Though it may be hard to imagine, all of your teachers were once students too. For some it may have been less than a decade, for others it may have been over ten years, and for some it seems like when they were in school, Da Vinci asked them for homework answers. What was high school like for them?
In the last thirty years, school has changed quite a lot. Some might say for the better, some might say for the worse. The biggest change by far is technology. When most of the teachers were in high school, phones still had cords around them and Street Fighter was the most advanced video game. Another way high school has changed is what kids do after school. Nowadays, kids might have three to four extracurricular activities or clubs to partake in. Back in the day, kids would come home, do their homework, and go outside and play some baseball or watch some MTV.
The first teacher willing to be interviewed was English teacher Mr. Jon Motsinger. Mr. Motsinger attended Harrison High School. During his time at Harrison, Motsinger ran cross country and track. In his years of running track, Motsinger achieved a school record that is still on a plaque today. When asked about what has changed the most in terms of school, Motsinger said that out of all things, technology has changed the most. No student had their phone in their back pocket, so if you needed to call home, you had to run down to the office or wait until after school and use a pay phone. Motsinger wanted to give this advice for high school students, “Find what you’re good at and try to do that.”
The second person willing to be interviewed was Spanish teacher Snra. Patricia Martini. Despite being a Spanish teacher, her favorite class was ironically English. When Martini was asked about what she thinks has changed the most, she also said that technology has made school very different. Nowadays everyone has their school computer on them at all times, and can message anyone else in the school district just from their computer. Back then, you’d wait until you saw your friend at school to tell them some news, or even wait until the end of the day to tell them after school. Martini wanted to give this advice to high school students, “Most people will not remember an embarrassing moment the way that you will.”
The third person willing to be interviewed was history teacher Mr. Chris Baird. Mr. Baird attended Milford High. Fitting for his profession, Mr. Baird’s favorite class in school was always history. Like Martini and Motsinger, Baird thinks that technology changed school more than anything. In his days (however long ago that may have been), people would line up outside to get into the phone booth to call for a ride home. A quarter per call, so if you didn’t have a quarter, you’d have to ask around or start walking. Baird’s advice for high schoolers is “Your education will follow forever, so take it seriously.”
Overall, whether you believe it or not, everyone went to high school too. Though the times have changed what high school is like and how people talk to each other, people still experience a lot of the same experiences. Take some of these teacher’s advice to heart and remember it throughout your high school life. After reading this, think to yourself, what advice will you have to give in thirty years?
