I remember in ninth grade I sat in the back of the class, invisible. Frankly, that suited me just fine. My teacher, a young woman, stood up and diagrammed a sentence for the tenth time. Sideways, I looked at other students who at least pretended to comprehend and felt jealous, my self-esteem sinking lower with every chalk line that branched on the board. I imagined that they "just got it" and I didn't.
The only thing I liked to do was read science fiction. I sat in the back and did that. I read through Asimov's 'Foundation' series, Robert Heinlein's 'Stranger in a Strange Land,' and Norton's 'Witch World,' and 'Dune.' Honestly, I wondered why I was even in that class and did as little as possible to succeed.
I received a D+ in English. That was okay by me, though, for I lived on a farm and what mattered was hard work and the ability to fix a tractor. English skills, beyond a certain point, didn't matter.
Fast forward to today. It has taken me years to understand that I was not stupid, just disinterested. In fact, my former English teacher would probably fall over in a dead faint if she knew I had written three books thus far and plan to be an author for my second career.
The lesson is this: School is a very specialized environment that is geared toward the norm. If you are an outlier, it does not mean you are D+, it just means you are different, and your interests, and thus your true talents, may lie elsewhere.
Take heart.
Blessings,
M.J. King
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