Comments on Blogs Are Stupid: Shame

You are too an educated woman. Clearly you must ha...

2007-04-29T00:30:00.000-05:00

You are too an educated woman. Clearly you must have gone and educated yourself. Like Bill Gates did after he dropped out of school.

I went to college for four years, and graduated, and I often wonder what it really did for me, at least in terms of practical life skills.

(Well, I suppose it taught me to manage working and going to school at the same time while often going weeks

Your post resonates for me on so many levels... On...

2007-04-28T19:33:00.000-05:00

Your post resonates for me on so many levels... One, I have a, well, let's call her niece, because that's the closest designation that makes sense - my spiritual sister's daughter, anyway - for whom school never worked either. Since about 5th grade or so (literally!) she just slid through on her amazing intellect. She finally quit outright at age 16, went to work with her incredible energy (

Actually when I read your post, I was like no big ...

2007-04-27T20:37:00.000-05:00

Actually when I read your post, I was like no big deal. My husband was the same way. He did not even go back to finish...just got his GED and has never gone to college.

Funny thing...He has taught classes on how to take the ACT, SAT etc and he was able to teach them because he scored perfectly on them, but never made the jump himself.

Don't be ashamed. Be proud.

You are a wise, insightful, capable woman with lot...

2007-04-27T19:05:00.000-05:00

You are a wise, insightful, capable woman with lots to say. This revelation only gives greater weight to your words. It also gives hope to others who may have had similar experiences.

You can always get a degree, or several. But you don't need one to earn my respect. You've got it, sister.

I married the most brilliant man I have ever met a...

2007-04-27T12:06:00.000-05:00

I married the most brilliant man I have ever met and he barely got his GED. He skipped school and went hiking in the mountains, camping out and reading every list of classic literature he could find.

It has only motivated him to be the most supportive and encourgaing parent he can be with school work.

He is also embarrassed by his lack of a highschool diploma though, which I

"not living up to her potential"God, I HATED that ...

2007-04-27T08:46:00.000-05:00

"not living up to her potential"

God, I HATED that phrase. It haunted me throughout my public school career as well. Potential for WHAT? What for?

True learning only happens when it is fueled with passion. And you, my dear, are a passionate person. And one of the most articulate and intelligent writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

If you were a homeschooled co-ed I'd say you've ea...

2007-04-26T23:54:00.000-05:00

If you were a homeschooled co-ed I'd say you've earned at least a bachelors degree in humanities....

Fuck it, the best stuff I learned came from books that I read after class.

Intelligence isn't handed out in schools. You hav...

2007-04-26T20:49:00.000-05:00

Intelligence isn't handed out in schools. You have it in spades, don't worry! And, you are a great example to your boys.

I am so glad that I read this post today!I did not...

2007-04-26T19:38:00.000-05:00

I am so glad that I read this post today!

I did not go to college ... I was busy chasing my gosh darn high school sweetheart around while he went to college and working at a JOB (journey of the broke)..

then I had a baby ... and we were married until I was 32. After we divorced, I had a young boy to care for ... and could not go back to school...
I was a single mom that

I am so behind! Ugh. Work. (Sorry).I would never h...

2007-04-26T15:15:00.000-05:00

I am so behind! Ugh. Work. (Sorry).

I would never have guessed this about you -- and it doesn't change the way I think of you (read: super smart woman!)

This is a great post B.A.

p.s. with regard to the visit - I'm thinking we'll be at Feast after 8... call me if you want to come.

I hated Hight school and barely scraped by. My dh...

2007-04-26T15:03:00.000-05:00

I hated Hight school and barely scraped by. My dh too..

Then I waited till I was a 'mature student' and went to Uni without all the pressure..doing it MY way.

I likened high school to a prison sentence...I will no doubt share this with my borderline add and non conformist kids....

It does not make us....it is an institution to get through.

There is so much more to being "educated" than ins...

2007-04-26T13:48:00.000-05:00

There is so much more to being "educated" than institutionalized accolades. You are a reader, a writer and a mother. As much amphasis as I put on my education and my daughter's education, if she decided to not continue on to college but read as much (quantity and variety)as she does right now I would never NOT think of her as fully educated. It's not a sham when people assume you are educated.

How awesome, to be able to turn something that cau...

2007-04-26T10:25:00.000-05:00

How awesome, to be able to turn something that causes you such anguish into something useful to help your children.

And seriously? I NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS would have guessed you didn't have at the very least an English/Creative Writing degree. You are proof positive that a poor performance in school isn't a measure of the person and their intelligence. I think you're brilliant,

But you are an educated woman. College degree or n...

2007-04-26T08:45:00.000-05:00

But you are an educated woman. College degree or not, you have educated yourself in the best ways possible. You taught yourself. You are teaching your sons. You understand their value far beyond their grades on a report card. You are teaching them by example, while also having the honesty to empathize with them.

I barely made it out of High School. Pregnant and hopeless at 17. Once my

Wow. Your story is so close to my own that it's a...

2007-04-26T08:32:00.000-05:00

Wow. Your story is so close to my own that it's almost spooky. Right down to the skipping class to write bad poetry. (You're parents handled it a heck of a lot better than my own though I'm afraid.)

Beautiful post, thank you so much for sharing that!

Antique Mommy is right on - we're all on a differe...

2007-04-26T08:13:00.000-05:00

Antique Mommy is right on - we're all on a different schedule. I've always loved learning, but in school I pretty much just played the game to pull the grades just so I could GET OUT - of the small town that drove me bonkers, the house that drove me even more bonkers, etc. And I didn't LEARN squat. But later, in college, crazy things started happening - I actually could "do" math after all! I

You are obviously someone who didn't need college ...

2007-04-26T08:07:00.000-05:00

You are obviously someone who didn't need college to learn how to think. Some of us just needed more learning to figure out what you already knew.

Thank you for sharing this with us, but you have no reason to feel shame. Your writing conveys what a beautiful and intelligent person you are.

I have the same dream about school. It sucks.

Have you considered

Diplomas and degrees are a fairly recently develop...

2007-04-26T07:55:00.000-05:00

Diplomas and degrees are a fairly recently developed system for guaging whether a person is 'educated' or not. For centuries, a person's education had nothing to do with these, and was judged solely on their abilities and performance.

I wouldn't say you were uneducated, just non-degreed.

Oh, and I work in the public schools.

This is such a beautiful piece, and I had to wipe ...

2007-04-26T07:50:00.000-05:00

This is such a beautiful piece, and I had to wipe the damn tears off! :) I hope your boys make you proud *hugs*

Your skill at finding just the right words and you...

2007-04-25T20:21:00.000-05:00

Your skill at finding just the right words and your ability to relate to your children on such an honest level are things that can not be taught. Yet they are so much more valuable than any degree. You have nothing to feel shame about - you are a remarkable person.

degrees and such are the markers of success placed...

2007-04-25T20:13:00.000-05:00

degrees and such are the markers of success placed on us by a society set on production and consumption.

yes, we should all want to learn. but no, we don't all need to do it in the same way.

i am sure this was tough to write. i hope you know it was an honor to read.

OMG! For yet another day you have amazed me. If ...

2007-04-25T19:25:00.000-05:00

OMG! For yet another day you have amazed me. If it weren't for the facts that one of my 2 kids is female, and my challenging child is my older one, I would think you were channeling me!

I still love your blog. It's not stupid.

Mary Istvan

I've learned far more out of school than I ever di...

2007-04-25T17:48:00.000-05:00

I've learned far more out of school than I ever did in school. Life long learning doesn't have to be about degrees, it can be about educating yourself about the things you need to manage your life.

I figure I've earned my PhD in communication and childhood development, just from all the reading I've done to raise my youngest.

The only reason I finished high school was because

I think Kevin hit it right on the nose - education...

2007-04-25T17:15:00.000-05:00

I think Kevin hit it right on the nose - education does not translate into intelligence. I have seen multiple examples of this many times over in the business world. You cannot imagine how many times I have heard, well I have my MBA and you don't so blah blah blah..

You are so wise and set such great examples for your kids by that alone, they are destined to suceed.

Two of my closest friends who are some of the smar...

2007-04-25T16:55:00.000-05:00

Two of my closest friends who are some of the smartest people i know had round about times graduating from college. One went back and finished like you, the other got a GED. My sister who graduated HS at 16 and college at 20 has a hard time relating to the "real world" and, although book smart, doesn't have the greatest common sense. It doesn't mean as much as people think it does. My mother,