Living in a small community means that you probably attended a small elementary school and a just as small high school. Whether you're walking down the hallway and know everybody's names or you're constantly messaging your teachers on Facebook, I can guarantee if you attended a small high school you can relate to all the points below.
1. You know everybody in your high school
… and by “know” I mean you know their middle names, the college their older brother went to, the name of their pet goldfish, what street they live on and the color of their parents' car.
2. Chances are your teachers taught your parents
… and your aunt and your uncle ... and your siblings … and your cousins and they constantly tell you about it: “Oh, you just remind me more and more of your father when he was in my class."
3. Not only did your teacher teach your family; chances are they are family
Your math teacher is most likely your uncle, the principle is your cousin, and the sub is your cousin’s stepsister’s mom.
4. Seeing your teachers outside of school isn’t awkward
Referring back to number 3, chances are they are your family so it’s completely normal to see them outside of the classroom. And if they aren’t a part of your family, let’s be honest, they literally taught your whole family and everyone you know so by this point, they might as well be.
5. The P.E teacher is also the soccer coach, the health teacher and the athletic director
You’re from a small high school, probably not the most funded school system, so they save money where they can. Chances are the teachers have numerous jobs within the system.
6. No lines for the bathroom
This is one of the many great perks of a small high school, especially for girls. You can hit up the bathroom during the busiest times like break, lunch, between classes and not have to worry about being late because you had to wait in a huge line to fix your make up after P.E.
7. You can tell who people are by their shoes
You literally can have your head down hauling ass to class and say hi to your pal Daniel without even lifting your head up because you know those signature white vans belong to him
8. You literally know every outfit combination that people have
You will see the same people every single day for four years, so knowing every outfit they have is not an absurd concept. When you do end up getting a new shirt or dress, trust me, everyone will comment on it.
9. Chances are you will have the same classes with the same small group of people all 4 years
If you’re the kid who takes honor class, chances are there will be the same group of about 10 or 15 of you who take the same honors and AP classes all four years. This can either be a great thing or a bad thing. Good news: if you like that group of people you can hang out with your friends almost every class. Bad news: if you hate these people you have to hang out with them every class.
10. You probably message your teachers on Facebook instead of e-mailing them
Let's be honest: your teachers are either family or they might as well be so messaging them on Facebook about a homework assignment while you're laying in your bed on your phone is totally normal.
11. You can wander the halls during class and can B.S. an excuse that's based on the teacher who catches you
Perks of knowing all your teachers like family is knowing exactly what you can say to get away with stuff. You know all their weird quirks and weaknesses that you can use against them.
12. When there is a school-wide assembly you never have to worry about where to sit because you don’t even fill the whole bleachers
Again, a good perk: you never have to worry about being crunched next to some one who just got out of P.E.. You can scoot away from his smelly ass and it wont seem obvious because there is so much extra room. On the down side, school-wide pep rallies in the gym lack a lot of pep.
13. You can’t start a new subject if one person is missing from class that day
Small classes means that if one person is missing it feels like half your class is gone.
14. You literally know who everyone is dating, including the teachers
When you know every single person in the high school, you also know about every person's significant other … or lack thereof. I’m not just talking about the students, though. It's just as easy to learn about the teachers.
15. Gossip literally takes three minutes to reach the whole school
By third period you’ll be called down to the guidance counselor's office to talk about the small verbal fight you had with Kathy over the guy you both like because she wants to know all the juicy details more than she wants to know if you’re okay.
16. You can’t lie about why you missed school the previous day because the real reason will somehow find its way out
Refer to number 15.
17. You have your prom in your high school gym
Your low-budget high school and the fact that your school is so small means you end up buying decorations and spending the whole week before prom trying to make it look like you’re not actually in a gym.
18. You only use half of your high school gym for prom
Not only do you spend all this time trying to make it look less like a gym, you have to create a divide because the whole gym floor is still too big for the tiny population that will attend.
19. The whole school is invited to senior prom
The idea of senior or junior prom is completely lost on small high schools because our whole high school is invited. If we only had it so only the juniors or seniors were attending, we’d have to cut the whole gym down to an eighth.
20. If you’re even the least bit athletic, you’re probably a three-sport varsity athlete
When you’re from a small school and you have even the slightest athletic ability every coach wants you on their team.
21. All faculty and students park in one lot
Parking problems at a small school are non-existent. Hell, the whole school has one parking lot and there are still plenty of spots left.
22. You’re on a first name basis with the lunch ladies and they know exactly what you are going to get for lunch
One of my favorite things about being from a small school is that the lunch ladies see you coming and get your food all ready for you so you don’t even have to lift a finger.
23. You have to date people from other schools because you eventually run out good candidates from your high school
Either all the good candidates are already taken or are your family. You have very slim pickings so having a boyfriend or girlfriend from another high school is probably more common than dating someone from your own high school.
24. Anyone you would date is already your best friend
Sigh. Nothing could ruin a friendship more than realizing you've developed the feels, especially in small school because you have to see that person every day.
25. You’re related to a good portion of the people in the school
Refer to #3 and #23 … it's either a burden or a blessing, depending how you look at it.
26. By the time you graduate you will probably have the whole school on Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook
It's a good way to build up your social media presence but let’s be honest, they don’t really add up to a huge number anyways.
27. When you never have sport tryouts, it’s just the first practice
You barely have enough people that try out as it is.
28. Your high school is only one level and probably only like two hallways
You never have to worry about having a class on the opposite end of the school and rushing to get to class because walking from one end to the other takes 30 seconds at most. And most importantly, you don't have to worry about being run over or pushed down the stairs when you are on crutches.
29. You’re on a first-name basis with the janitors
Hey, janitors are people too and if they are anything like the janitors I had, they are pretty damn cool. There really isn’t a lot to clean during the day in a small high school because nothing ever happens so the janitors like to roam around and visit the classrooms and talk to the students about pretty much anything.