What A Difference A Day Makes

Posted on [07/06/2025]

As you may know, I attended a military school—a high school with a military background designed to teach us responsibility and structure.

One way to help students is to eliminate distractions. Those distractions range from clothing choices to even haircuts. If you reduce those distractions, you bring everyone to the same level. It doesn’t matter if someone’s parents are rich or poor—they’ll be treated as equals.

My high school had an interesting set of before-and-after photos. Young kids got their first taste of conformity. It’s interesting that they were smiling afterward—perhaps they hadn’t seen themselves in the mirror yet? I joke, of course, because they all knew what they were getting into. The “before” photos still show a bit of reserve in their appearance, but I think they’re great before-and-after shots.

The caption mentions the end of the year. The photos were actually taken on the first day. However, at the end of the year, the school created a video showing many things the cadets did over the course of the year. These photos were a reminder of what they looked like early that first day—and a bit later.

I actually think they look much older in that second photo.