I was inspired by a rec-list diary about a student being banned from his high school graduation, and decided to post one of my own stories about things I went through and things I witnessed. My high school was small and rural, but terrible, and unfortunately seemed a typical of Ohio high schools. I wouldn't send a dog there. This story does require a long trip in the Way-Back machine, back to the late 90's.
"Mandy"
I was a junior in high school, and sat at a table in study hall with a girl named Mandy. Mandy was pregnant, just far enough along that she was starting to show. It could be said that many 17-year olds aren't ready to be mothers, but Mandy showed a courage and maturity beyond her years that was pretty amazing to me. Her and I had a lot of interesting conversations. Here I was, a teenager mostly concerned with riding my bike, hanging out with friends, and playing "Magic: the Gathering", whose biggest responsibility was a job at Mcdonald's. Mandy's world was much different than mine. In a matter of months her life was about to change drastically.
I heard what other kids said about Mandy behind her back, that she was a "slut", "white trash", and all kinds of things. They told me I shouldn't associate with her. Mandy knew what people said about her, but was defiant, saying that if people didn't like that she was pregnant, then they didn't have to look at her.
She still wanted to finish school, and seemed to look forward to being a mother. But one day in that study hall the principal came to the door and wagged his finger at her to come out and speak with him in the hall. This was the first of her many "meetings" with the principal, and after every one she came back visibly upset. When the principal saw her he gave her a look that was half fake sympathy, half menacing condescension.
Mandy seemed to know her days in that school were numbered, and talked about transferring to the county vocational school. One day the principal called her out of study hall again for another meeting, and she never came back. I never saw Mandy again.
I've noticed this trend before I met Mandy; it's been talked about in that school that pregnant girls seem to "disappear", being suspended or expelled just about every time. But Mandy really made an impression on me during the few months I spent with her in that study hall. Futures for teen moms sometimes seem to be pretty bleak, but Mandy showed strength and defiance in the face of a town that didn't want her. She showed courage and determination, being forced to grow up so fast. Here I was, a teenager, still a boy, but meeting her made me think about the qualities I wanted to have when I grew to be a man.
I never found out what happened to Mandy, I heard that she moved away, which if that was true, may have been the best thing for her. That was a long time ago, and her child is now a teenager himself. She faced a tough situation, but I wouldn't bet against her. Mandy and her struggle left an impression on me that still lasts, enough that I still remember these events, still remember the look on her face when she came back from a "meeting" with the principal. If anyone is strong enough to make it, it's her.
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It wouldn't surprise me if this kind of thing still happens today. Schools often try to get rid of students who are bad for the school's "image". Our high schools are too often geared towards getting rid of "undesireables" rather than trying to include everyone in the opportunities that education can give. I ended up not graduating myself a couple years later. There were 100 students in my class when I was a freshman, and only 66 of us were handed diplomas in June, 1999. James A. Garfield high school was somehow able use some fuzzy math to report a 95% graduation rate to the state and receive an "Excellent" rating.