Chapter 8

Middle School: Part 1

Middle school was for me what it is, was, and has been for just about everyone else since the dawn of time - a place to grow and change. I moved from North Liberty to Tiffin in the middle of my sixth grade year, but chose to finish out the year at Penn Elementary anyway. I was always kind of afraid of the new format of schooling that takes place in middle school. At Penn Elementary, we had had some seventh graders (Penn graduates) come back and tell us what to expect, and how it was like and things like that. They told us that it was the easiest switch they’d ever made, and that the new type of schedule wasn’t hard.

It may have been the fact that when I moved into this district, and began going to school here, that everyone else had already had a year of the system (6th grade); or perhaps it was just that I was new to the school; but in any case, it was not easy for me.

There were a few good things right off the bat. Like Jeff Yanecek. We had gone to school together the past 2 and a half years, and he began attending this school the same time as I did. We found eachother the first day and relied upon one another for the early part of that year. I remember that we went and found our lockers that first day, and his was the one with no door (it had been broken off), so I shared my locker with him for awhile. I think he had one shelf and the bottom of the locker...

Anyway, so now I was there. This year I’ll say right now was the hardest year of school for me (looking back). It was a year full of crushes and heartbreaks, laughing and crying, and let’s not forget dancing. The first thing I had to get used to was the instant label I got that stuck. However this was no ordinary label, you see, I was Kermit. One person said it. A million remembered it. But I played along, as my timid self was reaching out to people the only way it knew how. I was so, I guess it would be best termed - unstable? - that one day I even came to school with a short little message I had printed up on my computer several times, and distributed it. The message was to my peers from me, and it basically told them to ignore me and stop pretending to like me because eventually they wouldn’t like me anyway so they may as well start now. They were advised not to listen to anything I say, but to just ignore and look away.

Another thing is the girls. They did not make it any easier. This one girl in particular, Megan Wright, was my topic for a long time. In class, she was coming on to me, and we pretended to "go out." So I asked her out. Sorry Jeremy, I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I asked her three times at least that year. Another time she said she didn’t know me well enough, so I wrote and filled out a questionnaire about myself and gave it to her. Okay. Now you know me. Unfortunately, I was unaware that it didn’t work like that. Her best friends at the time were Amanda Petersen and Kathy Amos. We hung out nearly every recess, and they were on my side, at least they helped me out. Soon this "love" grew to be an obsession. On one occasion, I brought her a rose. On another, (Christmas) I gave her a necklace. In literature we had to do a character sketch about someone. Using Amanda as a source, I did one on Megan (we read them aloud). I also had my camera with me like at least once a week that year, and took about a million pictures, half of which were of her. In literature again, I sang to her, with the aided help of my little walkman with speakers. I used the same one to play her songs every day in Mr. Shafar’s last hour social studies class. It was here that one of the cruel stories comes out. We had a sub that day, and I was playing my music as usual, when Brian Portwood came up to me. I can’t remember his exact words, but he told me that he was going out with Megan. I started sobbing rather uncontrollably, right there. It was only later that I learned he was "just kidding." Ha. Ha. I probably would have kept after her a lot longer (well I did, really) but towards the end of the year, she began going out with one of my best friends, Tyler Hesseltine. So I figured out that all’s fair, and nothing’s fair.

But, regardless of what people may say, my entire year was not just Megan. Shortly after her I had grown to like Amanda, through my working with her on Megan. She always said "Oh, you’re so sweet," whenever I’d do or get things for Megan. However, this really went nowhere.

Another part of middle school I really liked was the dances. It took a little bit for me to get used to them though. My first one (and most of them, and this is the sad part) I found a corner by myself and just cried. Sometimes in view, like the cafeteria, sometimes in the shadows of the other side of the gym. Whatever the reason, the underlying one was attention. I knew that any time I would do that, about 5-10 girls would come huddle around me and ask me what was wrong, do you want to dance, you can tell me, etc. Though, I really did mean it. I was sad. But back to the first one. I sat there for about and hour and a half. Not enjoying myself at all. Of course I hadn’t asked anyone to dance. I hoped someone else would ask me. So I waited. Most of the dance had wasted away, when Mandy Ganschow came up to me and asked me to dance. I was very excited. This was the first person I ever danced with. And it was so wonderful. I couldn’t believe how much fun it was to dance. I’ll tell you what though. I never sat out another slow song in my life. No matter how many times I get rejected, I’ll find a partner. Because it’s truly one thing I love to do. And I’m glad I found at least that in seventh grade.

It was the hardest year of my life, but the work I put into that year provided for my totally awesome eighth grade year, to follow shortly.