The Flow of High School Hallways

January 14,2013

"Every day, its a wave, a whirlpool, a river. Incoming, outgoing, back, forth, churning, swirling, swishing. Voices splashing legs walking feet tapping water flowing laughing scolding greeting, water. Sounds lapping at the walls as water churns and churns back and forth and back until the shrill bell, the dam is closed .the bell sounds the moon phases the hour minute second changes so changes the tide and the wave whirlpool river is no more. Water rushes  into gates, into doors they go, feet shuffling, voices calming, sounds like water lapping no more. Time passes the time hour minute changes, the moon phases tides change the shrill bell marks the opening of the flood gates out comes the water rushing back in down down goes the river incoming, outgoing, back, forth, churning, swirling, swishing. Water searching doors opening closing coming going.Voices splashing legs walking feet tapping water flowing laughing scolding greeting, water. Sounds lapping at the walls as water churns and churns back and forth and back until the shrill bell, again the dam is closed .The bell sounds the moon phases  hour minute second changes so changes the tide and the wave whirlpool river is no more. Eight times the dam opens water rushes in swirling confusion laughing greeting screaming scolding feet shuffling voices speaking until the shrill bell closes the dam again and  calming voices shuffling feet laughter scolding greeting ceases, water rushes back through doors the dam closes on and on until  feet shuffling voices exciting  friends departing scolding laughing, water overflows the dam breaks, water is released."

High school hallways are an interesting place. To one who is used to the flow, the rowdy students clambering to their classes, the quiet ones who walk reserved, the ones who stand in the way of the flow and the ones who hurry to classes, it is quite normal. We become used to seeing every day these familiar and unfamiliar faces walking the halls. The bell marks the opening of the "flood gates,” when everyone is released at once, flowing into the hallways as if a dam just opened, filling a river. 

In this river, in the flow of the hallway in high school, we see all sorts of people, all sorts of things. The youth represents a large part of our society, and by observing high school students, one can tell a lot about our values, although different, our morals, and our likes and dislikes. The hallways are the place high school students call their own, where they choose to shout to their friends, laugh, catch up with the latest gossip, and sometimes even chose to "resolve” their issues, causing a scene as everyone yells "fight, fight, fight!"

In a high school hallway one can see the fashions, the media, and even how these students carry themselves. Colorful hair, expensive brands, brand named sneakers, laid back styles, high fashion, piercings, "hipster" styles, hip hop fashions, you see it all. Headphones and earphones in ears, everyone also moves to their own beats, as if high school students lived off of music. Electronics in hand, fingers flexing and texting and searching and clicking, students walk the hallways with their friends. Some chose to gossip, others to walk hand in hand with their boyfriends and girlfriends. Some like to shout obscenities at each other jokingly, while others hide in corners in plain sight and swap gum- saliva- germs. Some are late, some are early, some don't go to class at all and linger in the halls long after their friends have gone and the classroom doors are closed. 

Our generation is a bright, colorful, varied one, but it is also complicated, an intermingling of morals and ideals and ideas and fashions and likes and dislikes and traditions and daily rituals. In high school, we all share the ritual of going from one class to the next; we share this ritual with every other student at our school because at that time we are all seeking out our next destinations. We are all intermingling, even if we ignore one another or only talk to our own friends. We all share this ritual every single day in school because we make eye contact, we make physical contact, we overhear conversations, and we observe each other. Although most of us share the value of education, and attend our classes, those others don't, further defining our teenage society. Our diverse fashions tastes-existent or nonexistent, tastes of music, and the way we carry ourselves show who we are as individuals and what we believe in, and who we are as a whole high school, a whole society, and a whole generation.