Via
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flamingsword:
TL;DR: most of my answers are "It's complicated..." or "LOL no".
Adults responsible for your care actively helped facilitate your early learning (reading at bedtime, playing educational games, going to child-friendly museums...).Complicated. I have a handful of memories of my mom reading to us, but mostly she left us to our own devices. My adoptive grandfather was very hands-on, though I would say it was a lot better for socialization and world-building than capital-E Education.
You had a library card.Complicated. I got one in Kindergarten and stopped using it in first grade because my mom returned a book late and never paid the fine.
Adults in your life involved you in tasks that involved mathematical skills.Complicated. I wouldn't say they gave me hands-on learning, but my stepdad did teach me multiplication months ahead of school just because we had some idle time and he liked that I was smart.
If you started falling behind in school, you received help from a private tutor.LOL, no. I never really fell behind, though. I guess there was that semester I transferred schools and joined Geometry, Biology, and Geography seven weeks into the school year; I was expected to make up the work and given some leeway on timing, but no extra instruction or support.
You went to a well-funded school.LOL, no. They had plenty of money for metal detectors and security guards, but the funding really seemed to dry up once my schools became majority-Black. I don't think we were horrendously under-funded, there was just nothing to spare. Most textbooks were 5-10 years old, we had to fundraise for band instruments and trips, and there were two TV carts (no antenna or cable) for the whole school -- that's the level at which we were operating.
You typically attended school adequately clothed and fed.Technically yes, but I had to borrow my stepdad's jeans a few times (and he left track marks, ew) and I always always always smelled like cigarette smoke.
Adults responsible for your care were able to help you make decisions when it came time to pursue higher education.LOL, no. I filled out the paperwork and told my mom where to sign and how much to make the check out for (test and application fees). Mom did drive me to one or two college nights, but we never really talked about my thought process. All anyone cared about was that I was going to go and I was going to finish.
If you were disabled and/or neurodivergent, you were classified by your school and received support through the educational system.LOL, no. I was good at schoolwork, so no one had reason to complain. My brother was the problem child and I got lost in the shuffle. Even when I was having semi-regular meltdowns, I was told I needed to learn to control my temper, not to understand my own needs. I figured all that shit out on my own without really understanding why it had been so tough to start with.
You generally felt physically and emotionally safe at school.LOL, no. I guess elementary and high school were alright, but my middle school was rife with racial tensions and gang violence. Some people thought I was surly enough to not mess with, but I didn't know that at the time. I realized years later that it was mostly my height and my ability to draw that kept me from getting my ass beat on a regular basis.
You were in relatively good physical and mental health.Relatively? I almost always had something physically wrong, but it was usually minor: a jammed finger, a scraped knee, or a multi-day neck spasm, stuff like that. My mental health was always simmering until I taught myself to stop being angry over shit I couldn't control.
For the most part, you were able to study and complete assignments without any struggle.LOL, yes, but only because I found it easy. I would fill out worksheets during passing period and cram major essays in a single night. I didn't learn how to study or plan work until college, and I wasn't very good at it until grad school.
Test-taking came easily to you.Yes. Effortless.
You read at grade level or above.Before I ever started school, my babysitter's kids handed me a high school textbook to read out loud and I could read it better than she could. That never really changed.
Your mathematics skills were at grade level or above.Other than that awkward first semester of Geometry (I'm told many artists struggle with Geometry anyway, and I was at peak illustrator mode), I was the best in my school.
Adults responsible for your care supported your academic journey for the better and for the worse.
I told them what I was going to do and they made it happen. Nobody really prepared me for any of those decisions, though, or helped me think ahead. I remain the only person with a college degree in my immediate family of origin.
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pluralstories now! I’m really happy and proud of that! I feel like it’s becoming a nice mix of us finding older books, readers submitting the new stuff we don’t hear about and some really neat surprises! It’s especially the “weird” submissions I feel most excited about!
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