I don't remember much homework, but what there was I did. I coasted on everything. I didn't realize how smart I was, because I never struggled with anything--or I didn't take anything that hard. Well, I hated Algebra, because that was such an alien thing for my head to grasp. Trigonometry and Geometry were easy, and I figured my teachers were just being nice when they said I should try more challenging math subjects, because if it was important then it wouldn't be such a breeze, would it? Plus I got the tail-end of the "Girls should be teachers or librarians, math's really for boys" thing. If I'd taken Physics in high school, maybe the light would have gone off in my head that I really was that smart and I did have the talent for that sort of thing. I went through an entire year of Advanced Mathematics, including a special Engineering Careers workshop, without it once dawning on me that "This is something you could do with your life," because no one in my world could conceive of a country girl as someone who did math for a living.

Hell of a thing to discover in your senior year of college, that you'd wasted half your brain. I was so clueless.

My Soviet Dissident Literature prof got so disgruntled with my test performance that he'd hand me my bluebook with a time and date on it. I could try to take the in-class exam, but he expected me to show up in his office to explain myself.

"I don't understand how you can do so well in class discussions and on papers and then hand me this rubbish at test time!"

I'd freeze on the written test and breeze through the oral exam. He didn't do that for anyone else that I know of and I was wicked grateful.

Brendon's homework counts because he's in middle school. Hence the battle.

Oh, -t, I am so sorry about your condo. I was hoping it was going to be better news, based on what you said yesterday.

I didn't realize how smart I was, because I never struggled with anything

Never struggling with anything had the opposite effect on me. I think I would've been better off in a larger public school or a selective private school, where I would've been a smart kid, one of several competing for honors and admission to good colleges, instead of The Smart Kid, not just in my year but in the school as a whole. Between all the attention I got from teachers and my mom's loving but ill-advised way of consoling me about not fitting in (basically, "you're better than them"), I ended up way too full of myself and vain about having drawn lucky cards from the genetic lottery. My instinct is still to be intellectually arrogant, though now I realize it's wrong and try to fight it, and I still expect things to come easily for me, giving up too quickly or losing my temper when they don't.

t flyby

I've skipped a host of posts, so hugs and hairpats to those that need 'em. I do love you guys vastly, despite the fact that I'm internetically challenged just now. Had to snaffle flatmate's laptop to come tell you about my moment of AtS-ishness, though.

I went out to the movies with a coworker who's a big fan of horror movies (she missed the Buffy phenomenon 'cause she was working overseas much of the time, but I plan to bring her up to speed), and with her fella. First time I've met him, and when I tell you that he looks remarkably like J August Richards, boy howdy, I am SO understating the case. He could be JAR's brother. He does not, afaik, kill vampires or work for demon lawyers; however, he runs Safaris in Tanzanier (which I can't even spell), and so he does have anecdotes involving ravenous beasties with big sharp pointy teeth. Which is still pretty impressive, imho. I'm totally awed by coworker, who is ten years older than me and several dress sizes larger. Go team her, with the SMOKIN' hot younger man!

t /flyby

(Oh, the movie? Sucked beyond the telling of it. The Wisher. That's an hour and a half of my life that I'll never get back. Happily, though, I was able to come home and watch 13 Going On 30 on DVD, and eat delicious home-made panini sandwiches cooked in our new panini toaster grill thingy. Yay for that!)

I still expect things to come easily for me, giving up too quickly or losing my temper when they don't.

Eh, even if you'd been just one of many Smart Kids (I say, as the slacker in my group of Sooper Genius Smartasses), that's a hard habit to get out of, especially once you're no longer in school and there's less motivation to do something about it.

I'm very proud of my high school friends who wound up doing great things and applying themselves, but that's just not who or what I am. I'm bone-lazy, unless it's something that actually holds my interest, good enough to get kudos while sliding, and selfish enough to resent things that take away from what I want.

Sadly, I don't have the eccentric billionare relative who died and made that a viable lifestyle choice.

It is a good thing that the kids are in a huge public school system in many ways. The gifted and magnet programs are awesome, as are the teachers. Although Brendon is Mr. Smartypants he does have plenty of kids around him that are as smart and often smarter. He enjoys the company and is competitive by nature.

When my schedule burden eases some I will happily go back to school and embrace the homework. Granted, when I was in college I suffered over my grades and was a maniac with the studying. Still, I prefer the effort/reward ratio in school over the "real" life ratio.

I did most of my homework - just less of the boreing stuff.

My friend M had a daughter and a son. the daughter she could motivate by putting homework and social things as a do your homework or stay home. She never found a motivation for her son.

I was thinking about the difference between school and college. Dh was another that did not do well ( high school) , but hit the ground running in college. The over structured part of high school - and the unwillingness of anyone ( in this case I am includeing his parents) to notice that 1) he was really smart and 2) really in need of a challange just killed his desire to do well. Honestly, the structured super rules school goes on too long.

one of my friends here is a teacher. Her daughter didi well, but her son had a lot of problems in high school. as in flunking english( when he liked the class) - as well as others - a lot of it haveing to do with the way classes were in high school. Insead of haveing him take the very lame summer school class - she sent him to the local community college to see what a class was like. ( she actually made him register himself - and when he forgot - he had the choice of talking himself into the class or...) He loved it. So she was able to convince him that he only had a year left to play the high school game and get to the point where he could have some control of what he learned - and when.

Eh, even if you'd been just one of many Smart Kids (I say, as the slacker in my group of Sooper Genius Smartasses), that's a hard habit to get out of, especially once you're no longer in school and there's less motivation to do something about it.

Probably true. And while it's easy to second-guess my childhood and think, "If only I'd had X everything would've been so much better," I kept coasting academically when I got to college, even though I enjoyed having a whole crowd of Super Genius Smartasses to hang out with and getting to take interesting classes.

I do wish I'd imbibed a little less arrogance along the way, though. It's not a pleasant trait, to say the least, and I think it clouds my judgment. F'rinstance, I'm having a hard time judging my level of writing skill and how much attention I should pay to all the writing advice that's out there, because while I think I have a strong voice that I shouldn't muck with by paying too much attention to all the latest fads for How To Sell Your Romance Novel, what if that's just the arrogance talking, and I'd be published if I'd just stop being so damned stubborn and embrace deep POV and the Goal-Motivation-Conflict system for structuring a novel?