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Natasha Marsalli

I complain too much

November 24, 2005 at 1:32 PM

I got a C in Math.
I was really ticked because I've always gotten straight A's in math, and even got a 97 average on the three tests I sent in.
But the graders decided to flunk two of my tests and give me a D on the last one.
I haven't gotten them back yet, but there's something really suspicious about the whole thing.
I'm wondering (actually hoping) that they did something despicable that I can complain about, or screwed my papers with someone else's.

I haven't broken the news to Dad yet.
Since he's a math professor and my mom has a bachelor's in math, so I have no excuse.
Except that Algebra II is technically supposed to be done by people two years my senior.
That excuse doesn't cut it with pater meus though.

So I practiced for four hours last night.
Mostly on orchestra music, because it's new, and I 'm good at it.
I worked on the Kabalevsky arps for a long time too.
They're so hard.

Man, everything's hard.
I wish I was REALLY good at something that came easily to me.
I have to work quite hard at everything I do just to be mediocre.
And every time I think I do really well at something in school, my graders mark me down.
I think I'm an excellent writer. But for school, they don't like my style of writing, so I have to write all frilly and soppy, and write about things that I don't think are true.
Even my dad agrees that my writing style is more mature, and I read between the lines well; something they don't like me to do.

Anyone ever read Cyrano de Bergerac? Well the main conflict is Cyrano vs. Himself...in the end, he dies with this internal conflict inside of him. So I said that the conflict remains unresolved. Oh no no no, said the grader to the student "That's an interesting way of looking at it, but it's not what we were looking for."

Sorry I complain so much.

From Sydney Menees
Posted on November 24, 2005 at 4:10 PM
Hey Knot, I know what your talking about. I think I was complaining to you about it walking home from the quartet concert (the night I was saying "We have to leave NOW!")...
"I am pretty good at a lot of things, I wish I had time to perfect one of them. I wish I could be amazing at just one thing."

Prodigies have their life set out before them. Luckies.

From Emily Liz
Posted on November 24, 2005 at 4:58 PM
But many prodigies don't enjoy playing the instrument. It's the rare one that can actually make a career out of what they're doing, and be satisfied with it.

I relate. High school is cruel in that it forces a person to learn about diverse range of subjects when you really just want to focus on one or two that really appeal. For mature kids (like you), who already know where they're going, it all can be a real pain in the behind to coordinate.

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