did you like High School?

[Evans, Marv]

For me too, there wasn't anything recognized as ADHD. I had a really bad time in the lower grades. In the fifth grade I made my teacher so mad, she hit me on the head with her paddle cracking it down the middle (that was in the days when they did that kind of thing). The Principal & Vice Principal called my mother in & told her to take me to a doctor, because I was uncontrollable. The sixth grade started getting better because of sports. During basketball season, we had to start practice at 5:30 AM because we had to use the high school's gym before school started. Even then I noticed I was more settled down after that. When changing schools in the ninth grade, I had to take PE first class of the morning. I could notice I felt better the rest of the day then too. I wonder if the ADD & ADHD thing is exaggerated now days. My wife says I have the classis indications of ADHD. Working and sports kept me calmer during high school - even tired lots of times.

[Scuba Steve]

I have no doubt that if things were as they are now I would also have been diagnosed with ADD. At the time I was pretty much on my own; parents worked late, we lived in a semi-rural area and I was alone until the evening hours. It gave me a lot of time to spend with the car and a basic set of tools, go on long distance bike rides or explore the wilderness out in the county.

School was pretty much the same thing, having a lot of acquaintances but maybe only a couple of actual friends and being off of pretty much everyone's radar except for a few vocal ones from successful families who insisted that I would never amount to anything. That really stuck with me. In general people were more indifferent than hostile. It really wasn't a bad experience, but not great either.

College was a change in the right direction. The first year was rough with just trying to survive as an engineering major but each year after that was better all the way through grad school. By the time I hit my mid-20s it was like all the clouds had lifted - people say that engineers are late bloomers and it's probably true.

Moments that stand out to me...
1. By the time the 10 year reunion came along I was well established in my career and work had moved me to LA for a while, then Seattle earlier that year. I was a month into dating a 20 year old who would later become my wife, who confuses me to this day why she likes me so much. 0lbs gained/lost, no hair loss. It was probably my first confirmation in life that things actually were turning out alright. I'll do the 20 year one when it gets here; if nothing else it's a reason to go back and see my parents again.

2. The ones who were the worst, either mentally (you'll never amount to anything in life) or physically continue to struggle. One keeps getting worthless degree after degree and will have probably spent every day from age 18-40 in school by the time he's done. If he's lucky he'll figure out what he wants to do or be able to teach somewhere.

3. Drugs can destroy people. It really hit hard when someone I considered a friend back then wound up an addict. He was voted most likely to succeed. A couple of years later on a visit back home I ran into the younger brother of a real snob trying to push his car into a parking space on the square. I helped him out and listened for a while to his story about how George Bush was personally out to get him and how he needed to move to Alaska to escape. No clue what he was on but that guy's mind was gone.

I wouldn't go back and do it again - adulthood is a lot more rewarding. I'm way too stubborn and success in life probably came both from personal drive, plus not wanting to accept the prediction from others that I would never amount to anything. There's no need to hear that again.

[widgeon13]

I liked what I can remember!

[fintstone]

Originally Posted by Scuba Steve

...
3. Drugs can destroy people. It really hit hard when someone I considered a friend back then wound up an addict. He was voted most likely to succeed. A couple of years later on a visit back home I ran into the younger brother of a real snob trying to push his car into a parking space on the square. I helped him out and listened for a while to his story about how George Bush was personally out to get him and how he needed to move to Alaska to escape. No clue what he was on but that guy's mind was gone...

I found this interesting. I did not attend any reunions before my 30th. All the heavy drug users in high school (and there were a lot) were long dead (as were all those who seemed truly evil). So were the heavy drinkers. It could be a coincidence since many were not clearly related to their vice (car accident, cancer, etc.). Some were pretty bright and talented...yet all seemingly burned out early. Those who experimented a little seemed to move on and do well. I guess anything in extreme.

Also interesting was that some of the poorest (and some of the richest) seemed happiest. It seems that they had been long since resigned to their fate/position in life unlike many who were still fighting their relative measure of "success".

[Oh Haha]

I have to chime in on the ADHD/ADD topic.

My son was diagnosed a few years ago. Our pediatrician recommended meds to help. I was NOT ok with this but agreed to try.

They made a huge difference once we found the right ones.

In the past 5months we have reduced him from 3 pills a day(am,pm, and evening) to just one for school hours. He's not an "A" student by any means but his grades and personality has been improved greatly.

I have been mentoring a small group of 5th graders at his school and I can tell which ones could benefit from additional help from meds. I keep this to myself, though.

Like others here, I would have been diagnosed had it been around at the time.

Thanks for allowing me to share this.

[Cajundaddy]

Thanks for sharing Wayne.

Not all ADHD cases can be treated with large doses of physical activity and hands-on learning but some can. I grew up in a house of 4 boys within 6 years. All 4 of us surely would have qualified for meds today and it could have been described as a class 3 hurricane any time we were all around and being asked to sit quietly. My parents out of desperation and survival instinct put us all on the swim team and 2 miles of laps every day had a distinct calming effect. Our garage was also a continuous workshop where learning about motors, electricity, carpentry, and fabrication happened most evenings. My parents survived and so did our neighborhood. Only a few bombs, cannons, and incendiaries were constructed.

[mattdavis11]

I loved high school. Just to sum things up... mid class scholar, made friends with all, but had a love for a game. I was teased a bit, but while everyone else was still in school, I was playing golf. For 4 years!

Only one other in my class figured it out by Sr. year. I hope he ended up with an academic scholarship too.

[Laneco]

We moved a lot when I was a kid, but things settled down somewhat when I was in 8th grade. We moved to a rural ranching type community and I fit in very well. Stayed there a couple of years and made great long term friends. There were all the high school shenanigans, games, laughter, pranks, occasional tears, and great friends. I was all set to graduate a year early.

Then we moved to another town. It was a night and day difference. I hated every single day and was treated abysmally by the school, the teachers, and the students. Three fist fights the first two weeks with girls thinking they could gang up on me. I made damn sure they got the worst of the action by a long shot, and the physical fights stopped dead after that. But the other crap never stopped. I mean NEVER. I've never stolen a thing in my life but I could count on being dragged out of class about once a month to have my locker searched because I'd been accused of theft. Absolutely hated every single day. If that weren't bad enough, it was a different state and the graduation requirements were different. Instead of graduating at the end of my Junior year (which would have only been a few more months) I got stuck in that skunk hole another year.

But it ends. Thank heavens. College was great (tough because I worked full time) but absolutely exactly what I needed.

angela