BTSN

BTSN...better known as "Back To School Night". Anyone with school aged kids knows what this is all about, however High school BTSN is a whole new world. I haven't had my backside in one of those wrap-around desks since the 90's and it was bizarre doing it tonight. As a freshmen I felt anxious and self conscious...my son seems to have none of those emotions. The campus seems smaller as an adult and my son goes to a "rival" school from my own alma mater. Some things never change...the student government kids are still way too serious. The cheerleaders have way too much energy and the jocks still rule the school. The demographic has changed but the cliques are still the same. You know what else hasn't changed....the square toilet paper that comes out one sheet at a time and never does the job right! Teachers are still mostly the same...there's the young, excited ones and the ones who've been at it too long and the ones who make you happy just to be in their class. I got to meet one of those tonight. A fabulous PE teacher with a beautiful African/French accent. No wonder my son likes her so much. Then there's the weird twist of fate that only occurs when you stay in the place you grew up in...that's the oddity of having a high school friend become your child's Healthful Living teacher....and for that I send her my sympathies. It was painfully obvious to me the impact that years of budget cuts have had on the classroom and it made me sad. Maybe it's just me but high school was a time of hope and infinite possibility. It's hard to feel that way in a rundown classroom with not enough books. Bummed that my kids won't have the joy of decorating the inside of a locker too. Lunch options have improved but they still have taco snacks...what I would'nt give for a case of those!  All in all I realize that seeing high school through adult eyes is exactly what it should be and it's time to pass the possibility glasses to the next generation. Good luck kids,,you're gonna need it.