I Just Wanna Be Average

1. Mike's experience in Voc. Ed. was sub-standard to say the least. Rose got lost in the system. He had to experience some of the worst it had to offer. His teachers were the bottom of the barrel. Rose was a victim of laziness plain and simple. No one bothered to double check anything and he just flew under the radar. He suffered for years because of someone's mistake. I can't say that I've had a poor experience in public school. I mean, not on the teacher's behalf. I was always friendly and respectful to my teachers and I received the same back. Then again, my instructors were decent people to begin with, not like what Rose had to deal with.
2. They were placed in a track that was for the below average. Once you figure out that you've been dumped into that kind of place, you shut down. You realize that no one wants to give you the time of day anymore. They have given up on trying to really teach you so why should you try to really learn. Your time and effort is turned towards other more frowned upon activities, but they believed there was nothing else for them. Rose had developed many little tricks and lucked out a bit. When he moved onto higher math he lacked the proper abilities to perform what was deemed 'easy' math for his level.
3. High school just has way too much and goes way too fast. We weren't just learning out of books, we were learning about ourselves. A lot of the time you just want to give up and use something to forget all about it. To be frank, you feel like no one gives a damn. So what do you turn to? Well, that's always different for everyone. For Ken, it was easier to just fall into the slot that had been picked for him, just as so many do. The easiest way out is almost never the best but so many take it regardless.
4. College so far has been smooth sailing. Then again, I haven't been overloading myself with classes and work. You don't necessarily have those kind of choices in high school. You really just need to know how to manage time and yourself. Controlling yourself is a huge step. You can't fall to procrastination and other things. It may not seem like it but getting things out of the way beforehand is so much more rewarding. I don't have much room to talk but I'm trying. In the end that's all you can do.
5. Rose's and mine stories are as different as day and night. He fell through the cracks of the public education system. His experience was less than pleasant and that's putting it mildly. It's a tragic story that sadly many succumb to. I went to Kingston High School and just up the road was Spectrum, an alternative school. Designated for kids who were below standard and even a lot of kids at KHS wanted to go there. They knew is was an easy ride and sadly that is all they cared about. I loved all the schools I went to and I only remember really disliking one teacher. I had a really pleasant education and still am. A lot of it is in the eye of the beholder. I wanted it to go nice and with the right cards, made that happen. It's part luck and part desire just as a lot of life is. Looking back on school I recall no moments of true disdain for it.