And who are not
One way this is determined, is by the quality of homework. I did all of my homework. Even the projects that required arts and crafts, sewing, repetition, carpentry, etc. for example, It's was obvious how talented and resourceful home life was, by the brand name of shoe box used for the diorama.
For example, a keds or nike box with a scene from Goldilocks and 3 beds. Or a 2d relief of hansel and gretels gingerbread house. Or the 3 piglets and a fallen straw house.
I did a scene from Stone Soup in a Philly Blunts box yi and I reinforced with rice. I didn't have glue or paste until you started school, so all of my projects were completed with rice or packing tape. I used real stones and pieces of carpet for the banshee's hair. I darkened the white landscaping stones with marker. It was very cool when I had used a Philly Bluntt box, lid flap I used as a 2nd scene.
Sometimes Steph would give me $5 to spend at CVS. She'd drop me off and I'd walk home so I could take as much time as I needed. One poster board was under $3. A packet of multicolored construction paper was less than $5. I bought the packet and made my own poster sized sheet with rice.
We didn't have scissors after you said I told you to cut your own hair, so I carefully folded, spit, and tore out letters for my science fair trifold heading.
I always got 100's and A's, bc I satisfied the assignment. Met all of the requirements. And my classmates were left speechless, then had so many questions about how I did this and that. I thought I was a good student. I didn't get to complete extra credit. Those required heavy adult supervision. Like finding a young switch for a dream catcher, usually high up, requiring garden shears the height of a 5yo. Then you had to boil the entire switch in order to bend into a circle. Steph said if I did what I was supposed to, I didn't need extra credit.
By EP, I wasn't assigned projects. Barely homework. I saw other kids in my grade being dropped off at school with huge mobiles, or multiple poster boards, props, and tables, and lights.
Recently, a friend who teaches language arts in k-12 told me that they separate the high achiever's from the hard workers. Sure, there are the unmotivated, intellectually disabled, or affluent students who just didn't care. But this is a line down the group of students who wanted to do well. I was a hard worker, but I could never compete with a kid whose former architect turned SAHM did the entire project, for the 3rd time, bc they had older siblings who had to complete the same assignment. They gave me until 6th grade to prove, I would never achieve.
Jen, wasn't it challenging that no one at home had ever read one of the books you were reading at school? Or did they not bother to give you a summer reading list? My interpretations were so weird.
To be separated, It was kind. I didn't know I was unfortunate. I felt like a good student, bc I did everything I was told. I was with a bunch of other students who loved school but couldn't do homework for one reason or another.
Add this to one outfit a year, one pad a day, donated boys sneakers/coats too big, months of no packed lunch no lunch money and everyone knew bc I had to wait by the cashier til the paying students got their food to receive a free grilled cheese and apple juice.
This went on until senior year. It had happened since 1st grade, and I took reassurance literally, so I didn't know I was special. I would have fought harder for regular lunch money if I knew it would affect your lunch placement. I didn't know. I promise, if I did I would have fought harder for craft supplies and lunch money.
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Now, I see why Steph forced Soon to sew an entire 1800's dress out of corduroy, in one night, for a 7th grade book report, due mid October. The assignment was to write a summary in first person as one of the characters. There were no costume requirements. I asked if we could go to a used book store bc I wanted some very old timey books as a prop bc I imagined Jo March walking around with a stack of books.
