- had special financial advantages
- were really fake
- probably have receding hair lines and bad marriages
But some…
- are really bright
- came from dysfunctional families
- have built lives around helping others
I guess I'm just constantly amazed by this group of people. It's a strange phenomenon to see so much success in such a small group of people. I think I've always been curious about the elements that brought us together. This school has a long history of famous and successful graduates too – it’s not like it’s just our class.
But now that I’m an educator, I find myself appreciating some of the things that I got from my high school… things I hope I can give to my students:
- dedicated teachers who were great role models (like Mr. Bergstrom)
- a sense of responsibility for my community
- a sense of entitlement, or at least the message that I could do whatever I wanted in life
But I wonder if they oversold it a bit. Not all of us could do whatever we wanted in life. Some of us had family responsibilities or disabilities or even, god forbid, the desire to live a smaller life.
Did you have a high school teacher who made you feel that you had limitless possibilities? Were they right or did it set you up for a fall down the road?
1 comment:
I did have some awesome teachers, but I have to say - they never told me that I could do whatever I wanted. The ones I remember were the ones that wouldn't give me an A just for not being pissed off about being in school. I was a good kid and htat was enough for most of them. But two teachers in particular were a little harder on me and it's them I remember and them I feel I learned the most from (I wonder if that says more about my own personality than it does about my teachers or my school...?)
On the other hand, in grad school everyone (except my advisor) told us we were the cream of the crop, the best of the best. And now that I can't get a job I'm shocked. I'm not prepared. Especially since many of my classmates, your husband included, have fabluous careers already started. So yeah, I think people in grad school totally oversold the world to us. It's not enough to just BE in a great place. Other factors matter too.
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