Most of the crummy rentals we lived in when I was a kid had wood paneling -- you don't have to paint it between tenants.

I wonder how much the "family values" image led to the engagement in the first place. I really feel sorry for Bristol, I imagine that having your pregnancy put on the national stage has to be the worst nightmare for a teenage mom.

Totally. If they had won (god forbid) I bet we'd have seen a shotgun wedding. So there's another thing to thank Obama for.

I really feel sorry for Bristol, I imagine that having your pregnancy put on the national stage has to be the worst nightmare for a teenage mom.

God, yes.

Erin, you were drinking Gin & Tonics in the 5th grade?

Dude, it was the early 80's! Wasn't EVERYONE?

I also dipped into my mom's makeup stash after she left for work every morning, and went to school with a shitton of pearlescent white and navy blue eyeshadow spackled to my lids, and a nice mature coppery brown lipstick. I was 10. My lovely fifth grade teacher asked me if my mom knew I was wearing makeup so early, and I was all "We apply it TOGETHER! I am VERY MATURE for my age!"

There was a phone call. Needless to say, I was VERY IMMATURE in some ways for my age, vice versa in others, and my mom and dad had just split up and we moved from the country to the city...and to the "rich" school in the city, and we were NOT at all rich.

ISSUES!!

Emily, it's same problem, philosophically anyway, that we face when the parents with means place their kids in private schools. All too often, great schools are great (at least partially) because of the active involvement of parents. And those are the same parents, generally, who are more likely going to place their kids in private schools. So the public schools are even more deprived.

My grammar school (K-8) didn't have a gifted proram or anything, and there wasn't formal tracking until 7th grade. I was in some program at the Science Museum that happened when we had half-Wednesdays, but I think that's about it.

That said, I could have placed everyone in the groups we were put in for 7th/8th grade myself -- it's not like you didn't know who was smart or not.

I can't remember, Sara, is it on that same street?

Yup. One way on that section, northbound.

It has a garage in the alley.

I'm actually relieved for Bristol Palin, because now she doesn't have to be stuck with that guy.

I can provide the anecdata for my daughter's K class (Title 1 school, 80% minority, 80% low income): there are reading groups by ability in the classroom; all other activities in the classroom are done all together. There are pull-outs for kids whose native language is not English, pull-outs for gifted, and pull-outs that seem to target kids with socialization/behavioral issues (Casper calls this "manners class.") At age 5-6, it's hard to see to what extent the kids see the divisions. I know I saw them by 5th grade (reading groups were key there) but I don't remember much before that (and went to a really tiny rural school before that, too).

there are reading groups by ability in the classroom

They did do this in my kindergarten class back in 1971-2, but not until second semester (most kids didn't know how to read until they started school back then). My mom told me several years later about the meeting the teachers had with the parents in which they announced the groups. They made the announcement in order from lowest to highest, and when they got to the last group and my name was the only one in it, she said that there was a lot of muttering about "what makes her so special?!?" Mom wanted to point out that I already knew how to read before school started (thank you, Sesame Street and book-loving genes!), but decided to leave it alone.