Question:
My Uncle Drew says I'm capable of making six figures, but my mom says he doesn't want to upset me. Who's right?
Thomas J. S.
2012-01-21 12:39:38 UTC
On 1/20 the first half of my sophomore year ended. Here are my grades so far:

Block 1: Special ed English: B- (will continue until the end of year)

Block 2: Concert Band: A (every other day, will continue until the end of the year) Jazz Lab: A (ended 1/19), Physical Education: Starting on January 25 (every other day)

Block 3: Geometry C+ (ended 1/20), Practical Biology: Starting on January 25

Block 4: Special ed Social Skills (considerably different than regular ed Social Studies): A

My special ed teacher plans on putting me in the following courses in 11th grade:

- Special ed English for the first half of the year, 10th grade English for the second half (I have not completed 10th grade English yet, so taking 11th grade English is not an option next year)
- Algebra 2
- Modern World History
- Physical Education
- Conceptual Chemistry
- Social Skills (I have autism)
- Two electives (TBD)

I spend half the day in special ed. My special ed teacher says my focus is a problem in all my classes, with the exception of concert band and jazz lab. I often zone out and think about other things during the lesson. Also, until recently, I did not spend any time outside the school building studying. When the teachers said my homework was to study, I considered that equivalent to no homework whatsoever. I was able to get good grades without studying in elementary school, when we did single step problems on math quizzes and answering questions from simple passages in reading quizzes, but now, the problems I get in high school math for the most part are multistep, and we answer questions and write about what goes on in real novels.

I know a few sophomores who are in pre-calculus, because they were in Algebra 2 in 8th grade and Geometry in 9th grade. They usually have GPAs of around 3.7-3.8, and most of them have two or three extracurricular activities. I was in pre-algebra in 8th grade and algebra 1 in 9th grade, because my late elementary/early middle school academic record just doesn't stack up to theirs.

My GPA is around a 3.0. I have never been in any extracurriculars. My family besides mom says NYU is a very good match for me. My Aunt Paula says the reason I get less than phenomenal grades is because I don't show my teachers what I'm capable of. NYU's average GPA is what the sophomores in pre-calc get.

I told my guidance counselor it would mean a lot to me if I was in an AP class in 11th grade, but I'm not in compliance with the prerequisites. For some reason, I was scheduled in the least rigorous math/science courses available to me for sophomore year that takes place in a regular classroom. The lowest of them all is in a special ed room, which I am in for English and Social Skills, and during tests and quizzes in Geometry and Practical Biology.

The teachers also have considerably low expectations for me. On all my tests and quizzes, unlike the regular ed students, I am permitted to ask the teacher for help, and never this entire school year was I ever assigned more than a worksheet or two of homework on a typical day. A regular student in my school district gets 10 minutes of homework each day for every grade level, so by this formula, if I was in regular ed, I'd be getting 1h:40m of homework on a typical day, significantly more during times of the year where there's an assignment where it equals several typical days in class in terms of your grade.

I never cared about my grades until two epic things happened.

1. I found out that every final grade you get starting 9th grade will be visible to any college you apply to.

2. My Uncle Drew was able to afford a $3 million custom built home in Avon-by-the-Sea, New Jersey. 5,000 square feet! And that number soars to 8,000 if you include the basement! He is in the top 1% of earners in the USA, and he has been a licensed heart surgeon since 1999. He claims I am just as capable as he is to build a home no less elegant than his as long as I never settle for less than my best on any work I get. My mom says the only reason why he's saying that is because he knew that if he said "no" when I asked him if I'm just as capable as he is, I could have problems. Is Uncle Drew correct, or is mom correct?

My mom says if I do not significantly more As on my transcript, the best career she recommends for me is a tour guide. One of the jobs I imagine I'd be very happy at is one at Facebook's new engineering office in NYC. My Aunt Paula, Uncle Drew, etc. agree with me that I am capable of getting that job. My mom, on the other hand, does not. She thinks I'm overconfident.

I do not want to weaken the potential prosperity of my life. I will do everything I can to make sure I don't have to settle for a college less strengthening for a job resume.

What do you think about everything I just said?
Five answers:
2012-01-21 14:11:40 UTC
In my opinion, you shouldn't be in special ed at all, you should be put into the Academic English course at least. Just look at how you write, it's really good! Don't let your mom control you life. It's not hers, it's yours, so do what you want. Her opinion is purely hers and you shouldn't let it effect you.
Chantel R
2012-01-21 14:04:27 UTC
Looking at the way you write, you are absolutely more intelligent that your class schedule implies. You just have to apply yourself to your school work, even if it is boring.

Don't let your mother kill your dreams. If things don't work out, you can always use a back-up. But if you never go for it in the first place, you'll never know what you can accomplish.
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2016-10-04 05:32:16 UTC
finding on the way you write, you're extremely better smart that your attractiveness schedule implies. you purely could watch your self on your training artwork, inspite of the reality that that is uninteresting. do no longer enable your mom kill your aims. If concerns do no longer ascertain, you will continuously use a back-up. yet for people who by technique of no means % it interior the 1st venture, you would be waiting to by technique of no means understand what you will accomplish.
shenyanggerry
2012-01-21 13:23:16 UTC
Both, neither. What you end up with is largely a matter of hard work. Pick something you like to do and become the best you can at it. Good things will happen.
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