High School classes

I don't think I got much out of high school. I took metal shop, and wood shop all four years, and got a lot out of the classes. I also took typing which helps me now. Our school didn't have auto shop, if it had I probably would have taken it. I wish I had taken more interest in english , and math classes. History was no use. I learned more about countries in the Navy. What did you think of High school.

I took all of the math and science and reading and history courses, but wish I had been able to take some metalworking, welding, woodworking, small engine repair and automotive courses. As it is, I am stuck trying to learn on my own as I have gotten older.

I am lucky I would say because I had an excellent high school experience. It was well rounded between academics, sports and an active social life and have no gripes or complaints about it.

I took wood shop and made a career of it but the wood shop class was completely out of touch with the woodworking industry. When I got my first job I might as well have never had a woodworking class. I also took metal shop but have forgotten everything. The rest of the classes I've learned far more since I've left school than when I was there.

Today's youth is very fortunate to be able to take any trade classes in high school. It's almost unheard of anymore for a high school to have any kind of shop class. The folks which decide the curriculum seem to think this country needs only scientists so they are cramming all this technical stuff at them when only a tiny few have the aptitude for it. The overwhelming amount of math they are teaching in high schools nobody ever uses in their life. My brother who is a retired high school math teacher admits if it weren't for him having to teach it in school he would never have any use for it. I think the curriculum in high schools needs to be adjusted in tune which the majority of students can make use of it.

Like Will I was on the Pre-College Plan. The mechanics and welding I learned, I learned on the farm. I am proud of my depth in Math, Science, and Engineering but I wish I knew more about machining or fabricating parts. It would give me a dimension beyond the welding, grinding, and band saw cutting of metal I do.

I look at the MSC catalog and wish I knew how to use all those cutting bits.

Paul

I graduated high school in 1972. Hated every minute of it. Got picked on by the jocks for being the farm boy who wore four buckle over-shoes and winter cap with ear-flaps and other "practical clothing". "You stink" was common because no matter how much you wash, the smell of raising hogs just kinda gets embedded in you. So just tried to get through every day without getting the crap beat out of me. I realize now that as Jonny Cash wrote in the song "I grew up quick and I grew up mean" and because of my work on the farm I could have kicked the s--t out of any one of them guys. So I wish I could go back and do high school over again at the age I am now. With my life experience and practical common sense I could get so much more out of it. Also I would challenge some of the things those teachers were telling us such as in civics class when they said if a public referendum comes up, always vote yes because it costs you so little and yet gains so much for the common good. That line of thinking is why the fed. govt. is now 3 trillion or whatever in dept. Sorry but you got my dander up here.

I got a lot out of it as I majored in mathematics and science and went on to college and got my bachelors degree in engineering
but I hated the mandatory courses in English and History

I didn't particularly care for high school. I was an average student however our school was ranked in the top 10% of the country. I was taking classes that are mostly taught only in college now. Hated history and English grammar classes. Strangely, now I love to read about history and when I, later in life, worked in a manufacturing engineering department they had me writing technical op-sheets because I was the only one who could spell and use correct grammar among the engineers. Learned more in high school than I ever did in college. Go figure.

Wish I could go back, girls, girls and more girls

I hated school. Both of my folks taught until I was in grade school. Graduated in a class of 26 and 18 of us started together. 35 years later I still talk to at least a couple of them a week.
I learned range plant ID and over the years it has provided me with a good living.

I can relate to a lot of what you say. My school had a decided slant against farm kids and the farm kids who were on the edge of the district and had ground in another district pushed their parents to transfer out and more than a couple did. One family actually paid taxes on their home place in another district but went to mine per some arrangement between the districts. The family looked into the other district and the deciding consideration was they would have to walk nearly half a mile to a pickup point. 1976-77 winter was a very tough one here and while that was going this decision was being pondered they thought about hiking to the pick up point when it was 15 degrees and snowing hard so they decided against it. Girls were pretty hard to come by with even the farm girls openly signaling they were leaving the farm upon graduation. I seriously thought about quitting as I was pushing 16 but I gutted my way through. The common thought back then was a GED was something you wiped with and I wanted college pretty bad so that was additional motivation. I did alright with math and science but could tell I would never lead the class grade-wise so an ag degree is what I looked at for college. Guys were always trying to push me into fights. I got a reputation as being solid in a lot of ways although not towering so the bullies went looking elsewhere to get their pleasure. One guy tried punching me in the gut but it was obvious he had hurt his hand. All those hay bales helped build my physique.

Chief, my high school days were a mirror image of yours to the T though I wasn't in the service.

I didn't much like it either.
Was totally bored.
Never did one lick of homework the whole time.
Not one.
The day I was supposed to graduate I learned I had flunked English class and would get an unsigned diploma. So I split town that very day before my dad could beat me and soon after joined the navy.
Went to college for 4 years but never graduated there either. Majored in English of all things.
Took all the HS shop classes there was to take and overhauled our Allis B engine my senior year.

Hey Hey Hay,
Our Dad was the Industrial Arts teacher at our small school in cIllinoiz and we learned wood working, welding, drafting and life's lessons in 6 short years.
Dad's still "teaching" at 95 years old and I'm still listening and learning !!!

While I did not really "LIKE" high school I think it really helped me. I took all college prep and advanced classes. I really think the teachers gave me a good education. You have to want a good education and be willing to work hard at it. I can not say classes where first on my priority list as I had a full time job but my home work was done before it was due. Some times that was in the morning before classes started but they were done.

My first wife and I graduated with good grades. We tried to teach our kids to be as serious about learning. It worked for the most part. They seem to be passing it along to their kids and all of my Grand Kids get pretty good grades. I tell my sons they ALL MARRIED "UP" for their kids to be smart. LOL

If not for Baseball, Ag and welding/shop and my dad taking me back to school when I would quit it was not for ME...

The first day we went out into the shop to learn how to strike a bead the teacher found out I could weld. He handed me to flat plates he wanted them welded at a perfect 90 degree angle. I went at it he checked them I nailed it from that point on all I did was weld on his farm equipment are make stuff for him... I took all his classes I could get away with. My first real job at 13 other than farm work was working in a welding fabrication shop for a retired guy. It paid pert near nuttin my dad was all in with me working for that guy what I learned was priceless plus it got me away from farm work

I hated High School, I had no interest in sports, all I enjoyed was wood and metal shop but the classes were only 40 minutes a day.I should have gone on to a tech school and became a machinist but I didn't.I got by in math and history , science and english were a disaster but I passed.Very boring 4 years.I worked 3 years building furniture when the place closed up, I really liked that and it wasn't that hard of work,If I would have had the money I would have went out on my own building furniture.High School now is nothing but a combination day care-sports club, kids are in for a rude awakening.

Ag classes being taught in high school isn't dead everywhere. A number of years ago there was a bond issue on the ballot for our local school district to add a new vo ag classroom and shop equipped with MIG welders, paint booth, CNC torch, the whole works. The vote was well over 90% affirmative and now our school has first-rate facilities for teaching these courses. It's neat to see the community view this as an investment in the future and be willing to fund it.

I didn't care for school. Never fit in, always was the littlest kid in class, chosen last for team sports.

The school I went to was struggling financially, teacher pay was low. Many of the teachers were elderly, probably retired from the big city schools but needed the money and couldn't survive without continuing to work. Some were not qualified to teach elsewhere, so they came here.

Many of the classes I should have taken I didn't. Didn't really have a plan.

I did take every shop class offered, starting with wood shop.

My junior and senior year they offered auto mechanics class. That was a real turning point for me, finally somewhere I felt I belonged!

Surprising how many "friends" find you when they realize you can fix their car! Even the vice principal, the one that would not have spit on me if I was on fire, wanted to suddenly be my buddy. I made his Buick run when the dealer couldn't. Probably wouldn't pass inspection again, but I didn't care, he was a jerk!

I guess the "powers that be" suddenly had to rewrite the rules about rewarding good grades. Some of us in that class, which ran 3 hours a day, graduated with perfect grades the last semester (because that was the only class we took). Narry a mention at graduation. LOL
I Hated High School

I had a good time at school. I wasn't the best at it. I took metal shop and wood shop classes a couple years, but also had to meet the requisites and number of credits. Well, I failed an advanced math class, and that really set me back. It was a required class, and my teacher wad a really poor teacher, coupled with the fact that I just didn't get it. I had talked to the counselor about switching to a different teacher that would help me more, and he said I would do fine. I kept sliding, kept asking him to switch me, and then I failed it. Retaking it the next year with a different teacher helped me pass it, but took away half a year's worth of an elective class. I kept my GPA around 3.25, which I guess was ok. I never did any sports, because I always worked in High School, and would have rather been on the farm. I also didn't have parents that could afford to buy me anything I wanted like a lot of the jocks, so I had to work to buy it myself. My senior year I was able to gain special permission to take 2 classes a day, half a day each, all year, both off campus. I was caught up with all of my required classes and credits, and since I had done ok, they allowed me to take these classes. One was at General Motors and was a manufacturing processes and manufacturing problem solving class, the other was a heavy equipment operation and repair introduction class at a heavy equipment dealer I ended up working my way into a job at shortly after starting the class. I felt I probably missed out on the most fun year of my High School years, not being with my peers I had spent 12 years with, but it turned out ok. During my senior year, I took the 2 off campus classes in Lansing, got done with that at about 3:00, stayed there working for the dealer doing odd jobs until about 7 pm, then went to the local community college after that until around 10:30 pm each night. That year was pretty hectic, until I graduated. I used racing otorcycles to ease my mind and soul. Once I graduated, that immediately dropped 1/3 of my daily operations. Then it was working from 7-7, and going to the college classes after that for the next couple years. I guess all that helped me realize what I really wanted to do, helped me learn a ton and shape my future, and put me in the job I have now. I missed that last year of high school, but I guess I did ok

Experience has taught me that one gets out of school what one puts into it. It's not a free ride.

Dean

High school was great, but college was much better.

my thoughts too but almost all kids these days hate high school. Don't know what's changed.

not a good student but I liked high school. btw: history, especially American, was my favorite subject. typing really helped once I was in the Army. also enjoyed shop.

I had that thought while I was sitting there at graduation. "Dang,it's over. I don't have another chance. I can't take that class 'next year'.".

Education is the path to greater success at anything. The trouble with high school is kids have no wisdom yet. They are simply too young to understand. And the administration and teachers are often trying to simply keep order. I did ok there, but had a tougher time in college until I learned to 'really' work hard at studying. For me high school was actually too easy and I developed bad studying habits. I played sports, was in the band and had a good time generally. Yes, there were the a-hole jocks to put up with on every team. Here is my advice (which I preached to my own kids): work hard at everything you do. Be the best at it you can be. It will open doors and lead to even more opportunities. My own son was similar and did ok in HS with slightly above average grades. But what I was trying to tell him must have took hold. When he got to college he excelled. Honors, awards and scholarships. It was unbelievable almost. I really think the hard work ethic is the answer.

No collage prep and advanced classes when I was in school. And high school did not much for me.

Don't think things changed. High school was bad back in the 50's as well. Could not take classes I wanted and would do me some good as what I wanted and would have done me some good were only avaiable against ones that I hated and did me no good but still had to take. The only class that was not a total waste was AG.

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Figure that a lot of them are not growing up on a farm.

When at home there was always work to be done.

When at school there were girls and sports.

Said that once I left home that I would never be responsible for another animal.

Well life has come full circle.

Back in my parents' home on the farm feeding 3 horses, 10 dogs, and at least 8 cats.

Nothing else to do since I'm too old for both girls and sports.

Metal and machine classes aren't totally dead a school district near me actually the next one over, had the entire labs visited by a nearby steel mill. A few days later the school got a call from the mill,they wanted a meeting with the principal and teachers of the shop classes. The mill people told the school they were getting those classes made over and modernized. The school of course laghed and said with what money? The mill replied you are going to use our money and we would like you to think big. In the end the welding lab got new welders a plasma table and dust collector/ventilation system. The machine classes were given all new machines and tooling.

The company I work for installed the new dust collector and ventilation in the weld lab. I will say the mill did that school right. Theere was what needed to be there without all the frills of a new school and none of the politics of it. I don't know for fact but I guess the school board was told no BS or we will take the offer away and nothing for anyone.

I loved high school once I decided to buckle down and get something out of it,took mechanical arts a couple years which has served me well,was a student bus driver which helped me make a little money and played football which was fun and still 45 years later still run into people that want to talk about the team we had back then.College was fun but I really look back to high school
as the really great school years.

I enjoyed high school. 1966-1970 in the Mississippi delta was a bit unique in history. But, we were pretty dumb and didn't understand everything that was going on, just enjoyed being kids. Farming community, so everyone was pretty much equal. Oh you had some kids from big plantations, old names, some from smaller places, or like us, a plantation manager.

High school meant not sitting on a 4020 forever, even though did it on weekends and holidays and all summers. Even driving tractor was a good place to study. Used to put Latin vocabulary words taped on one fender and the answers on the other fender. Worked good.

Sports, study, friends, all good. Helped me get into a darn good college and gave me the foundation for pretty much all I did for the last 45 years

You fellers remember a lot more than me. Bout all I remember is pretty gals wearing mini skirts and a tenth grade English teacher that was sharper than a brand new razor wearing one all the time also.

I enjoyed reading your comments. HS was a major factor in my life. I went to a very small HS. Knew every kid in all 4 grades. Got a decent education and was lucky enough to get into a top college engineering program where I really struggled to compete (yes they took pride in flunking out students back then). The guys from the big city high schools had already learned in HS, what I was just learning in college. But, I did graduate and went on to finish grad school.

Back to high school. It was great. Good teachers, sports, fun, good friends. 50 years later a few of us stay in touch. I know what every one in my classmates did in life. Funny, looking back, except for one guy (that far exceeded what we expected of him) the rest did in the rest of their life about what they signaled they would accomplish and how they would live....when they were in HS.

Without voc-ag, wood shop, auto mech, high school would have been very boring. I never made a living farming or worked as a mechanic, but did work as carprenter. What knowledge I gained in these classes helped me to understand tractors, cars and trucks. And mechanical things in general.

Most teenagers, at that age, don't yet have enough life experience to realize that you only get back whatever effort you put into high school. For me, high school was a real eye opener. Grade school was small, boring and limited. High school was challenging from the beginning with many class options. Most days I only saw my grade school friends on the bus and in the hallways between classes. Our HS was large enough to have three class groups in each grade depending on each students goals after high school: one for college bound; one for career and trade school bound; and one for the kids who didn't want to be there. The first two groups took books home every night, the last group almost never did.

I took some very interesting classes in HS with classmates who were interested in learning and top notch teachers who were interested in teaching: mechanical drawing; accounting; biology; chemistry; physics; algebra 1, geometry; algebra 2; trigonometry. Government class was taught by a local politician, I didn't agree with his politics, but he explained how our government work, and how to work with them.

While I was in HS, my dad decided to get his GED in night school. We had some of the same teachers.

Paul,
Many school districts offer adult education classes at low cost or free to seniors. I've taken: woodworking, stained glass making, computer basics, and small engine repair night classes at the local high school. Instructors seem to almost bend over backwards to help adults who are interested in learning. Other adults in the class contribute their experience too, and make it fun.

Some states open their community college classes to adults and seniors when there are extra seats available: I've taken: machine shop classes; pnuematics; hydraulics; electronics; and CADD (Computer Aided Design and Drafting) classes at local community college.

High school for me was interesting to say the least. I started HS in NJ. They graduated about 1000 kids a year and that was in 1969. Because my mom forced the issue I took Algebra I&amp;II my first 2 years along with biology I&amp;II. @ years of Spanish too. And yea, wood and metal shop too. Then for my junior year I attended a small rural school here in MN. Moms plan was that I would be taking geometry in my 3rd year. Wasn't offered. She planned on a couple of more years of Spanish or Latin I&amp;II. No language classes that I hadn't already had. I had to have math so it was book keeping, they wouldn't let me sign up for general math because I'd already done algebra. Had to have a science too but wasn't allowed to take general classes because I'd had biology. Took botany because it was the only alternative they had. As a senior I was handed the same history book I'd had in 8th grade in NJ! SO my first 2 years of high school I busted my hump. My last 2 were so easy it was ridiculous! Then I dashed my mom's desires and plans for a career as a doctor and joined the Army. My days at school were pleasant because I didn't have to put up with mom telling me I had to be a doctor over and over and over again. It was bad enough that mom planned on signing me up to take EXTRA classes at summer school in both of my first 2 years. Dad saved me on that. Now don't get me wrong. I loved my mom. I miss her now though she's long gone. But she was obsessed with the idea that I was going to be a doctor.

Now my last 2 years of high school were a breeze. I didn't really need to study. The schools here just didn't have the money to offer what I'd already had. I do go to bed every night thinking, gee, another day and I didn't use any algebra.

Life experience has made me understand that a lot of what was taught was either done wrong or didn't key where it needed to. A*X/Z+D=10? OK, they were trying to make us memorize a formula. But in real life A,X,Z and D would be knowns. And it would have a purpose. I didn't learn that until I was learning route reccon in the Army and had to figure out if a bridge would take the weight of a tank. I recognized the formula from HS algebra. Was so much easier when you had all the numbers! I knew then that they could be making math so much easier for kids in school. I hated history in school. After I was out and started reading on my own I came to love it. Biggest problem in school? Dates! The date something happened is not as important as the event. And as long as the sequence of events are in order that's what the student needs to learn. Does it matter when the Declaration of Independence was signed or was the singing of it more important?

Rick

At graduation, reality started to sink in. No more summer and Christmas vacations.