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Somewhat similar story here; I was tested before entering the first grade by an educator relative and scored well above average, though not a prodigy by any means. I was reading at the third-grade level at the time. Elementary school grades were mostly A's except for physical things like art, penmanship, etc.
Entering junior high, my grades began to drop to a C+ level. I was studying in a grittier environment, and somewhat bullied by the "gangster element" that sometimes surfaced in those times. I was accused, perhaps justifiably, of "loafing" by one particularly unsympathetic teacher, but if I could have mustered the reasoning (and backbone) to craft a reply, it might have been something like:
Why should I make an effort, when it won't get me where I want to go, which is "out of your structure and your regimentation"??
Things improved somewhat in senior high; where extra-curricular activities provided relief from a lot of the boredom, but I really hit my stride in college, where I made the Dean's list on one occasion (and could have made it more often with more effort). But grad school turned out to be a disappointment -- probably because more direct interaction with faculty was expected. And ironically, 12 credits of additional study while in my thirties drew a perfect 4.00 GPA.
And as might be expected, I was in for a lot of disappointment when the autonomy of the campus turned into the "never-ending first period" lock-step of "korporate" life in the 1970's. I paid a price, especially in terms of personal relationships, but things eventually stabilized with the help of several good people (whom I still have), and if I missed out on a few of the more-commonly-accepted measures of stability and happiness, I at least got some unusual stories to tell.
"All our knowledge is ourselves to know." (Alexander Pope)
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 09-02-2017 at 03:30 PM..
I did OK in English and foreign language classes, but I flunked math from 1st grade right up to 11th grade. I only graduated because I passed a math equivalency test by about 3 points. I pretty much flunked every other class I was in, too, all through high school. I have no idea why they kept promoting me.
I also had mega problems with my parents and that really affected my school work. I never brought homework home and quit high school in 10th grade. Finally got out of my house at 17, went back to high school in California and never looked back. I ended up graduating and going to community college where I got more As than Cs and even got several 4.0s and made the President's List - the good one. LOL
As for math, I ended up taking a basic arithmetic class in community college to get me caught up, then went through Algebra I, Algebra II, Trig, Pre-calc, Calculus, and Physics, making passing grades and As and I loved every minute of it.
It may be a joke but it's how colleges figure out if you'll do well there - they don't like taking a lot of chances on kids who think school is a joke and get C's and D's. They don't assume you'll straighten up and can't read your mind or your (expected but unchallenged) ambitions.
But the biggest laugh is you technically just need to pass because NO ONE EVER CHECKS YOUR GRADES !
So you stayed home to study and I went out to a night club and studied last minute all night.
You got an A+.... I got a C. We both passed and now the same degree !
And I might actually even be making more money then you or your boss lol!
Grades only matter to a certain extent.
Street smarts get your far !
Amazingly, people who do poorly in school seem to think they must obviously have "street smarts" where the bookworms obviously don't. Well, I can tell you many bookworms have practical smarts as well and some D students are just as stupid outside of school!
You also assume that D students actually learn as much as A students do - and they look soooo much cooler doing it - that sounds really high school! ha Or more likely your assumption is that only the piece of paper matters, not that you learn anything or even develop an appreciation for your major or any other topic of study.
Oh - it's "than you or your boss" not "then" but where you work and who you hang with probably don't care.
I barely graduated from high school. I got mostly D's. I had almost straight A's for my bachelors, a mix of A's and B's for my engineering masters and all A's for my master of arts in teaching.
Amazingly, people who do poorly in school seem to think they must obviously have "street smarts" where the bookworms obviously don't. Well, I can tell you many bookworms have practical smarts as well and some D students are just as stupid outside of school!
You also assume that D students actually learn as much as A students do - and they look soooo much cooler doing it - that sounds really high school! ha Or more likely your assumption is that only the piece of paper matters, not that you learn anything or even develop an appreciation for your major or any other topic of study.
Oh - it's "than you or your boss" not "then" but where you work and who you hang with probably don't care.
Right!? Plus, grades matter if you want to get into a selective or competitive school.
In any case, I received good grades in grade school and As and Bs in middle school. All of the above in high school, though I'd say I was probably a B- student when factoring in my report card grades throughout the four years.
Like 5 B's sprinkled in through the years. Maybe a C (or C+ or maybe I pulled out a B-) once in 10th grade English. I certainly got a D for one quarter.
Put in minimal effort.
Was accused of cheating once when I scored the highest on a Chemistry 2 exam in a class in which I mostly chatted with my lab partner in class. Retook the exam on the spot under the eye of the instructor and replicated my result which infuriated her to no end.
Grades are a joke and our educational system needs a complete overhaul.
It may be a joke but it's how colleges figure out if you'll do well there - they don't like taking a lot of chances on kids who think school is a joke and get C's and D's. They don't assume you'll straighten up and can't read your mind or your (expected but unchallenged) ambitions.
I got mostly C's, D's and a few F's in high school. I did straighten out and got my Bachelor's degree in accounting with a 3.2 GPA, while I was also working. I was also much more motivated, since I had to pay my own way through college. At least I did have the GI Bill.
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Or more likely your assumption is that only the piece of paper matters, not that you learn anything or even develop an appreciation for your major or any other topic of study.
