Every year around this time, I ponder my senior year in high school. If I weren’t a teacher who taught physics to seniors, this might be rather unusual behavior. But as I watch these young men and women sign each others senior books¹ and invite each other (and me) to graduation parties², I remember my own time doing much the same. So, since I’m in the process of cleaning out my closets (and not in an Eminem³ way), I got out my own senior book and looked through it.

I noticed that I didn’t have a lot of notes from classmates, but at least had some from the girls that I knew the best. And I reserved one quarter page just for Amy to write on. She read through the others and so started hers with “I can’t believe we’re seniors!” She was, at the time, in 8th grade. She’s so funneeeee!

Didn’t have a boyfriend, so the page reserved for one’s significant other was plastered with pictures and comments about Eric Idle. (Yes, Sylvester McCoy was barely a glint in my eye at the time!) No football at Newton, so the football page was covered in band photos.

When I looked in the pockets in the scrapbook, I found several senior photos. And the very first photo I looked at, I had *no* idea who the girl was. So I turned it over and read what the girl had written. “To a really smart, interesting kinda gal, who has great taste in music! I wish the best to you in everything you do! Good luck with the men in your life! Don’t forget me!” Sorry Randi! I well and truly forgot you! I feel so bad! At least the other photos in my pocket were of folks that I remember. But, GAH, the 80s hair styles!!!! It’s like watching one of those evil 80s teen movies!

My final comments on the scrapbook are about The Future???
What I might be doing next year at this time: Taking finals at Wright State University That was probably correct…
5 years: Still taking finals (with a double major I may need more than 4 years) That was definitely *not* correct. I didn’t have a double major. I started out in physics ed but quickly switched to chem ed and was done in 4 years. By 5 years hence from graduating, I was done with my first year teaching at Eaton.
10 years: Be teaching and maybe even visiting England By golly, hit that one spot on. Not only have I been teaching all this time, but I’ve been to England. Yup, six times… three within 10 years of graduating HS, IIRC.
Career goals: Become either an English or Physics teacher. As I mentioned before, I became a chemistry education major – while I was teaching at Eaton, I took extra classes to get my physics certification. So now I’m certified in both chemistry and physics and teach both. I notice how computers were nowhere in my vision at the time.
Outlook on Marriage: I’d rather not, at this point & time. I’ll wait until I’ve seen the world. Yeah, that one still sounds good to me.

Heh – it’s interesting for 33 1/3 year old treen to read the ramblings of 18 year old treen. Might not have been as interesting to you, but hey, there ya go. 🙂

¹ Since high school yearbooks don’t come out until the following year, there’s a tradition in our school to purchase a prefab scrapbook for your senior year. We get ours from Jostens, a company that specializes in removing money from the parents of seniors.
² Alas, I don’t usually go to the graduation parties. Most take place during Memorial Day weekend and I’m busy hangin’ with the girls (elsaf and judiang) at mom & dad’s cottage at Lake Loramie. The one exception was the year my cousin, Deanna, graduated. I left the girls at the Lake and went to Deanna’s graduation and then hung out with the family at Granny’s for awhile. Actually, now that I think about it, she had her party a different weekend – this was just for the graduation.
³ “Cleanin’ Out My Closet” by Eminem is *not* about housework.