"But I don't like school and marketable skills aren't very fun." I told her. Yesterday I passed this on to my very dear friend.
"Maybe she's right." She said "You should stop trying to be right and just conform."
Perhaps I should fill you in: You see, K through 12 was a nightmare. I had a little trouble grasping information in the way it was presented to me, so I fell in and out of special ed while my social life hit various peaks and valleys along with it. When I was not in special ed -which was eventually called alternative school- my grades hovered in some grey area between C- and D+. So my options for college by the time I graduated were slim. And I didn't want to go anyway. Now I realize that those who don't conform and go on to higher education become homeless.
Last night I entertained the fantasy of becoming a teacher. I imagined standing in front of a fourth grade classroom working out a complex word problem on the board. You know the one: Little Jane has no income; she spends $22 a week on dance classes and $4o a week on groceries. How much does she have left to spend on dog food?
A little girl raises her hand "I don't get it." She says
"What could I do to help you understand it better?" I ask her. In that moment I'm able to go back in time and repair my own damages by helping out a tiny me. It's perfect!
I immediately went online and found a nice little one year program at the U of O. I clicked on the 'apply' button and skimmed through the requirements: A high school GPA of at least 3.0. Shit. I then went on the community college website and looked at the programs.
''Hmmm....Do I want auto mechanics or retail management?"
After thinking about it all night I decided to fight on. I'm going to continue breaking molds. I'm going to become one of the few undereducated people to have some really great job or I'm going to be the prettiest and most charming homeless person ever to hit the streets.
