The Story of my Life

The Story of my Life

High School Was Fun For Me!

Part 1: Grades in High School did not matter to me

If they had programs like, “No Child Left Behind” when I was in public school I would have been left behind like so many other gifted children. I would not have grown up to be a Software/Hardware Analyst for two major companies.

Some time ago guy a walked up to me and said I could graduate without studying and doing homework. That was my calling so I relaxed and it worked! Some people call that an angel visitation.

Mostly I received a “D” in class. Most people did not realize a “D” is a passing grade. On my report card some teachers reported I had missed several days in class, a lot. My Dad just looked and me and then signed it. He knew I wasn’t at home or ditched classes. Man, he would have kicked my butt. Back in the day the school knew how intelligent you were. I was in a regular class. It was kind of dumb. A counselor talked to me in class and asked me if I wanted to stay in that class. I said no and ended up taking college prep classes. However I still received mostly “D’s.

Part 2: Special girls meant something to me

I flirted with the girl next to me and she invited me to study with her at her home. I freaked out. Not because she was pretty but she would find out my secret. I didn’t do homework! Plus she lived in Baldwin Hills where the rich Black people lived. Imagine me, if my Dad would let me, me driving his old clunker to her house!

I joined the Apex program where I took classes a Crenshaw High School. I met a pretty girl who lived in Baldwin Hills also. In 1972 I bought a new Ford into with Mag Rems. That was the thing back then. She invited me to her house. I drove her to the beach and we made out somewhat looking at the view. She said I should have waited for you.

Most guys in Baldwin Hills drove their Daddy’s Cadillac or T-Bird’s. Later at her house or another day I thought, “Boy, I had never seen such luxury!” But I was cool, that is my nature, girls like that, but they can read my face. We sat in the sitting room quietly talking until midnight when I turned into a pumpkin. Her Dad asked me to leave.

They were both Diva’s.

Part 3: My buddy and his “A’s”

My buddy would have his mother come to High School and talk to his teacher, counselors, and the Principle because he wanted “A’s.” He went straight to college, graduated in 1971, got a job at the Post Office in the mail room, and became a drug addict big time. I on the other hand graduated and worked my way up the corporate ladder. BofA said I needed to graduate from college to have a career and get promoted. So I took the classes I completed the classes I liked and would withdraw from the others.  I don’t know how my buddy knew this but he told me I can’t withdraw from so many classes. So, I went to several Community Colleges and became. Every once and a while my manager asked me when I would graduate from college. I always said two years and he would leave alone for a while. After they transferred me to the Main Data Processing Center in S.F. to be an IT Professional no one asked me that question again. But I continued on the education route like BofA IT and sent to classes all across the country. You could not learn software and hardware like I did in any college. I had to use it on the job.

Oh well, my buddy quit most of his drugs and is in pretty good health and I am not.  He inherited his moms house, he never left home and married a 50 year old woman. Selah.

Part 4: We all had this one teacher that we will never forget. Mine was Mrs. Sherman

We either had a positive or negative experience with this one teacher. I don’t know if I had negative or positive experience with her. Let me tell you why by giving my qualifications first, I attract Drama Queens and Diva’s. I think they are so much fun! I like to play with them regardless of the consequences I must endure. Enough said about that but hopefully you will discover why I say this when you read on.

This teacher I will talk about most definitely was a Drama Queen. I had two teachers in High School that were Drama Queens but I will just talk about my geometry teacher, Mrs. Sherman.

Now, I was a math major and I found geometry to be very interesting and enlightening. So listened closely and I learned a lot. Geometry is about angles. The kids used to instead of the word “geometry” say, “Gee, I’m a tree” in jest.

I used geometry in practice when I played billiards what we called pool. I would look at the ball I wanted to go into a pocket, mark the spot mentally that I would have to hit to drive it straight in, and hit that spot with the cue ball. It was simply done and I made a number of shots on an un-crowded pool table to the amazement of my friends. Most times it did not work because of the other balls on the table and I could not hit the right spot. In life you have to find out what the angle is others are coming from whether it is politics, religion, advertisement, woman and girls, men, etc. and decide what angle is most effective for you to uyse.

Back to Mrs. Sherman: She would always say of me, “See, he got it right and he’s failing the class!” That became Mrs. Sherman’s mantra. Obviously she did not take TM Transcendental Meditation like my buddy. He said students of TM could only tell 3 people their mantra. He wanted to tell me his mantra but I said no having thought better of it. I thought, “Is this some kind of a trap?”

Mrs. Sherman shared her mantra with the whole class! Her mantra was me, “See, he got it right and he’s failing the class!” It became a chant she loved to use so many times any other person would complain to a counselor or another authority figure. But she was talking about me! And I like Divas’ and Drama Queen’s so I enjoyed it. I just had to be cool. I did not know how long she would do it and where she was going with this thing. Talk about free entertainment! I did not have to do practically anything but go to class and be myself.

At least I thought so. I stopped trying to figure it out but I still set them off and I have no idea what I do that sets Drams Queens off or excites them. I have to take the time, paying them much attention, when they want it. Eventually I figure out the right thing to say to them I front of others, or while we are alone together, or on the phone! Maybe they love me because I won’t stop trying.

Now, I know she was talking more about the other students in her class who got better grades than I did. They could not solve her chalk board problems when I could. And then she would say, “See, he got it right and he’s failing the class!” I had to get Mrs. Sherman back and I finally did but I will tell you how later in this story.

My Drama Queen ex-girlfriend in CA, I live in MS now half way across the country, only said that I’m a good man and handsome. I told her, “Yeah, that and $.50 will get me a bus ride!” She laughed.

TM was only one of the many therapeutic disciplines of the 70’s. Primal Scream Therapy was quite popular too. Is that what Drams Queens practice? Only one has survived to 2015, Yoga. Men have a different anatomy than women. And it seems to me if I perform some of the Yoga exercises I would hurt myself.

Even a counselor would sit in the back of her classroom on occasion and heard how she talked to me. It seemed like he wanted to talk to me about something but I would not talk to him.

Mrs. Sherman finally gave me an opportunity to exact revenge. I had to enact my plan as soon as possible. I was chewing gum in class and she shouted, “If you chew gum in my class you have to give some to everyone!” That was the ticket. So I waited about a week, took my lunch money a quarter, bought 5 packs of gum, and took them to her class. I began to chew a piece of gum acting like I was trying to hide the fact I was chewing gum and Mrs. Sherman shouted, “If you chew gum in my class you have to give some to everyone!”  

You know what I did. I stood up and began handing out gum to everyone in her class that would take a piece. The class was in an uproar, laughing and shouting as I opened one pack after another. Then I took my seat and continued chewing my gum without trying to hide the fact that I was chewing gum. Mrs. Sherman quietly spoke to me and asked not to chew gum in her class. So I obeyed her, and took the gum out of my mouth, and wrapped in the foil it came with. Most kids just stick gum under the table top of their desk. There is a lot of gum under the table top of desks.

Now it as time to talk to the counselor the next time he sat in the back of her room. He asked me if I wanted to go to summer school and I said yes. The summer school geometry class was full of students. I received an “F” from Mrs. Sherman but a “C” in summer school.

Part 5: Mrs. Sherman and my girlfriend

My girl also took geometry with Mrs. Sherman. Se had me tutor her and I guess she got “A’s.” Then one day I wanted to go to Control Data School to learn computers to get a job in the computer field. I passed the math test with flying colors and they were excited about me attending.

But I had one question I was troubled about and they did not have an answer. I asked them, “Do computer care about my age?” In other words could I get a job in the computer field job at my age? So I did not attend.

Meanwhile my girlfriend told Mrs. Sherman that I was in computer school. Mrs. Sherman was so proud of me she was beaming. Now I was one of her favorite students. My girlfriend received an “A” from Mrs. Sherman in geometry. My girlfriend was a smart little cookie!