It's All About Me #23

 

"The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back." (Abigail Van Buren)

 

Hello, my lovely friends!

 

It's Friday Funday again! Can you believe how quickly these weeks fly by? We're still diving into school, and this week we're revisiting junior high — those awkward 7th and 8th grade years. It's that in-between stage, where you're not quite a kid anymore but not quite a teenager. Tell me, how were those years for you.

 

1. I was selected for the Gifted and Talented program again, a familiar experience after participating in similar programs like Club 34 and Club 56 in elementary school. The program met weekly for specialized activities. In eighth grade, we embarked on a week-long trip to New Mexico with other Gifted and Talented schools. This was my first visit to New Mexico, and I loved it so much that we returned as a family during our summer vacation. We continued this tradition annually, even taking my grandparents along.

 

2. Our community lacked a junior high school, so we were bused to four different schools across Denver. I attended a school on the opposite side of the city, conveniently located about ten minutes from my dad's workplace. On days when my dad had a late start, he would often drop me off at school and pick me up after work.

 

3. On snowy mornings, when the accumulation was significant, my mom would often let me stay home from school. Our bus route was long and involved traveling on the highway, making it particularly risky in inclement weather. In fact, most of our neighbors would also stay home on snow days. When we did attend school, the buses would invariably arrive late, making for an especially long commute.

 

4.  In 7th grade, our class gathered in the classroom with TVs to watch the Space Shuttle Challenger launch. The excitement turned to horror as we witnessed the tragic explosion. Our teacher explained the event to us, and the collective sadness was palpable.

 

5.  In 7th grade, I wrote a report on Martin Luther King Jr. , that my teacher loved so much, she entered it into a Denver Public Schools writing contest. To my surprise, I won for my school! As a reward, I was invited to a special event at a local high school where all the winners from different schools gathered. It was exciting to meet other talented writers. I even received a ribbon for placing in the top ten.

 

6.  Being in the Gifted and Talented program meant I was placed in specialized classes. With only about five students from our area in the program, I was separated from most of my neighborhood peers except for gym and one other class. This isolation unexpectedly revealed the true nature of my friendships. The friends I'd known since starting school proved to be loyal and supportive, while some of the newer ones from the school neighborhood turned out to be less reliable. There were days when I yearned to be in the regular classes with my childhood friends. While I did form strong bonds with a few newer students, those friendships faded after junior high.

 

So glad you could stop by! Wishing you a splendid rest of your day/evening/morning, wherever you may be.

Until next time! Adios...