Locker Room Guy Talk

This entry is for those of you who have inquired about my weight training class with 16 guys. For the most part I sit in a corner, do my homework and I'm subjected to 'men's locker room talk'. The guys carry on about farting, burping, fighting and girls as if I wasn't there. Occasionally they argue about their different ratings of "chicks", a rating that apparently does not go above 25. So far, Megan Fox holds the perfect rating of 25. Sometimes these guys will remember I'm in the room and respond by lifting the heaviest weights they can. They wink and say "You like that right?" If this is how guys behave with one another in a locker room, let me say it's definitely not attractive...but that's High School.

Final Copy of 'Prison' (draft was written at 2 am... I apologize for the grammatical errors)

Everyday there are numerous fights that break out. Students get high and drunk in the bathrooms and now people are lighting trash cans on fire. Recently a girl started a fire in the locker room. Although these events are frequent, they do not make up the majority of the student body. Today the administration made the decision to require signed passes everywhere we go. If we are caught without a pass we will be suspended for 3 days. I am convinced more rules do not make students behave. My friend, which is an exchange student from another country, has stated there is no such thing as a hall pass in his country's schools. Students are allowed to leave campus, they choose not to be tardy and see it as rude if they are. Their requests are respected by the administration without parents required to be involved. As such, skipping class is rare. He has never seen or heard of students fighting on campus and rarely if ever is someone suspended. I asked him why he wanted to come to America. His response "I didn't know it was this bad. I feel like I've been put in prison for no reason." Really gives you something to think about..but that's High School.

Prison Talk

Everyday there are numerous fights that break out. Students get high and drunk in the bathrooms. Now people are lighting trash cans on fire. Recently a gril started a fire in the locker room. Although these events are frequent, they do not make up the majority of the student body. Today the administration made the decision to require signed passes everywhere we go. If we are caught without a pass we will be suspended for 3 days. More rules do not make students behave. My friend, wich is an exchange student form another country, has stated there is no such thing as a hall passes in his countries schools. Kids are allowed to leave campus, students choose not to be tardy and see it as rude if they are, their requests are respected by the administration without parents required to be involved. As such, skipping class is rare, he has never seen or heard of students fighting on campus and rarely if ever is someone suspended. I asked him why he wanted to come to America. His response "I didn't know it was this bad. I feel like I've been put in prison for no reason. "Really gives you something to think about.. but thats high school.

Schedule Change.....Weight Training?

Being a senior means we must find fill-in classes each semester to occupy our time since most of our required courses are complete. The only class available which fit my schedule was weight training. Me? Weight train? Ha, ha. My friends find it amusing, too. They've been having a great laugh at my expense "exactly what muscle are you trying to bulk up?" they say. I dreaded going to class. 16 sweaty guys. The first person to greet me at the door was my "pot head" classmate from Math class. He didn't disappoint with his typical welcome "Dude, you're in this class. That's awesome. This makes you the only girl here." Oh, great. What am I suppose to do now? I watched from the sidelines while the guys played a game of basketball. All the guys except for "pot head". He was quite amusing. In the middle of the game he went and laid on the court, stared at the ceiling and said "Whoa". This annoyed most of the class, but it sure made me laugh. Maybe weight training won't be so bad after all...but that's High School.

Classic Teacher Moment

The funniest thing happened...My history teacher got a little too relaxed. He was sitting in his chair with his hands behind his head and giving a lecture about the Revolutionary War when suddenly he fell back. We saw the chair legs go up in the air, followed by his hands. Our teacher is a little round in the gut which caused him to look like a potato bug squirming to roll over. Once we realized he was ok, the whole class burst into laughter. Our teacher was red faced, unhappy and told us we would have a pop quiz tomorrow...but that's High School.

Teachers Blamed for Students Getting to Class On-Time

There was a massive lock-out during second, fourth, and eighth period. The teacher's knew about this lock-out and naturally informed us when it was going to occur. This lock-out was an attempt by the administration to catch tardy students. As it turns out, the administration did not want the teachers to inform the students, but rather to keep quiet about attending class (on time) so the students would get tardies. This blunder became clear when teachers began to complain about the disappointment administration had toward the lack of tardies and blamed the teachers. Is it just me or is this the most ridiculous nonsense you've ever heard? The school wants to have lock-outs to lower the number of tardies, but when the number of tardies are lowered the teachers get blamed for telling the kids to get to class...but that's High School.

How Well Do You Know The Amendments To The U.S. Constitution?

In my law studies class I partnered with a German foreign exchange student to recite and explain the first ten amendments of the Constitution. As we were reading the 'Old English' of our Constitution my German classmate knew what the amendment meant right off the top of his head and was able to explain the meaning before I could even finish reading it. He laughed and said "How come I know the amendments better than you do?" Since government isn't on our FCATs or SAT's, I guess it's not taught. Here's another irony, this law studies class is an elective...but that's High School.

Plagiarism? Not me!

When asked to write a poem, my mind usually fills with words and rhyme which walks along a path to my point. Call it an off day or even a brain freeze, but I couldn't write a single word. Pressed with a deadline, I made the decision to use a piece I wrote my sophomore year. This piece was written in a particular style which resembled another writer. I have kept all my writings, and in this case, I even kept this authors poem. The problem came when I turned in my poem. After school I was grabbed by my classmate and asked if the poem I handed in was mine. "Yes" I said. She asked again, " Did you really write that, really?" "YES" I said again. My classmate said frantically "You better go talk to [teacher], she's about to go to the board and have plagiarism put on your permanent record." WHAT! I ran into her class and asked what in the world she would do that for. She showed me my paper and my heart sunk. I had turned in the author's poem with mine and the pages must have gotten separated. Lucky for me, my teacher understood. We found my poem and she was relieved, too. She said this was very unlike me and she didn't want to address the board either. Evidently, we have a zero tolerance for plagiarism. Perhaps I'll work a little harder at coming up with new poems...but that's High School.