the conversation in in the comments section has been interesting. and i'll put it right out there (in little font): i can be pretty intolerant of people who don't have an interest in learning. am i an intelligence bigot? 8p i do plan on posting a bit more on education, grading, laziness, lack of self-esteem, etc. because it seems to be a fairly hot topic. you've given me a lot to think about. and ya'll know i talk big.
but first, a little backstory that may make my future posts (on the aforementioned, and ONLY the aforementioned) a bit clearer. the town that i grew up in, the one where i now grade (but can't afford to own a home in), has made the forbes america's 100 most expensive zip codes list for the last several years. it ranks pretty damn close to the top (above beverly hills, pebble beach, hanalei...). the median home price is $1.73 million and the median income is over $150,000. there are ferrari, lamborghini, and bentley dealerships in town. my high school has been used to film movies. its state rank is 10/10 and it gets an 850 api score. there are over 30 honors and ap classes offered. 97% of these kids go on to college (79% of their parents have college degrees - 41% graduate degrees). in the class of 2007 at least one student went on to: ucla, stanford, brown, colombia, cornell, georgetown, harvard, scripps...and SO ON. the school (and town) is 81% white & asian. i could go on, but i won't. and no, i'm not bragging so don't hate 'cause i'm a spoiled little rich girl. i assure you i wasn't then, and i'm certainly not now.
let's say that i have a love-hate relationship with my hometown. let's say there are problems here, but that they are different problems. let's say that yes, people have been affected by this shitty economy but perhaps in a different way than the rest of the country. let's say that the purses and jeans and sunglasses here are designer...and so are the drugs. let's say that there isn't gang violence but that there are kids dying in drunk driving accidents. let's say kids here are given perhaps given all the opportunites in the world but less time with their parents. let's say that this is the reality and it isn't good or bad, but it's how it is here. amanda, mike, ya'll have anything to add? anyone who has also grown up in lg? how is it where you grew up?
let me mull on some of this a bit more...
but first, a little backstory that may make my future posts (on the aforementioned, and ONLY the aforementioned) a bit clearer. the town that i grew up in, the one where i now grade (but can't afford to own a home in), has made the forbes america's 100 most expensive zip codes list for the last several years. it ranks pretty damn close to the top (above beverly hills, pebble beach, hanalei...). the median home price is $1.73 million and the median income is over $150,000. there are ferrari, lamborghini, and bentley dealerships in town. my high school has been used to film movies. its state rank is 10/10 and it gets an 850 api score. there are over 30 honors and ap classes offered. 97% of these kids go on to college (79% of their parents have college degrees - 41% graduate degrees). in the class of 2007 at least one student went on to: ucla, stanford, brown, colombia, cornell, georgetown, harvard, scripps...and SO ON. the school (and town) is 81% white & asian. i could go on, but i won't. and no, i'm not bragging so don't hate 'cause i'm a spoiled little rich girl. i assure you i wasn't then, and i'm certainly not now.
let's say that i have a love-hate relationship with my hometown. let's say there are problems here, but that they are different problems. let's say that yes, people have been affected by this shitty economy but perhaps in a different way than the rest of the country. let's say that the purses and jeans and sunglasses here are designer...and so are the drugs. let's say that there isn't gang violence but that there are kids dying in drunk driving accidents. let's say kids here are given perhaps given all the opportunites in the world but less time with their parents. let's say that this is the reality and it isn't good or bad, but it's how it is here. amanda, mike, ya'll have anything to add? anyone who has also grown up in lg? how is it where you grew up?
let me mull on some of this a bit more...