Friday Afternoon Lights

I am having my first Permian High School Experience today. One of my MA students, who teaches history at PHS, invited me to speak all day in the school that brought the world Permian Panther Mojo. I am halfway through the day and will return from lunch in a few minutes. I am talking about terrorism with her 11th-grade history classes. (She has six of them; the idea of teaching the same class six times five days a week gives me the heebie-jeebies).

Early impressions:

Permian is enormous. At least a couple of thousand students go there, I believe (PHS is in 5A for sports, the largest designation in a state that is not small), and that is just grades 10-12. The campus is huge. Just huge.

Tonight is the Black and White game. First off, I am still astounded that there is high school spring football. Second, things have changed since 1988, but this is still a big deal here in Odessa. The teachers really are wearing black and white. The students are wearing lots of different t-shirts devoted to Permian football and its legacy. The sophomore game is at five, the JV game is at 6, and then the varsity game is at Ratliff Stadium at 7:00. MOJO!

Students don't change. Some are really into my talk. Some look at me and their eyes say:"Who is this dork?" Others are engaged. Boys flirt awkwardly and cumbersomely. Girls return it. Someone falls asleep halfway through. One or two nod their heads every time they think your gaze is on them.

Oh -- and they were six or seven when the Oklahoma City bombing took place.