High School

Daily writing prompt

Describe something you learned in high school.

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I learned a lot in high school… I think. I learned the basics of programming, which was really helpful given my profession as a programmer. That is probably the one thing I should take away from September 1985 through June 1989. It is not what I’m going with though.

I could write a book about what I didn’t learn in high school. Most notably, my math skills were garbage. How did I get good grades in Algebra II and Trigonometry if I didn’t learn anything at all? Who knows. I didn’t learn squat in two years of Spanish. By the end of Spanish II my grades were reflecting that, but I’ve never needed to use what I didn’t get. The math skills… I really could have used some of that in college.

During my high school years, music was the most important thing in the universe to me. When I graduated I went to college as a music major. That’s why when I think of the most important thing I learned in high school, it is music that I think of first. One thing in particular. Mr O’Toole, the band teacher my Sophomore and Junior years, during one jazz band rehearsal, taught us the basic idea behind improvisation. He gave us the guts, the thought process, the bare minimum of a plan toward a technique. For me, that was beyond profound. A door unlocked in my tiny little brain. A door swung open and it has never closed. I still use the things I learned that day literally every time I pick up my guitar. Every single time.

How does that work for you? Is that a good answer?