Introduction to Middle School Years

Ahhh--middle school.  Many people look back on their middle school years and grimace. They were those whacky, raging-hormone-pre-teen years where everybody seemed to hate everyone else. Sure we had friends, but those friends were always at odds with one another and the word “friend” itself, at times, had very different meanings.  Suzzy could be an angel one moment and a backstabbing b*tch the next.  Well--I couldn’t disagree more. 

 For me, middle school was perfect.  I attended an extremely liberal charter school. It was a public school, but it must have been the most sheltered public middle school in the country.  There were no brawls in the hallways, no graffiti, no drugs, no alcohol, no crazy partying, no hookups or dating, no gangs, no swearing, and no “put downs.” My grade school was truly something special. Call us a bunch of prudes; I couldn’t care less.

To say that all twenty-eight students in my graduating class were friends would be a lie, though, most of us were. We could be ourselves without harsh judgment and that’s exactly what I embraced. In third or fourth grade (I can’t quite remember) I cut my hair short. The length of my hair went from middle-of-the-back length to above-the-ears short. At the time it’s also important to note that I wore black or khaki cargo shorts and the baggiest t-shirt I could find. Despite being called young man, buddy, and sonny by complete strangers, I worked my new look for those few months. I loved it! By no means did I look like your average little girl. I looked like your average little boy, well I guess, just your average tomboy.