Two weeks ago I submitted a query on Facebook’s “I Remember Elmhurst” page. I asked members of the group to “Name a regret (slight or serious) they had from their high school days.
Over the next week there were plenty of responses, some folks with minor issues, some with more serious thoughts. I didn’t tally them up but many people regretted not taking their studies seriously enough when at York or Immaculate Conception High School. A few noted they got more dedicated about their learning when eventually getting to post high school classes, a few of whom entered college in their late 20’s and early 30’s to further their careers. Better late than never, right?
The other bulk answer was the regret of being too shy or lacking confidence to do any of the following: Join the drama club, play sports, get more involved with after school activities and of course the reticence to not pursue romantic interests. When reading those regrets I thought it would be a good primer for teens who are about to enter high school or are in the midst of their four years right now.
As far as my regrets, I had just three.
Regret #1. Not taking Spanish classes. When I was at York (1975-1979) I didn’t give taking a foreign language a second thought. However if I had known that twenty years later there would be such an increase of Hispanic speaking citizens, I DEFINITELY would have learned the language. In my teaching career, there have even been a few jobs I did not apply for because they wanted someone who had a Spanish speaking background.
Regret #2. Not learning how to play the guitar. As a lifelong music lover and occasional warbler of songs, playing a six string acoustic is something I should have pursued. Being able to strum out the chords to the Eagles’ “Take it Easy” and The Who’s “Substitute” would’ve led me into some interesting situations. I sometimes joke that if guitar playing was my thing in high school I might’ve ended up blowing off college for awhile and played in rock and country bar bands. That could’ve been pretty cool! Country star Brad Paisley has often said his grandfather told him if he learned how to play the guitar he would NEVER be alone, even when by himself. Right now during this pandemic, boy do I get that! Truth be told I do own an acoustic guitar and am slowly learning basic chords from online tutorials, but it would’ve been better to learn as a teen.
Regret #3. Not asking more girls out during my four years of high school. While at York, I put on an outgoing and sometimes over confident front with my peers. However, deep down like most guys, when it came to making moves on girls, I was a wuss. Me and my friends were interested in girls but slow to get out of the gate. We were, as Bob Seger sang in “Night Moves”, ‘Working on mysteries without any clues.’ There were a couple of lasses who I asked out and was politely shot down. That wasn’t the end of the world but those rejections, gentle as they were, tempered my eagerness to ask others to see a movie or go to a dance. As a junior, I ended up dating a girl a year older than me who I worked with at White Castle. Even when she went away to college downstate we stayed in touch and saw each other occasionally. Trust me, when it came to the opposite sex, 90% of my male classmates were in the same ‘slow lane’ that I loafed in. And I bet had I learned how to play guitar back then, I would’ve garnered more interest from the ladies. Fortunately, like with most of us, things with the opposite sex got better as I grew up. Although my standard joke is, “I’ve dated my share of women… It’s just that my share is so little.”
So there you have my high school ‘woulda, coulda, shouldas.’ Nothing too awful there and my lacking guitar skills is something I’m currently working on. No matter what, my four years at York were a blast. From sophomore year on I played for the Dukes baseball team, I was a three year staff writer for the yearbook, worked at White Castle, hung out with loads of friends from most circles or cliques and went to more fun and sometimes crazy parties than I can count. And I sure had a blast doing it all!
So my advice to those in or about to enter high school anywhere would be:
- Learn to speak fluent Spanish, it will help you in the future.
- Whatever urge or interest you have in music or the arts, be sure to pursue it while you’re young.
- And that girl or guy who you are interested in? By all means, make it known and give it a shot.
You only have one four year set of high school years, make the most of them and as the Nike slogan says, “Just do it.” Class dismissed.
Next Blog- A triple play of underappreciated songs.