11 Things That We All Miss About High School
Take us back.
Depending on who you ask, high school is often regarded as some of the best (or worst) years of our lives. But even if high school wasn't perfect for you, there are some things we can look back on that sparks a certain nostalgia.
Here are just a few examples.
The TV Cart Rolling Into Class
When this cart rolled in, you knew it was lights out—in the literal and figurative sense. Whether it was an educational video or something from your teacher's personal collection, there was no better sleep than head down, lights off, cold classroom snoozing. You would always wake up when the lights came on just minutes before the bell, fresh and rested for next period. It was even better if your desk was near the A/C vent.
Seeing Your Crush In The Hall (or anywhere)
You know that part in the movies where some high school kid is roaming the halls and everything goes into slow motion when they see their crush? That was a real thing. Even if he or she didn't know it, your crush would cross you in the hall with the finesse of a Victoria's Secret angel—at least in your mind. You would instantly put all your efforts into being a cooler version of whatever you were doing at the moment, even if it meant putting that extra swag in your step. Regardless of what a quick Facebook search of your old crush's name may yield today, you'll always have those hallway memories.
Lunch
Not being in class + food was the best of all worlds—plus, you got to hang with friends, catch up on all the happenings since that morning. Yeah, actual conversation was a real thing being that smartphones weren't a thing yet and didn't allow us to know every detail of our friends lives. Also, it was a solid bonus if you were cool enough with the cafeteria workers to score extra food and drink.
P.E.
P.E. was a lot like lunch, in the way that it allowed you to interact with your classmates in a non-classroom setting. It also meant playing games and having fun. Sometimes it meant just hanging out for a class period depending on the weather or what mood your P.E. coach was in. Another solid break in the day that will never be forgotten.
Everyone Knew Everyone, And We Saw Each Other On A Regular Basis
Unlike the majority of your friends today (who you probably know through Facebook) you actually saw everyone you knew on a pretty regular basis. Back to that earlier point about not having smartphones.The only way to communicate with people was by using an actual phone, so if you wanted to share experiences with your friends that meant going out to eat, walking to class together, going to dances in groups, going to football games, extra-curricular activities and even hanging out on the weekends. Imagine that.
Your Mom Could Write A Note That Would Excuse Just About Anything
If you had to leave school early, come to school late, or just be excused from actually having to do any work or take any tests it could all be done with a piece of paper with a message from your mom. Your teachers and administrators would just take one look at your note, and everything was suddenly OK. No questions asked. Could you imagine that working in your current adult life? Yeah, me neither.
Game Days
There was a certain electricity surrounding game days at school. In addition to the pep rally, there was a vibe around school that we all had a mission that night. Whether you played football, cheered, played in the band, or just showed up to root the team on, game days were always the best days. Later in life, this vibe simply became known as "Friday."
Homecoming Week
What may have been more exciting than game days was Homecoming Week. Every day there was a different theme, and the majority of the school dressed up and played along. Teachers and students would dress in anything from neon colors, to nerd glasses and camo depending on the theme and the entire week was just a bit more relaxed. There were usually competitions and activities surrounding the homecoming festivities. It was like a week of game days.
Selling Candy
It wasn't until later in life that I realized just how much our school pimped us out to raise money, but the upside of this was that we had candy 24/7 and more times than not our parents would just buy it all from us so we could turn in our money on time. This usually equated to us eating an abundance of peanut M&Ms or America's Finest Chocolate. The ones with the almonds were the best.
Getting Your Yearbook Signed
After looking through it to find out how terrible your photo looked, the first order of business was getting your yearbook signed. There was always that one friend who wrote a NOVEL inside the cover, and that dude who "signed your crack," but looking back on your yearbooks is always a cool way to remember your friends in the moment from some of the best (or worst) years of your life.
Simply Being Young Again With No Real Worries Or Responsibilities
Speaking of the best years of your life, these years were undoubtably a time where you didn't have nearly as much responsibility or worries. Now we have children, careers, bills, tuition, debt, taxes and things don't quite heal up as quickly as they used to. This includes hangovers.