H is for High School

There's a coffee shop near my house that I go to sometimes. It also just happens to be right across the street from the local high school, so there are DROVES of high school students there during their breaks.

Today, as I was furiously grading papers, I snuck in a little people watching. One high schooler was sitting next to me frantically scrolling her Instagram account. She liked every photo...EVERY photo. And she did it at a breakneck pace. I wondered if she even really saw any of the photos. Then there was the group with two girls and a boy. The boy was in that "I'm older than I look" phase, which meant I assumed he was a middle school student until he started talking about high school life. He had recently broken up with his girlfriend, and his two female companions were commenting on how impressive it was that he was still such good friends with his ex. He comment back was, "Yeah, we're still close. I just know we're going to get back together. I just don't know when". Free entertainment really is the best kind.

While listening in on this other world, I was struck by how distant I am from high school. Next spring will mark the 10th anniversary of my high school graduation, which means I am pretty much out of touch with what happens in that world. I suppose that's what makes watching high schoolers so much fun.