Noble - thats sort of how I graduated, the last month of review Senior year, I concentrated really hard during class, many of the classes were 11th grade, I basically failed that but rather than going to summer school that summer I went to Berklee. Anyhow I went into 100% crash mode focus, focus, focus, did a bit of home work and studying. I pulled it off and everyone thought I was going to fail. All in one month, it wasnt boring, it wasnt killing me 180 days of the year when the sun and snow were calling to me outside.
Glad your doing good anyhow.
Rocky - I know what you are talking about, I used to work until dark no mater what, in the summer I got home at 9:30/10:00 (except for band nights). I worked labor day, memorial day, the 4th, I only took Thanksgiving, Christmas and Sunday mornings off. When it all went to hell I crashed like I could'nt believe, mentally, physically, I was quite a mess, I reran the whole movie... and well I was in ruff shape. Lasted for years, got to where I didnt really know who I was. I knew of this other guy but couldnt find him anywhere. Still I'm so glad for the day I got the fuck out of school and away from all that stuff I did'nt care about. HOWEVER I still maintain that the teachers could have made it seem more applicable.
Thats why I stress the point that everyone is different and there are those of us that just arent going to get into that "stuff" and stands in front of the class and drones for 45 minutes only to send us home with hours of homework... "WHAT? ... Im going out with the boys tonight". I consider myself very well rounded BTW, it just has nothing to do with books, it has to do with things I have done many will never even get close to.
Meedley - I do feel that myself and many are only interested in what they need to know, plus side interests of course or other natural curiosities. I understand your point of it being assinine due to the statis qou of the system and problematic end results when the system pull the rug out from under you. Problem is others can not understand that many find learning a bunch of strange stuff assinine. Takes all kinds and everyone that is not a slug has their merits.
I know fully well that schools cant offer the hords of specialized training. This is why I screamed as a teen for teachers to show me the relevence of learning this stuff, dont just give me the "so you can go to college" crap, show me a real life situation where this can be applied to a job or function that has its feet on the ground. Sure, biology if Im going to be a Doctor or a Vet... but guess what... NO! Chemistry if Im going to be a chemist or scientist or Doctor... but guess what... NO! I've long since forgotten where my kidneys and other obsure glands are and guess what they are working fine... so WTF did you torture me with that crap for 180 days and try to force me into hours of homework ? I dont care where my tibula is, I dont care where what sections of my brain are or what they perform... WTF, Im not going in there, they are working, hurray, now can I go do something I enjoy with them... paaaleeze. I know I soulnd like an ass but seriously this is the issue with many kids, not lazy, not assinine, but reality.
I did know what handful of things I was interested in doing when I was 14 and they all held true, problem was there was gobs of resistance... because "NO, you have to go to college". Sure I have my regrets today but I also know it woulnt have changed me one bit and money would have been wasted had I gone because I would have dropped. Im talking a serious loathing here, many are not as bad as me but still struggle with the relevence and perhaps even more so with the learning.
Im just repeating all this because I want folks to understand that there really is millions of people that are not book worms. So some ideals on education and how its taught and applied really need to be changed. Im not talking about the puffing up or lowering I hear you guys complaining about... though I will admit when I was in school the teachers taught to the book worms and the rest of us were lost to various degrees. I did feel that was BS, could have been a reason I didnt try but never thought about it before.
Once again the summer school teachers did a snap job, they taught to
us, they kept us hopping and interested, without all the funny lingo, drone, and frankly nerdy nonsence.
Understanding english - cant help you there, you were there for a job interview, not to be Mum and worry about someones spelling and grammer. Perform your job and quit worrying about whos a retard. I would hope you would gain some character from the job and an insite as to the other side of the coin, but Im afraid you'll be to busy looking down your nose at "lessers" and focus on all their faults to appreaciate the fact that there is work that needs to be done and people actually do it, bad grammer and all. Theres all kinds in a work place too, no different than school and students.
Im not trying to be a prick either or insite anger, just telling you the way it is. If it was me and I had of know you were so focused on such things I would not hire. Snobbishness is not becoming. Hey, I've been there myself and have damn near chewed my tongue half off, part of the reason Im always thought of as a threat everyplace I work, because I think managment has their head up their ass 90% of the time, many of whom were "business" grads. Then many workers are inefficient or lazy from some degree to the extreme... so there you have it... fucking people, cant shoot them... have to deal with them.
Wander - yes I know, it takes all kinds, I cant do what you can and you cant do what I can... this is what makes the world "go around" as they say.
? What was it she couldnt spell ? Is this a heavily populated minority area ? Perhaps large population that hasnt been in the country long ? These are things that bring school systems down as well. My sister was in Athens Georgia near Atlanta for a spell and they put their son in private school, she had horror stories about the behavior of the kids and the fact that they didnt speak English in the public school. I believe this is also something that contributes to the dilution of our literacy ranking. I suspect it doesnt reflect the norm but rather is diluted by these factors. 
