A Students vs. D Students
For those of us who went through school their entire lives as D students, I salute you! D students know how to get through life and are much more resilient than A students. D students know how to think on their feet. For example:
They know how to respond when they are:
- Caught ditching;
- Caught smoking;
- Caught cheating;
- Caught chewing gum in class; and A whole other multitude of minor infractions that as one moves through life one will realize how inconsequential this shit is.
I have written my share of "I will not talk in class" a thousand times on loose-leaf notebook paper. BUT ... I DID IT. An A student could never handle this task. An A student would just cry. Life will clearly beat up the A student. The D student knows how to bounce back.
When your mean old gym teacher tells you to stop twirling your tennis racket and you keep on doing it and she finally yells at you to “get the hell out of here!” You have won. You have succeeded in frustrating your mean gym teacher and now you don’t have to be in gym class anymore. See! (big smile). This also prepares you for how to deal with other assholes later in life. An A student would just cry.
Once when I was in fifth grade, my teacher, Mr. James was reading to the class. And as he read, one of the characters in the story “shifted their weight from one leg to another.” I was compelled to do the same. So, I stood up in the middle of class while Mr. James was still reading, shifted my weight from one leg to the other, and was promptly instructed to stand in the back of the room for the rest of the class. This type of shit happened to me all the time. But here is the bigger question. Is standing up in the middle of a class shifting your weight from one leg to another an indication that you're probably going to grow up to be a serial killer?
Classic A student story. Fifth grade. Our test papers are being delivered to our desks by Mr. James. Kimmie, the perfect straight-A student received a B. Kimmie always, ALWAYS received an A. I, on the other hand, received a C. Which was pretty darn good. I could live with a C. Kimmie? No. Kimmie could not live with a B. As a result, Kimmie started to cry. In class. Like a big ol baby. It’s better to go through life as a D student I’m telling you. Being mediocre is its own special gift. Because somehow, some way, mediocre kids have greatness in them too. But it is not the kind of greatness that is recognized while you are in school.
Your greatness is only realized when you leave that horribly, flawed institution where you are finally able to spread your wings and be who you really are. A gloriously flawed individual who was never, EVER going to fit into the square peg because you are ROUND! And that's OK. You have gifts and talents too.
My brother. Classic D student. Fuckin’ hilarious and a brilliant, and I mean brilliant jazz and blues guitarist. He studied music. Reads it, writes it, arranges it. Music is his passion. And when you study something you love, that is a real blessing because it's not work. It's your passion. And when you're engaged in doing it, your greatness emerges. You have found your purpose. Your gift.
So, if you're freaking out because your kid is bringing home mediocre grades, FEAR NOT! There is greatness there! It's merely percolating. And when it's ready, mark my words, you will be SO PROUD.
