On Sunday I went to church. Yup that's right, you heard it here first. It's certainly not my normal type of activity but the choir and band of my high school, Westgate Mennonite Collegiate, were on tour. They had a stop in Vancouver and I just couldn't resist reliving a small moment of the past.
When Morgaine and I got to the church, there were a couple of
Westgate students in their uniforms on the sidewalk. I noticed that the
uniform hadn't changed at all. And just seeing those uniforms made me feel like a high school student again. You see, in high school I was an awkward, coke-bottle bespectacled, insecure teenager.
And in that moment, all of my years away from Winnipeg building my own
independent life, getting a degree, being a competitive athlete (I was
a benchwarmer in high school), guest star TV roles, starting a
family... it was like none of it had happened. And I thought, Why would I want to relive this? I had to work hard to remind myself that high school was long since over.
We went inside the church and sat down. That's when Vic Pankratz,
the choir director, spotted me. He came over immediately and told me to
make sure to speak with him after the service. And so I did. I spoke
with him and Bob Hummelt, my social studies teacher who is now
Westgate's principal.They were both happy that I could make it to the performance. They spoke very kindly. It was then that I remembered that it was the kindness and
understanding of (most of) my high school teachers that allowed me to
survive until graduation. I always maintain that I would not have survived a public school.
Sometimes I still feel like a kid, locked in the pain of my teenage years. And I do still sometimes suffer from bouts of insecurity. Even at 6'2", I often have a mental image that anyone in a position of authority over me is taller than me. I know it's a completely symbolic psychological thing, but it's there. But on this meeting, I realized that my high school teachers weren't taller than me. It seemed that the insecure, awkward teenager had taken off, leaving just the adult me behind. What a relief. And I was so happy to be allowed to meet these people again as an adult and finally be able to speak to them eye to eye.
I'm glad I went.
That's great Craig!! To think that I thought "I" was the only awkward teenager there. LOL
I'm very excited for the moment when I can send my kids there. To think that my kids may have the same teachers that I did is just bizarre.
Posted by: JoJo | Thursday, May 01, 2008 at 02:44 PM
It is hard to believe that church visit was a year ago...almost as hard as it to believe that Craig saw himself as awkward at any time or anywhere! Thanks for helping me enjoy that great trip even more.
Mr. H
Posted by: Bob Hummelt | Monday, April 13, 2009 at 01:19 PM
You most certainly must know that this teacher was not taller than you! By the way, your class is having a reunion - interested in coming?
Posted by: Karl Langelotz | Monday, June 01, 2009 at 05:54 PM