During my high school years one could not help but notice the different groups, or clicks, and the most sought after, most popular ones were the cool ones.
Today I work in a high school and I observe the same things except the same question plagues me now that did then, who decides cool?  I mean I knew everyone in my class, got good grades, and followed the fashion trends as far as my parents would allow, but alas, I was not considered cool. Who makes these decisions?  What is the definition of cool?
     I look around the high school now and see everyone wearing about the same fashions, pretty close to us in the 70=s actually although they will never admit it. The flared legs, hip hugger pants, belly shirts, tie-dyed; sorry all been done before, even the platform shoes are not new, but it is still what is cool now. Okay so why does one person walk in dressed like so and be accepted and cool, and another is labeled a "poser," or imitator and thus uncool.
     One person can date someone and that is perfectly acceptable, yet let someone else date that exact same person and it becomes unacceptable.  Does anyone know why? Who sets the standards for cool? I mean if I had known who sets the rules or had the handbook on this issue, maybe I would have been cooler in school.
Today cool seems to be the clothes you wear, the music you listen to, the company you keep, and, to some, even the grades you achieve.  There again, when I was in school good grades were not always a sign of cool, but it could be for some.  Smoking was another cool status when I was in school, but of course, that is not connected with being very smart either.  Most of those cool smokers are now the "trying to quit" 40- something.
     Drinking and smoking were a popular pastime in my day and that hasn=t changed much.  I unfortunately did my share of these not too smart pastimes and yet I still was not cool.  I went to parties, school dances, and sporting events, yet I was one of the uncool, not so popular ones.
     I am the mother of three teenagers and I see my oldest one with his own style clothing and high grades is not cool. My middle son with his baggy fashions, and good grades has his own group, but they're not exactly the cool ones, accepted but not the most popular. My youngest is the jock with only okay grades, and he masters every sport he puts his mind to, yet he's not the coolest either. Where is the cool judge?
One thing I have noticed is the uncool, or the not so popular is the majority of the population at this school just like it was when I was in school. Why don't the average, uncool ones set the standards? Maybe then the popular, cool ones would not be so great after all. Also, I think being a good student, even a member of the Honor Society should definitely be a cool criteria, don't you?
     Don't get me wrong, I know in my aging wisdom that who is cool or not in school really has no bearing on your adult life later, but I hate to watch these teens judge and ridicule, and watch some have to get tough and endure to finish high school. Have we learned nothing from all the school violence, often sparked by deep-set anger over differences?   "Judge not lest you be judged."