I think it had to be around 7th grade. I was sitting in Math class impatiently waiting for it to end, when my teacher dropped two bombshells on me. The first one was that we would be learning Algebra that week. Once letters started replacing numbers in equations I lost all interest in Math so this was disturbing news. The second was that all our Math books would need book covers on them by next class, or we’d have extra homework.
For those that actually remember book covers, you can probably feel the frustration in my words right now. Trying to put on a book cover was like wrapping a Christmas present you didn’t want; now imagine it was for you. It was a way for the school to keep the books in semi decent shape so they could reuse them the next year. I was absolutely horrible at putting on book covers. My friends had the 99 cent book covers from the school store. They were nice, shiny, and had the names of different colleges on them. My family didn’t have the money to waste on book covers so mine looked like the picture above. We used paper bags from the supermarket as book covers. Which worked fine unless you put the wrong subject on the book after you wrapped it. I happened to do this quite often.
I never knew which book I was opening. I would be in History with my English book. Then I’d be in English with my Science book. I never really knew what was inside, so I guess it was kind of like Christmas. (If all the presents were socks) The problem with my homemade book covers was the weather. Once it rained or snowed the book cover would fall off only then could I see the subject clear as day.
Even though I’m far removed from middle school I still see book covers every day. Book covers now are in the form of stereotypes and how people perceive each other. I wrote a blog last week about a girl in college that told me she was surprised I was so intelligent. The cover she saw read “BASKETBALL PLAYER”. And that meant “this guy doesn’t take school seriously, and that I was nothing more than a dumb jock”.
Its funny how we read people in today’s world. We’re so influenced by outside sources that we don’t make judgments’ on our own anymore. We wake up and watch the news and they influence our judgment about race, politics, and people in general. We lose our ability to think freely. When I meet someone new the hardest part is looking past the cover and seeing what’s on the inside.
The old saying “Never judge a book by its cover”, is one I try to live by. None of us are perfect. We all have our flaws and we all make mistakes. Don’t let one of those mistakes be rushing to judgment on someone you don’t know.
