amy Goldwater.)
Emily Knox (13) learned that she was the “best kind of popular”. She didn’t try to be popular- she was just herself. When she moved, everyone missed her. The “best kind of popular” is when you don’t try- you are just yourself and everyone loves you as you. Carey Dunne, reminds us (okay- me) of what it was like in gym class (blech!). “Gym was like war. I was forced to battle with these suburban beasts,” lol (102). There was this one girl in particular who was quite terrifying. “Her motto was ‘Blood makes the turf grow- kill, kill, kill!!!!’ Each time she touched grass she became an animal or a Viking…. Whenever I was around her, I wished for a metal shield or sword” (102). (Carey made me laugh quite a bit.)
When Carey was horrified at the concept of swimming (and being in bathing suits) as a group of teens, she would swim as fast as possible. Unfortunately for her, “Coach Hunkel must have mistaken [her] haste and horror for talent” (104). She was pressured by the coach to join the swim team (who later convinced Carey’s mother it was a great idea, as well). Carey refused. As a matter of fact, she so despised the girls who enjoyed pool time (for the chance to show off their bodies), “it made [her] want to pee in the pool to screw them over” (103).
Sara Harari (16) took a more serious tone in her piece. She talks about the prejudice she observed in school. A self-proclaimed “flaming liberal”, Sara supports “women’s rights, world peace, and wind turbines”. The “pacifist” finds herself wanting to battle with the “sexist, war-obsessed, gas-guzzling, raging conservative” in her history class. As Sara explains, she is not normally prejudiced against whole groups of people, but it seems she may have to make an exception for football players. Sara reminded me a lot of myself- wanting to be peaceful but feeling so angry and combative toward those who stand so dramatically against what I believe in.
She also reminded me of myself (and made me laugh) in her rationalization against committing violent acts toward the particular football player- Todd. “Then it hit me. Taking Todd’s head off means suspension. Suspension would mean lots of work to catch up on, plus some very angry parents. I sighed. Not worth it” (99-100). The idea of destroying his life is appealing to Sara- but the personal inconveniences associated with the consequences are her reasoning for choosing non-violence. (I find myself, even today, rationalizing in this seemingly obscene manner, lol.)
Finally, Lisa Chau (18) reminded me, with great vividness, what it was like, physically to be in high school. Lisa describes the ungodly temperature extremes she must endure throughout the day (freezing or sweltering). She has a very clear recollection of the smell (stench) of school, particularly when someone has vomited in front of her. She reminded me of the chaos that is lunch time at school- some people running to get their lunch so they could actually chew. Lisa, however, “being a senior this year, [is] frankly too lazy to run to lunch every day”. The result is that she must inhale her food so she won’t be late to her next class.
I was reminded of how much I hated cutters in the lunch line. Cutters, Lisa confirms for me, “should be put in jail”. She gets conflicted (as I did) about wanting to cut in front of a known cutter, because then she would become the reviled cutter. Most of Lisa’s essay brought me back, but there was one more point that I felt was quite amusing. The bathrooms. Bathrooms with missing doors. Why? Probably because of fires started in them. (This all occurred in my high school.) Obviously the high school girls’ bathroom is a disgusting place, even without the “party thrown… by Always and Tampax” (105-109).
So yeah- whenever someone asks me, “don’t you wish you could go back?” I have tiny glimpses of some of the atrocities that are high school. I am always able to answer with a resounding “NO!”
Do you wish you could go back? If so, WHY???!!! And if not, what about high school so repulses you, that you wouldn’t want a “do-over” with the knowledge and maturity you currently possess?
~Amanda W.
(Quotes taken from the book Red: the next generation of American writers- TEENAGE GIRLS- on what FIRES up their lives today, edited by Amy Goldwater.)
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