I finished sixth grade really excited to leave Orchard Elementary and go to Canyon View Jr. High. I was also a little bit scared and sad that I was leaving several of my friends.
I live across the street from Canyon View Jr. High, so it wasn't all that weird, and I knew the floor plan pretty well. I lived so close that I could run across the street and get things I forgot and still get back to class on time.
One time Jeff Andersen and I tried doing just this. We were in Mr. Crow's class and there was a paper we were supposed to turn in. We both had done it, but we had each forgotten it. We asked if the two of us could go to our "lockers" and get them. We both left to our houses and go them, I grabbed mine and went to his house so that we could go back together. He found his and we headed back to the school, but who would be standing on the other side of the door as we were walking in, Mr. Crow. We were both pretty scared, you don't make Mr. Crow mad, but with some very tricky working, we managed not to get in trouble.
I didn't have a lot of friends in seventh grade, but I was slowly starting to make a few new friends. Luckily, I had Jeff there or I would have been a lot a lot more that year. By the end of the year I had several friends that I could do stuff with at school.
Another nice thing about living close to the school was that I could go home for lunch and get a lot better food. I could have as much as I wanted and even get ice cream! My mom always had lunch ready for me every day. That is one thing I have missed going to Orem High, which isn't near as close.
My favorite science class I have ever had was in Jr. High. One day we were doing a big assignment worth a lot of points. We were almost done and we were walking outside looking at the school, I think we were trying to figure out how earthquake proof it was. I don't think it was that great personally, but all of a sudden the wind picked up and blew my assignment on the roof. I was very distraught, but still managed to get 179% in the class.
In seventh, eighth, and ninth grade I had a really great English Teacher. We did so many fun things! We wrote our own how to host a murder game, we also made a board game one year. We went bowling as a class, and had a barbecue. We played a bunch of games and activities where we each were given a disability, we either couldn't use a hand or leg, or couldn't see or something. That was really interesting to find out how hard it was. Each year we had a party at her house and we all brought food and had a great time. We would also watch a cool movie, almost every term, and then talk about it. I wrote a lot of stories and developed a real love for writing. That was my favorite class I have probably ever had.
I was in Footnotes my ninth grade year at Canyon View Jr. High. It was the highest choir in the school and we had a lot of fun. We went up to Salt Lake and sang in a bunch of different buildings one day. We also were in several assemblies, which got me out of class, this always made me happy. It was also one of my favorite classes of all time, and most influential. We were a very unite group, one big happy family. Even if you aren't the best singers, if you are a group and united it sounds a lot better. But we were all pretty dang good singers. I had always loved music, but this class raised that love to an even higher level than I thought possible. Some of my best friends and memories came from this class. We were lucky to have someone so great to lead us at the Jr. High level.
My ninth grade year I was in the school musical. It was the first one I had ever been in, besides the fourth grade play. It was called Little Mary Sunshine. It was an interesting show, I still don't quite understand the plot, if there was one. Of course, I never actually saw the whole thing since I was in it. It was a very fun show to be in though. I wasn't anybody too special in it, it was my first one after all. I was a forest ranger, although the forest rangers never seemed to be in the forest and acted a lot more like the army or something. I did get a moment of fame though, Brandon Andersen, Raman Lawsen, and I were in a little scene, I had three lines, it was great.
During Jr. High I got really interested in soccer. I had a lot of fun, I never get a red or yellow card, but I had some fun experiences anyway. One time somebody tripped me. He said, "Oops, sorry I didn't mean to". So when I was getting up I flicked my feet up a little and kicked him, gently, in the face and said, "Oops, sorry I didn't mean to". I didn't hurt him at all, just sending a little message. I remember another game that twice I knocked their goalie to the ground. Neither time was it on purpose, surprised I got out of that one without a card, man the other team was mad. Most of the time I stayed on my left side and just tried to make some good crosses and play the passing lanes. I didn't get a lot of playing time in eighth or ninth grades, as stated in an earlier chapter, but in seventh grade I was one of the stars on my team.
In eighth and ninth grades I was able to take a class called Technology Communication. We did a weekly video announcement and a video yearbook at the end of the year. It was a lot of fun to video tape events, learn to make graphics, animation, and many other fun things. In ninth grade I was the only one in the school who know how to use one really high tech program, and make it look good. It was only one one computer, it took a lot more time than the other programs, but while everyone was fighting over those computers I always got to be on that one. I learned a lot about video editing and was pretty good at it. I suppose this would have to be another of my all time favorite classes, seems like I had a lot of these.
These are a few of the things that I did in Jr. High. Ninth grade was probably my favorite year of all time, but overall I was very glad to end my Jr. High experience. Been there, done that.
Current Commentary:
For how much I, and everyone else always talks bad about middle school, I had an amazing time. Don't get me wrong, there is no way you could get me to go back there, as a teacher or a student. But I really did have some of the best teachers, classes, experiences. I was able to do things that were comparable or better than many high school programs.
Looking back I don't know why I didn't keep pursuing video editing/animation. I had SO much fun with it and was pretty good. I have always loved doing too many things, I never really did put myself in a position to excel in any of them. I was above average in a lot of things, but once I got around people who focused on one particular thing I could never quite compete. Singing, writing, technology, sports, acting, these are all things I still love. Sometimes I still wish I could be in a famous musical group, be on broadway, play on an organized competitive sports team, and or write a book. I guess the book is still my greatest option, I still can sing well, so I guess anything could happen. Except you have to be a pretty driven person to make those things happen, and my entire life I have loved to many things to find that drive for one thing.
I used to hate being just above average instead of great, but now I am glad I can relate to so many people on many different levels and do a lot of things. I remember one of the times I was most mad in my life was when I received the reward of best all around student in sixth grade. Everyone else had a specific thing that they were awarded, and they couldn't think of anything I was good at. Best all around, that's lame!
After all of the many things I could have done when I "grew up" I became an elementary school teacher. Many people, even in the education program, who should have known better, asked me why I was becoming a teacher when I could have done so many other things and made a lot more money. Well, where else can I sing, perform all day long, do math, read, write, use technology, and spend time with the future leaders of tomorrow. No way I was going to sit behind a desk all day, I don't even have a desk!
Man, Jr. High rocked! Thank you to all of my amazing teachers that were willing to put up with that age group. I am a better person because of them, hopefully I can make even half the impact they had on me, on even just a few students. I would not be who I am today without the experience I was put through during this time of my life.
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