Politics and academics.

     On social media, I've noticed stark differences among my contacts that I went to intermediate and high schools with. The differences are along the lines of how I remember them academically, versus what they think and where they stand politically.
     I found it was better to be challenged and do average, than consistently make the honor roll while taking remedial/easy classes. Before we found out what a bastard he had been, Bill Cosby did have some words of wisdom on his sitcom: A hard 'C' is better than a soft 'A'. With this in mind, I took college prep and advanced placement classes. As far as achievements, I was all over the board, thanks to my ADHD. I was mostly a B/C student, with occasional rises and falls to lower and higher grades. Accept for my 7th grade year, where I went to detention four times, I mostly stayed out of trouble.
     The kids I shared classes with tended not to get in trouble, but I don't know how well they did. One thing I'm sure of, they volunteered to take advanced classes because they wanted to challenge themselves. Now that we're grown, and the future is here, many of us have reconnected on social media. The adults I used to share classes with tend to be liberal; they tend to want to take a proactive and compassionate stance on issues, and have a more nuanced knowledge of history and politics.
     The kids I didn't share classes with tended to get into trouble, took remedial classes, and generally didn't care about learning anything. They messed around and messed up, sometimes going to the alternative school, or to juvenile detention. Now that they're adults, they take a reactive, fearful stance on everything, and have a romanticized, unrealistic memory of history and politics. They actively share memes based on cartoonish logic and racial stereotypes, and react with name-calling.
     The moral of the story is quite simple: Education matters. Education is the heart of a nation's future and place in the world. But education is forgotten, to the detriment of the people. Never let your kids take the easy way out in their education.