A Mix & Mash to Catch Up...

Apologies:

Well, sad day.  I'm realizing that it's been quite some time since I've been back here and I never did finish writing that high school series (Secret Agent Mockingjay)- and it had such promise!  It's been too long now though.  I got too busy and let enough time slip between my fingers that I have forgotten the little details that would make a fantastic writing piece. 

Wrap up:

Let me just say that as a concise wrap up to that series, I'm glad that I was homeschooled.  The public school system has so many flaws (believe me, I work in it, I know) and this high school in particular is sub par.  I was not impressed by the educational standards in almost all subject areas and I was not impressed with the too casual relationship between teacher and student.  I had fun being with Hannah and it was very interesting to go to high school for a day but in the end, I'm glad I skipped out on that whole scene.  Also, I took my own lunch and was GLAD I did because the food at school looked terrible!

                                                    This is me, looking very high schoolish!  :)

Thanksgiving:

Thanksgiving happened between then and now and can I just say that I have a LOT to be thankful for?!  For starters, check out this family:

Missing 2 key people of course (Tyler and Josh) but still, the rest of us had a great time being together!  Family is where it's at, people, and I wouldn't trade mine for anything.  Starting with Avery (that hunk!) - the best husband anyone could ask for!  Then there's parents that love and support no matter what - that lead by example.  Some pretty sweet sisters (all more style-savy than myself) that are oodles of fun to be around but also there for you when you need them.  Brothers that are pretty cool - we don't scrapbook or talk shoes together but still, it's nice to have them around ;-).  And last but certainly not least, 2 ADORABLE nephews that are the cutest things this world has yet to see.  This family is just one big bunch of awesomeness wrapped up together in one crazy package and I'm thrilled to have it :-). 

I could make a list a mile long of all the other things I'm thankful for but I'll save that for another time!

An interesting convo:

Got to go to the Waffle Co with a couple of dear friends and we started having this interesting conversation about friends - could guys and girls be just friends?  Is there a yes/no answer that applies across the board or does it vary according to personalities/situations?  Does that answer change once you enter into a romantic relationship?  If so, how?  It was fascinating because it also led us into a convo about friends: the tiers.  Some friends are people that you think are nice, you can have a friendly chat with, but you wouldn't necessarily go on a road trip with this person or open up about deep fears/struggles in your life because they're more of a 'Tier 1' friend.  That would be something you'd do with more of a bosom friend or a 'Tier 3' friend.  Then, of course, there's the in-between friends who are 'Tier 2'.  Then of course that opened up the discussion for, "Does the tier status vary for each person?"  Does everyone even have tiers or is that just us?  It was quite fascinating and I'd be happy to hear your opinions on the subject :-)

I GOT TO SEE CATCHING FIRE - DO I WRITE A REVIEW?!:

I'm sorely tempted to write a review (I've seen in twice and LOVE it) but I'm not sure if I can do it without spoilers.  I'm torn.  I will say this though, I kept looking around the theater during various parts of the movie and if someone else would have raised their 3 fingers in the air, I would have joined them in a heartbeat :-)

Secret Agent Mockingjay Part 1

Public High School: The Mystery Unraveled?

The Musings of a 25 year-old Homeschooled Teacher Going Undercover as a High School Student

“High School is like a spork: it's a crappy spoon and a crappy fork, so in the end it's just plain useless.” ~ John Mayer

            John Mayer: genius for coming up with such a witty, fitting description (hey, I’ve used a spork!) or pessimist who didn’t apply himself when he was in high school?  I have no personal experience with a public high school.  During my own high school years I was homeschooled.  At the beginning of sophomore year my mother handed me my textbooks, the lesson planner with a list of assignments and said, “Rachelle, in 9 weeks I’ll be grading.  Have these assignments to me by then or else.”  Eager to live beyond the next 9 weeks, I dutifully either pulled my books into bed with me each day for 3 or 4 hours or I entrenched both myself and my books on the dog bed by the cozy fireplace.  Regular assignments (reading, answering questions, taking tests and quizzes, etc.) got done – boom.  The rest of the day would be mine to spend as I wished (usually in reading Nancy Drew, The Black Stallion Series, or Sherlock Holmes).  Papers….I did so hate writing papers. When that 9 week mark was just around the corner, sure, I had a few, 5 or 6 big papers I needed to catch up on…or start…but I learned in that final week how to crank assignments out like a pro.  Consequently, I also learned the evils of procrastination.  Namely sleep deprivation, twitching eyes, headaches, and that intense fear of imminent death if Mother walked in and saw me working on a paper she knew was due 6 weeks ago.  Yes, I learned a lot that sophomore year.  The next two, after having learned my lesson on procrastination, went much more smoothly.  My parents always gave me the option of going to public school rather than be homeschooled but how could I go from doing my work in bed whenever I wanted for a mere 3 or 4 hours a day to getting up at 6 a.m., taking a 1 hour bus ride, sitting in class for over 6 hours, having another hour long bus ride home, and then having homework?!  That was a no brainer for me…

            Nevertheless, I have always been intrigued by public high school.  What went on inside the classroom?  What methods did teacher use to engage students in learning?  What were the expectations – the standards?  What did public high school students actually learn?  What would it be like to see real-life cliques?  Was cafeteria food really that bad?  These questions remained unanswered for me…until now.  What began as a simple phone call to the high school principal became a journey of enlightenment, for I went to high school one sunny Wednesday in November with my sophomore sister, Hannah.  What follows is an account of that day, a record of my observations, and a realization of truth.

*to be continued