To those who were class clowns, why did you act like that?

I hated school, didn’t want to be there. I quit high school at 16 because I wasn’t learning anything. Oddly enough, in truck driving school I buckled down and learned what it was like to be the class need. I was there to learn how to drive a truck, didn’t care what anybody else thought. I graduated top of my class. The other two from my state, when we took our CDL tests, they failed and I made a good career out of it.

But, more to your question, I hated school, the teachers treated me badly, so I returned that to them.

Attention, insecurity, shyness, and, to amuse.

Boredom and a hint of rebellion to authority.

Because my nicknmame was/is Loon, and I decided to live up to it.

Because being taller than most boys meant getting treated like a freak, and my bisexuality made me more of an outsider.

Because half of life seemed absurd to me, and still does.

Because I could get away with it.

Mostly.

I was always the youngest and the smallest and my big sisters were bullies. I learned very early that if I could make people laugh, they were less likely to hurt me.

As the shy kid, I appreciate all of you taking the pressure off. It really helped many of us. :)

I liked entertaining my classmates and bringing levity to an otherwise formal and regimented day. I’m sure part of me craved the attention. Getting respect and admiration from my peers builds you up when you’re otherwise insecure, trying to figure out who you are. Often I was bored in classes that didn’t challenge me.