Category: high school

Chinese Fire Drills and Other Politically Incorrect Things from my Past

Posted in best, ethnicity, family, friends, gender roles, girlfriends, high school, hitch hiking, humor, husband, Iowa, joke, memoir, Midwestern, political correctness, relationships, summer, trouble1 Comment

Back in high school in a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa, we did whatever we could to stir up some fun and sometimes some trouble. It was a simple existence: go to school, do homework, think about and look for boys. With no cell phones or social media to organize anything, kids spent a lot… Continue reading Chinese Fire Drills and Other Politically Incorrect Things from my Past

Pennies from Heaven

Posted in college, drugs, Eric Clapton, firsts, head shop, high school, humor, Iowa, J.J. Cale, memoir, music, relationships, smokingLeave a comment

When I was sixteen, I saved up my babysitting money and went downtown to Cottage Grove Avenue in Des Moines, where there was a head shop filled with incense, hanging beads, roach clips, black light posters and tie dye. Although I wasn’t a pothead (I didn’t smoke cigarettes either), I enjoyed the ambience of the… Continue reading Pennies from Heaven

Scariest Student Ever

Posted in children, firsts, high school, humor, Iowa, junior high school, memoir, middle school, Midwestern, relationships, teacher, teaching, worst1 Comment

During my ten years of teaching public school, I had many a student that caused me grief.  The 8th grader transfer student who called me a bitch in front of the whole class on his first day.  The brilliant 7th grade boy who lit matches in the hallway and dropped them on the… Continue reading Scariest Student Ever

A Lasting Love

Posted in cars, Catholic, dating, football, high school, humor, marching band, parking, relationships, sisterLeave a comment

Maurice was a sophomore at Riordan Catholic High School for boys in San Francisco. He played tenor sax in the marching band. His buddy Dave played trumpet and was dating a girl named Sheila from Mercy Catholic High School for girls. He suggested that Maurice date one of her six sisters, Colleen. The foursome went… Continue reading A Lasting Love

Prom with an Older Woman

Posted in California, dating, family, high school, humor, Monterey Bay, parenting, Prom, relationships, worstLeave a comment

Alan was a sophomore when he got asked to junior prom by an older girl. He rented a tux from his date’s father, Mr. Cohen, who owned the local men’s shop in Monterey. Alan’s dad had to play chauffeur in his 1962 Chevy Bel Air, since Alan didn’t have his driver’s license yet. When they… Continue reading Prom with an Older Woman