High School Assembly

Today I was feeling annoyed.  I think it was a combination of not sleeping well and hitting annoying traffic on my way to school.  I had already left late and by the time I got to school the kids were already shuffling into the classroom for homeroom.  Plus, they weren't sitting in their assigned seats and that really annoys me.  Do they really think the teacher didn't leave me a seating chart?  They're such dummies sometimes.  Since I was already annoyed it just added to my frustrations.

Then, during one of my better groups of kids, I overheard a boy talking about how he was going to get either a komodo dragon or a pit bull over the summer.  What is wrong with this kid's parents?  I'm hoping he was just talking out of his butt because I don't think komodo dragons can be legally kept as pets.  He was surrounded by his dopey friends and talking up his desire for a lizard on a leash.  Ridiculous.

I also noticed the large number of girls with manicured nails.  I'm not talking just nail polish - these girls had acrylics with all sorts of colors and metallic sheens.  When I was in 8th grade I didn't know anyone with fake nails.  We painted them, sure, and sometimes tried to do designs, but we didn't start getting manicures until the high school dances.  And then we only got them done for the dances!  Acrylics are expensive and they have to be filled all the time and I just don't understand how they have the money for them.  I guess their parents are willing to shell out some cash for black tipped fake nails.

Besides my classes, which were mostly fine and went smoothly, I had to take my homeroom down to the auditorium for an assembly.  Two weeks ago I had to do the same thing but I didn't realize that I would have the pleasure of listening to that very same assembly today.

The high school guidance counselor for the rising freshmen came to talk about the transition up from 8th grade: how to pick classes, joining clubs and sports teams, what discipline is like at the high school, etc.  She brought four seniors with her to talk about their experiences and how they chose classes and clubs.  It was all very interesting (although the exact same schpiel I listened to last week).  The kids asked some good questions at the end, mostly about grades and how they would affect participation in sports and clubs.  There was some snickering when one of the seniors said she was president of the Gay Straight Alliance.  Otherwise I was impressed with the 8th graders for being respectful and asking good questions.

I remember hating middle school and being ready to make new friends in high school.  It all worked out in the end but it's hard to see that when you're only 13!