Thoughts on a Random Afternoon/EDITED TO ADD

Last week I had the....ahem...."pleasure" of observing 1,100 junior high schoolers in their natural environment: lunchtime on their campus. (I use the term "junior high school" because in my day, schools with only 7th and 8th grades were called junior high schools, NOT middle schools, and I'm stubbornly sticking to that, so THERE! Middle schools have 6th, 7th, and 8th or, rarely, 7th, 8th, and 9th grades.)

I was the guest of a friend of mine at her son's school during their cultural arts week, and I went to enjoy the Chinese dancer. These are my observations from that afternoon:

• Armed police personnel are required not only on the high school campuses in our district but on the campuses of junior high schools, too.
• 12-14 year old boys will wear diamond stud earrings in BOTH EARS, and the carat size of a single stud is more than all of the carat weight of the diamonds in my wedding band and engagement ring COMBINED.
• Apparently, dress code violations are not given. Girls wear shorts that show their butt cheeks, muffin tops are in proud display, and spaghetti straps are not covered.
• When given free reign at lunch time, junior high schoolers will freely have public displays of affection and not pick up their trash after eating.
• There are no punishments for cussing in the halls because, again, there were no lunchtime monitors or teachers in attendance (thank you, budget cuts.....sigh.....)

I'm so glad my daughter opted to stay at our little K-8 school. She'll have enough cultural shock come August when she starts her freshman year.

~~~~~~~~~

I am SOOOOOOO proud of my Butler Bulldog men's basketball team. Excellent championship game. Well planned, well executed, exciting albeit disappointing.

Way to go Dawgs!