What kind of high school student were you?

Highly motivated. I loved school, liked all of my teachers�with one glaring exception, and wasn�t satisfied with any grade below an A. My mom and dad expected me to get good grades, but they didn�t micromanage. I can�t recall my parents ever asking me if I�d done my homework, promising me a reward for good grades, or threatening me with punishment if an assignment wasn�t finished on time. I was supposed to do well in school, so I did. End of story.

I loved English, reading, literature, drama, and art�all the girly stuff. History and social studies left me cold, primarily because the texts were dry and boring. Although I did my best to understand math it was a mystery, especially sine, cosine, tangent, and all those other terms that boggled my mind. Never got them; never used them; don�t care about them now. I might have felt that way about science except for my favorite teacher, Mr. Gunderson, who had a brilliant smile and a terrific sense of humor. One summer he taught an enrichment biology class, and we students chased around after insects, collected plants, dipped nets into goopy streams, and generally had a great time. I did, anyway. During junior year�maybe senior�my friend Jill and I reassembled a chicken skeleton over the course of several weeks. The process was smelly, goopy, and gross, but it was better than sitting through study hall.

I tried to limit the number of times I raised my hand in class, but I wasn�t terribly successful. I know my relentless participation annoyed other students and probably some of my teachers. What can I say? I liked answering questions! I loved reading aloud, especially stories and poetry, and entered speech and drama contests.

For the most part I was respectful to my teachers. I wasn�t disruptive, didn�t pass too many notes, and hid my compulsive doodling under my notebook. Although I frequently daydreamed in class, I mastered the art of appearing to listen even when I wasn�t. One of the few ways I rebelled was by wearing short skirts and wild-colored clothes, which were ridiculously tame compared to today�s styles.

That was me: A studious, respectful, teacher-loving daydreamer. No wonder I didn't have any dates!