RANDOM MEMORY -- When the Bad Kids Were Treated Like Royalty and the Good Kids Were Ignored

When I attended Patrick Henry Junior High School in Granada Hills, California from 1962-1965, I was automatically assumed by the adults (teachers and administrators) to be one of the "good" kids. I think they made this assumption based on the fact that I was quiet and smart and good grades were easy for me. 

I remember in eighth grade, I was in a program of getting high school level college prep credit for certain classes either because I took a test or because I was already way past my own grade level. That, and going to summer school every summer meant that I could have graduated high school by the end of tenth grade.

So, I was a good kid. And, that meant I could be ignored. Oh, she'll never cause any trouble so we don't even have to think about her. The reality was that I required even greater challenges. I loved my teachers who understood this. 

One teacher challenged me to stand in front of the class and recite the names of all the U.S. Presidents in chronological order. After a couple of days of study, he called me to stand in front of class. Not only did I recite the Presidents, I also recited their Vice-Presidents, their main political opponent and the prevailing issue or scandal of the election. Overachiever? Maybe. But, I was being a smartass. On purpose. It was fun.

Another teacher said his maps were getting old and worn and if I wanted to help, then I could start with drawing and coloring a map of Europe. Oh. Did I say a map? He wanted a series of maps of different eras - today's Europe, medieval Europe, and so on. Then, I had the same task for the United States to show different eras in our history. My maps were perfection.

I probably would have drifted through all of school like that, being somewhat bored, grades coming easy, just floating. I didn't have much emotional investment in school. 

Then one day, I saw a sight that my eyes could barely believe. The school principal and the Boy's V.P.were leading around a group of boys who were the worst juvenile delinquents in our school and they were being treated like visiting royalty, being coddled in the extreme. They were going to eat for free at the school cafeteria, watch a movie, told they could have a free period or be allowed to be late to classes (so they could smoke cigarettes inbetween classes out on the gym field). They were being given carte-blanche to be bad boys but they had to stay in school and leave any fighting or other harmful behavior outside school gates.

I know all the details because not only did I see the V.I.P. tour, one of the bad boys in it was one of my best friends. 

Ha. Didn't see that coming did you, all you adults? Little Pattie hung out with the juvenile delinquent crowd. I learned how to hold my beer, how to hot wire a car, how to "maintain" when pulled over by the police, where to hang out on Hollywood Blvd. and lots of other great bad kid stuff.

I wasn't getting any coddling or V.I.P. tours or massive effort to keep me interested in school. Because it was assumed I was a good kid and didn't require the extra effort.

I resented that. Extremely. I had a crazy image in my mind of shooting my hand up and jumping up and yelling, "Hey! Over here! I'm a bad kid, too!" Just because I thought I deserved at least equal effort and equal attention. 

Why did the bad kids deserve the royal treatment and the rest of us didn't? That just wasn't fair. Not right at all.

And it still kind of pisses me off.