Repeat

I admit it. When I was in high school, I had to repeat two classes due to no one's fault but my own, seriously cutting into my fun time. Thankfully, I ended up loving those two classes but it still would have been nice to have gotten them right the first time.

In my sophomore year, I failed Algebra II Honors. Miserably. There were no overly indulgent counselors at my school, so I was pretty much stuck with my choice. I guess I was in honors because all of my other classes were in honors, but I am far from an honors math student. Mrs. Carter taught it like it was a college class. Lightning speed, and if there were any questions, the answer was the same. "That's just the way you do it." No pause for explanation whatsoever. Needless to say, my one and only "C" in that course was the bright spot in a sea of "F"'s. I had to retake the class and I waited until my senior year to do it. (To my credit, I waited so I wouldn't have Algebra and Chemistry at the same time. That would have been a sequel of disaster.)

Senior year with Mr. Roca was such a polar opposite, it's still amazing to me. Not only did I pass with straight A's, I actually helped some people pass. The slower pace combined with a relaxed teacher (sometimes too relaxed) who actually answered my questions made a universe of difference. I can still hear his echo... "Come on gang. Are y'all cheating? Don't cheat." I think about the way he helped me frequently now that I'm a teacher.

Junior year marked another moment of shame in my academic history. I failed Mr. Paine's American History class, also miserably. It wasn't the same as math, because my ability wasn't up to par. I simply couldn't stand the man. He droned on and on for 55 minutes a day, and I spent those 55 minutes doodling on my desk. "Angie loves Todd." "Angie loves Juan." "Angie loves Jeff." (Isn't teenage love grand?)

Another senior year slot was then taken by a second attempt at American History, this time with Mrs. LeBlanc. She was one of those teachers that's been teaching the class for so long she just goes on autopilot and doesn't really notice what's going on in the room. That was fine, because it gave me, Carlos, Scarlett, and Nick lots of time to visit and plan our weekends. We all aced the class anyway.

I suppose somewhere I eventually learned a lesson. When I saw myself slacking off in college, I recognized it in time to take a break and go back when I was truly ready. I can't say with 100% conviction that retaking the classes was a mistake because they were so much fun, but I did learn to take my education more seriously.