On March 24th, 1984, five Shermer High students reported for detention on a Saturday morning… and they changed our lives forever.
By “us,” I mean those born between 1967 or so, until 1975. We went to high school in the 1980s and each character in the movie ‘The Breakfast Club’ resonated with us because they represented the pieces of our souls we didn’t want anyone to see.
My confession is that just like the character Brian in the movie, my lamp constructed in shop would not have worked. My brain is not wired to “make things work.” Mine is constructed to know WHY things work. There is a difference.
In high school, I was in honors classes, and we weren’t allowed to take any of the shop classes. There was no auto repair, wood shop, or anything of that ilk. The closest we came was drafting, because that was considered necessary for architectural designs.
I’m not good at mechanical things, and I’m also below average in putting things together. Years ago, I put together a bookshelf from IKEA and I was extremely proud of my accomplishment. I put the books on it by author, and… it started leaning to the right. I didn’t do something right, and yeah, not in my skill set.
The topics discussed in the movie were illuminating and are still pertinent today. Peer pressure, familial issues, and figuring out who we are as individuals. I’m much further along the path, but I still don’t have all the answers.
I do know that my elephant lamp still wouldn’t work.
