Week in Rewind: 1980
Sunday, December 3, 2006 at 01:54PM 
I spent the better part of 1980 finishing out my eighth grade year at the Academy for Middle Years. This was an “alternative” school my mother sent me to in lieu of our local public school which recently started to become rather violent. The school was far north of where we lived, so I had to take two buses and the a long subway ride to get there, over an hour’s commute. It was a strange school, if you can even call it that. In a nutshell, it was a hippie school.
The philosophy behind their teaching was that kids are individuals just like everyone else and thus should be treated like mature independents, able to make their own decisions, manage their own time, handle their own schedules, etc. They believed that an education was more than just facts in books, and more about life, culture and personal growth. Everyone, from the students, to the principle to the teachers, was called by their fist name, because everyone was equally respected and appreciated. The school building was in a huge old mansion, so most of the classes were held in living rooms, with sofas, fireplaces and wing back chairs.
At this school, you learned at your own pace, choosing what classes you wanted to attend whenever you decided to go to them. Then, you took these module tests to prove you acquired the necessary knowledge of your grade. Well, being an “A” student my whole life, I managed to pass all my module tests before the Christmas break, so by the time we rang in the year 1980, I more or less had no studies left to do. I was free to wonder at will, to do whatever I pleased with my mature and independent self.
I mostly hung out with Bob, the English teacher reading books, especially when the hot weather came, since he held his classes out by the pool. Likewise, I spent a lot of time in the pottery and yoga classes, just because they were more interesting than science and math. I became good buddies with the Chinese Art and Culture teacher, Paula, often helping her to cook up wonderful Chinese meals for us students. She was also the teacher that led the morning ribbon dance exercise, which was mandatory for all students. Even in the dead of winter, every student had to meet on the main lawn each morning to partake in the dance. I started to take this exercise very seriously, often trying to get to school early just so I could get my hands on the beautiful deep purple ribbon stick. I just had to have that one to set my day straight. It was an amazing way to start each day and by the end of the year, I felt pretty good about my ribbon dancing skills. All in all, I think that was probably the only skill I managed to acquire the entire year spent at this school. I learned nothing in terms of academia, certainly didn’t gain any personal growth or maturity to really speak of, nor did I walk away with a new perspective on life. I was actually relieved when I started high school the next year and returned to the normal scheduled and structured schooling. Still, it was a new experience for me, one that I treasure for its own sake to this day.
A few years later, I heard that Principle Ned was arrested for selling cocaine to minors and the school shut down. Just as well, really, since the 70’s hippie peace and love ideology was fading away fast, being replaced by the 80’s baby boomer power and money mentality.
Tomorrow: Rewind to 1983
Reader Comments (3)
You look gorgeous by the way!