Monday, October 08, 2012

The "Elite"

Interesting looking book and passages on how elite high school kids view themselves.
At every stage in a student’s education a sense of triumph over adversity is fostered (despite graduation already being a foregone conclusion – barely anyone fails out). And this sense of triumph extends far beyond the bounds of St. Paul’s. Students perceive one another as being not just above average but world-class, an illusion that is reinforced by a procession of prominent visiting speakers and class trips to prestigious locations. Every St. Paul’s athlete was considered a potential Olympian; Mr Khan’s own pupils assumed he would one day win a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship.
You could lose the sense of entitlement and triumph by getting the kid in the ring with a trained boxer his/her same age. Or just letting them enter the real world.

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