No more teachers, no more books!


I did not enjoy the 4 years I spent in high school. Who ever said that high school would create the best days of your life clearly did not amount to anything after graduation. He must not have gotten married, had children, friends or even a loyal pet. I would assume that suicide was involved in their post graduation days, either that or a heavy drinking problem. If the average person lives to be 80 years of age I would like to think that when I look back on my life I will not see that it peaked in the first quarter, but that's just me.

If I were to sit here and tell you that it was all bad I would be a liar. I am a terrible liar. My mother can confirm this little fact. I got involved in choir and various leadership type groups but none of that really sticks out. I really enjoyed some of my classes. I took science up until grade eleven. I attempted to take it in twelve but not enough people signed up for the class and it was cancled.

In grade ten and eleven I had a fairly attractive teacher for science. He was a younger man, no older than thirty. He gave off a 'I'm a dick and I know it' vibe but it seemed to work for him. He was a funny guy that Mr. Baird. I remember he told a ditsy blond to stand in the closet because she was being annoying. He seemed like the kind of guy who just didn't care about anything. I used to show up late for class every day and he never said a word. I don't think it was that he didn't care, I think he just knew when to pick his battles. Besides, it was more entertaining to make fun of my tardiness than do something about it.

Mr. Baird loved to travel. It could be speculated that the only reason he was a teacher was for the two month vacation in the summer. When he didn't feel like teaching us he would show us slide show presentations filled with pictures of his various trips. He's been to a lot of places and seen a lot of things. He has a lot of stories to tell. I remember his pictures from Nepal and India the best. He told us how he paid people to beat the dirt out of his clothes on rocks. He taught us about shawmen. He taught us death rituals. He showed us pictures of a dead climber wrapped in a tarp. He had fallen while climbing a mountain. They were all fastinating.

For what ever reason, Thailand interested me the most. I'd always sit at the edge of my seat when he spoke of Thailand. I convinced myself that I would go. After high school I planned out a one month trip. Mr. Baird said that going for any less than a month was a waste. I had researched for months. Sadly I lacked money and a travel partner, two of the most important things you need for a trip. I have been out of high school for almost three years and haver yet to go. I will though, one day.

It's funny because I never had an interest in science, just his travel stories. That's probably why I continued to take the class. I gave up on education though in my grade eleven year. My english teacher graded me in the 60's on an essay I worked my ass off on. It was an essay she had read over and approved. Confused with my graded I asked her how to improve. Her response was simply, "nothing, you just don't have the thinking level for university." Shortly after, like a fool I had let her gert to me and dropped her class and lost all interest in school all togeather. I don't know whether to blame Ms. Layfield or my lack of strength. Maybe it was both. I guess not every teacher can be has intriuging as my science teacher.

Is it a bad thing that I don't remember anything science related that he taught me?