Do Over Experience?

I was, depending on how you view it, lucky or unlucky enough to have two high school experiences. I came away with two very different outcomes and perspectives from each one. But each had life-changing effects on me.

But the overall lesson I came away with is that you shouldn’t let one bad experience stop you from trying again.

Do Over

In the New York City school system of the 1960’s I was sidetracked, warehoused, and pretty much abandoned. Years later, after my Pius Itinerancy, I went to a “Prep School” that catered to late learners. Many of us were former military service, and or people like me. My G.I. benefits covered the cost; I could not have afforded the tuition otherwise.

At first, I was leery of the experience. But after my English teacher encouraged me to write some semi-fictional material on my “exploits,” I realized I was getting a first-class opportunity to do over an important part of my life. It continued with a math teacher who exposed me to geometry. When I expressed to him that I hated math, he smiled, laughed, and told me that geometry really wasn’t math, and why didn’t I give it a try? A few years later, as I began toying with navigation, I was thankful for the non-math math experiences.

My teachers at Shaw Prep did more than teach. They encouraged, cheered me on, and offered a bridge to college studies. When I finally walked into a college classroom, I was prepared and confident.

We should all have high school experiences like that.