lessons from happy days…

High school in the 1970’s, it wasn’t quite “Happy Days”, but it was close. We shared an innocence of the world that would be unimaginable today given the culture and the media. There were plenty of problems, Vietnam, protests, but they occurred within the idealism of the young.

Only juniors and seniors could drive to school, and everyone else rode in the big yellow school buses with those uncomfortable seats and no air conditioning. There were no police in the halls, we lived in terror of Mr L___ the principal, and even worse of Mom and Dad at home. It was a time of pep rallies, and dodge ball in gym class. We dressed like hippies, and wore bell bottoms with long hair. But no facial hair was allowed. One senior Mike O___ was so hairy, every day at lunch we would see him erasing his five o’clock shadow ( that happened by 11:00 am for him ). Fights happened, but the worst I recall were black eyes and bloody noses.

There was one four function calculator in the whole school, and we whizzed through our calculations with slide rules. We worried about being able to use our trusty slide rules for the SAT and ACT college entrance exams. It was a pretty good place to be, and learning happened. Sometimes not exactly as expected, so if you can learn from the experience of others, you might consider:

If you and your girl friend have matching shirts ( very popular in those days ), and you plan to skip school one day, don’t wear your matching shirts. It makes it easier for her mother to spot you while you are shopping.

And if you happen to go to the mall on that day, don’t leave the lights on on your car so that it won’t start when you come out, for when you bring your girlfriend home late her parents will be waiting…

Don’t ever kick open the door from the locker room to the gym. You never know when the head basketball coach will be standing on the other side.

Playing dodge ball with no shirt on is not wise.

And finally, do your homework. You might learn more than you think.

---