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"Outliers are those who have been given opportunities - and who have the strength and presence of mind to seize them" (Gladwell 267).
Here, we're introduced to a young girl named Marita. Living in the Bronx, she and many other individuals don't get too many opportunities to shine in the world of academics. However, in an area where education is lacking and students are falling behind in every aspect, there is one highly |
sought after program that gives families an escape out of this cycle of struggles. It is the KIPP program. In return for three more weeks of schooling, school days going from 7:25 AM to 5:00 PM, and intensive homework, they get opportunities other students, even outside of New York, can only dream of. 90 percent of the students who attend these schools get scholarships to prestigious private schools. 84 percent of the students perform extremely well in math levels above their grade. 80 percent of the students will go on to college. All of this starting from elementary school in the ghettos of New York. Back to Marita, ever since applying and getting accepted into the KIPP program, a typical day starts off with her waking up at 5:45, like many other students, and if she is rushing, she will get home from school at 5:30 and do homework until 11:00. Her interview is something you don't expect to hear out of a fifth grader. She speaks as if she has no problem at all and has been doing it her whole life. She mentioned the struggles she had with staying awake in school, and how she left her friends from her original school for people in KIPP. It is nothing short of surreal.
This is quite an interesting story. This girl is expected to go through things that high school students would be hesitant to try, and acts completely normal about it. She wakes up around the same time that I do, but for her and many other individuals, it's a normal part of school life. For me, it's because I have zero period, an optional class. She goes home at around the same time that I do daily. Again, for her, it's standard, and for me, it's my choice to stay back to get homework done. I understand that KIPP is supposed to get people in the Bronx to places that other students couldn't get to in any other way, but it seems extreme to have elementary school children go through these things. It's not like special early programs are anything new to me; GATE was a pretty big part of my and many of my classmates' early lives. It's just that the changes between classes in the program and not in it seem rather minimal when compared to something like this. Considering the stress I go through having to wake up really early for school and dealing with homework until midnight, I can't imagine what Marita would go through in high school. All of this only for Bronx students to match up to what we get here in Southern California. Although those scholarships seem pretty nice. Do you think that these programs truly make a difference in the success in people's lives? Honestly, with GATE, I see people who have been and who never have been in it joining each other as they excel in high school, so to me, it really doesn't. I can see why though for KIPP's kind of intensity.
It's really hard to believe it's almost the end of the year. This is the last blog post, so congratulations for getting through the school year. For many people, including myself, it seems to be the start of next year already. I made plans to be studying for next year's classes (especially AP chem), and even at the end-of-season tennis banquet I just had tonight, I really wanted to start conditioning as soon as I can so that I don't fall behind. Again, like I mentioned last week, I already finished reading my book way in advanced, so I had no problem finding the time to think about what I'm going to say here. However, between that banquet, VSA dancing, tests, and other events, it was pretty hard getting an opportunity to write this post. I will say that having no 6th period and staying after school is quite the help. Anyways, to finally wrap this blog up, since I don't know who will be reading this, again, congratulations for a lot of things, whether it's the dreams you can now leave behind or the hopes that will now follow. I hope you found this project fulfilling. I know I did.
This is quite an interesting story. This girl is expected to go through things that high school students would be hesitant to try, and acts completely normal about it. She wakes up around the same time that I do, but for her and many other individuals, it's a normal part of school life. For me, it's because I have zero period, an optional class. She goes home at around the same time that I do daily. Again, for her, it's standard, and for me, it's my choice to stay back to get homework done. I understand that KIPP is supposed to get people in the Bronx to places that other students couldn't get to in any other way, but it seems extreme to have elementary school children go through these things. It's not like special early programs are anything new to me; GATE was a pretty big part of my and many of my classmates' early lives. It's just that the changes between classes in the program and not in it seem rather minimal when compared to something like this. Considering the stress I go through having to wake up really early for school and dealing with homework until midnight, I can't imagine what Marita would go through in high school. All of this only for Bronx students to match up to what we get here in Southern California. Although those scholarships seem pretty nice. Do you think that these programs truly make a difference in the success in people's lives? Honestly, with GATE, I see people who have been and who never have been in it joining each other as they excel in high school, so to me, it really doesn't. I can see why though for KIPP's kind of intensity.
It's really hard to believe it's almost the end of the year. This is the last blog post, so congratulations for getting through the school year. For many people, including myself, it seems to be the start of next year already. I made plans to be studying for next year's classes (especially AP chem), and even at the end-of-season tennis banquet I just had tonight, I really wanted to start conditioning as soon as I can so that I don't fall behind. Again, like I mentioned last week, I already finished reading my book way in advanced, so I had no problem finding the time to think about what I'm going to say here. However, between that banquet, VSA dancing, tests, and other events, it was pretty hard getting an opportunity to write this post. I will say that having no 6th period and staying after school is quite the help. Anyways, to finally wrap this blog up, since I don't know who will be reading this, again, congratulations for a lot of things, whether it's the dreams you can now leave behind or the hopes that will now follow. I hope you found this project fulfilling. I know I did.