The Middle Child Of Two Horrible Parents

Every fall millions of American adolescents gear up to apply for the thousands of colleges and universities across the nation. For many students this process is a simple-natural progression through a linear educational track in which no extra preparation, beyond a paper application, is required. However, for many students college preparation can begin as early as conception. Alexandria Robbins follows the stories of nine students from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland. Whitman is known for and could be summarized by a simple term in which Robbins’ book is also titled: Overachievers. The author explores the hectic nature of helicopter parenting, bureaucratic admission processes, the culture of Ivy (a term describing the upper

In "And Still We Rise," Miles Corwin chronicles the daily struggle of gifted students in 1997’s South Central L.A. Even with abundant street temptations and challenging peer experiences, these students find refuge in a school system that affords them both happiness and hope. Everyday is a challenge, and yet, they continue to strive for success.

Elementary and middle school years (6-12) are Erikson’s fourth stage in which the child must resolve the crisis between industry and inferiority. During this stage, a child becomes more aware of themselves as individuals. It is important that a child learn the feeling of success; if not allowed enough success, they might develop a sense of inferiority or incompetence. Again, it is about the balance of industry and inferiority that leads to competence both intellectually and socially. Despite the fact that the Welsh school administration placed Jeannette in classes for students with learning disabilities, she knows she is smart. She was in honors classes in Phoenix and continues to excel academically under the guidance of her parents. She reads on her own and understands that education is important. Despite her placement in the lower classes and not having any close friends, she is able to develop a sense of industry.

them, that can be credited for their successful outcomes. Children that are raised in two parent

“Listen. Honey. Eugene doesn’t want to study with you.” She looked down at her shoes. I continued, knowing that she processed my words: “He is a smart boy. He doesn’t need help. You understand me? I am truly sorry if he told you you could come over. He cannot study with you It 's nothing personal. You understand? We won’t be in this place much longer, no need for him to get close to people--it’ll just make it harder for him later.” The girl slowly nodded her head and turned away. “Run back home now.” She stood there, unmoving.

Gifted students have a higher risk of dropping out of school due to a number of factors including a lack of challenge in academic areas, feeling disconnected to their fellow students and their teachers, potential drug and alcohol abuse and the lack of coping skills to deal with increased sensitivities. Additionally, gifted students are known to experience a lack of community or none acceptance at school, a high sensitivity not acknowledged in school, no help in learning coping skills for dealing with a major loss such as illness, death or changing schools, issues with authority but most importantly, they often do not have an advocate to help bring out meaningful change (Hansen and Torso, 2007). These factors have led to gifted students being underachievers, dropouts, or students who have developed an overall negative impression on school and learning in general.

As told through her mother’s perspective, one will learn that Trina is a eighteen year old female of African-American decent and resides with her mother in Los Angeles, California. Trina’s parents, Keri and Clyde, provide their daughter with an upper/upper middle class lifestyle due to her father’s sudden successful career and her mother’s successful resale clothing business in Los Angeles. This well rounded and beautiful adolescent has recently graduated from high school with high grades and was accepted to Brown University, however, due to her summer manic episodes, Trina has not attended college yet.

At Hazelwood High School, they do things differently than at my school. At Hazelwood, most of the people worry about themselves and nobody else. Most of the school doesn’t get good grades and the school does not do anything about it. One day in English class Andy walked out when they were reading Macbeth because it was too emotional for Andy to handle. His friends were concerned and told the school counselor. They said, “But… but… it seems like… like… he needs help or somethin’.” Then the counselor said, “Well, I probably shouldn’t tell you boys this, but he is getting some outside counseling… So you boys can relax and be assured that he is getting whatever help he needs”(100). At Harrisburg High School, if someone had an issue like that, the counselors and teachers would be concerned, even if the person was getting outside help. Another thing about education that is different than mine is the school. In Ronda’s English homework, she wrote, “Our school building must have been built about a million years ago, because it was brown and tall and raggedy-looking, but it fit right in with the rest of the day”(16). At my high school, we are very fortunate to have a very new building to learn inside of. At Hazelwood High, they were not fortunate enough to have a new high school be built. Culture and education are very important pieces of people’s

After observing, communicating with, and analyzing the work of Kayson Maciel-Andrews, I have learned many things about working with advanced students in a low-achieving classroom. At my internship site, we have a very low population of talented and gifted students, less than 2%, and therefore, getting the opportunity to work closely with one of these students was a very unique opportunity for me.

Rose first explains how the educational system classifies a child’s class. He then proceeds to elaborate on how the vocational class works for those who do not do as well in school. He uses pathos so the reader feels emotional for the less fortunate student in the vocational class. Rose conveys his beliefs by using personal examples. He learns true qualities of people and shares the stories of Dave Snyder, Ted Richard, and Ken Harvey. Sharing the personal indications of what puts the students in the vocational class, gives the reader the notion that they have strengths that do not apply doing well in school. Rose ties the examples together in the end to confirm his opinion that one should never settle being defined as average.

I have known Natalie Schieuer for almost half a year now, and in that time I have been incredibly pleased to meet such an amazing, talented, and brilliant young lady. I was Natalie’s counselor this summer at Nebraska Girls State. Girls State is a week-long camp, aimed towards education of state and local government. 400 of Nebraska’s top emerging high school juniors are chosen to attend this program, and within these numbers, Natalie still managed to shine through with her accomplishments and wit.

Journalist Alexandra Robbins ventures back to her old high school to examine the competitive efforts students are having to take to compete on the battlefield that is the education system in her book, The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids. Robbins explores the lives of multiple students who are stressed and pressured to maintain good grades and get into an Ivy League college. This text allows for intriguing insight on how the educational system has “spiraled out of control” and displays the different measures students must now take to be the best. Robbins’ The Overachievers is an eye-opening bestseller which exposes the social pressures and anxieties students must overcome in their high school lives as they attempt to impress and prove to colleges they are worthy of acceptance.

I am a middle child. I am not the assertive, naturally confident first-born, nor am I an attention-seeking youngest child; I am the quiet, quintessential middle child. For the first 16 years of my life, I was always an afterthought to the craziness of my two sisters, and I loved it‒ it made me independent and self-reliant. I have always been very comfortable being the easy-going child, happily accepting anything that comes my way. Never have I felt that my parents loved me any less; they merely had to worry less about me than they did my siblings, with their stubbornness and constant desire for affirmation. I easily slid under the radar, preferring to mind my own business and handle problems on my own. There was never anything wrong with my

To whom it may concern, Georgia Beckmann is one of the most intelligent, thoughtful and witty students I have seen in my counselling career. These qualities are impossible to miss through how she approaches her assignments, the quality of her insight into topics at hand, discussions in class and extracurricular activities. Georgia’s hard work has consistently earned her some of the highest grades of her class since freshman year, and she has continuously challenged herself each year to improve the quality of her work and analyses across academic disciplines. Georgia has earned straight A’s throughout her entire high school career, which is no surprise based on the hard-working spirit she exudes every day in all of her classes. This has carried

The next school to present was Floyd C. Fretz Middle School by their principles Mrs. Slaven and Mrs Signor. Overall, Fretz scored an 84.5%. Looking over the information they received from the state, they concluded that the math program was doing well. Mrs. Slaved credited the students for their hard work. In addition to crediting the students, the principle said that the teachers have implemented a new program called HERE. HERE is a program where a teacher “adopts” a student and mentors them whether it is to improve academically or socially. The staff at Fretz feels the program works well with students who are at risk but does not do much for the advanced students. In class we discussed that middle school is a challenging time period for adolescence. I think the program they have implemented will help to greatly ease the challenges students face. In class we