What are the brightest from your high school class doing?

livinginflatbus

Tue, Oct 11 2016, 1:23 pm

Honestly I don't see a connection to success in school and success in life. The girls who dozed off during class are surprising us all with their varied accomplishments. The brilliant girls are now teachers to the best of my knowledge. The girl who never uttered a word in class is a Well known chef...

Amelia Bedelia

Tue, Oct 11 2016, 1:37 pm

amother wrote:

very yeshivish BY, off the top of my head:

Banking, (renowned) high school teacher, preschool teacher (which is a real shame; she is very chareidi and does not want to get a degree or a job that requires internet, but doesn't really like her job and she is brilliant and talented), artist, CPA, writer, and psychologist.

I was considered one of the brightest in my class. (ETA: I rarely studied.) I'm the head of a marketing department in a tech firm.

We were quite an atypical class for my school, where most girls in other classes are in special ed, OT, teach, etc.

I hope you're not implying that being a preschool teacher is a shame and a waste of talent, but rather the shame is that she doesn't like her job. Personally, as a former preschool teacher, I found it very stimulating, enjoyable, and you actually get to see the kids actively learning and progressing. The difference is that I do have a master's in special and regular education so I at least got paid somewhat my worth.

amother

Sienna

Tue, Oct 11 2016, 3:03 pm

Modesty aside, as one of the brightest in my very large grade and the brightest in my class- I am currently teaching ( high school) - no degree. When I think about my class, all those that were academically ahead have either gone into teaching or office work.

I Often wonder if I was not pursuing a family life a husband and children etc. and making that my priority, where I would be today… I have many times considered going to college and earning a degree, but I am putting it off until my children are all married. I know at that point it'll be more of an intellectual pursuit than for a job opportunity. For me The sacrifice is great because I love to learn and know etc. and trying to do My best stimulating the intellect of both my children and my students.

amother

Cobalt

Tue, Oct 11 2016, 3:10 pm

I don't know what the brightest in my class are doing...one went to Israel and has like 10 kids and runs a gan another is a PA. I was at the lowest in my class and probably the highest educated..I went to graduate school ..most of my class did not. I have been successfully teaching for 20 years b"h.

amother

Turquoise

Wed, Oct 12 2016, 5:05 pm

Not much of a clue....
I know both valedictorian and salutatorian are both mothers of large families.
One works in special ed and not sure what other one does...
Doesn't make much of a difference to me. I think I could've done well too had I studied, but I was too busy having fun. My life is still fun as a wife, mother and educator.
I don't believe high school is a deciding factor at all!

amother

Slategray

Wed, Oct 12 2016, 6:21 pm

amother wrote:

I strongly believe that motivation and work ethics play a much stronger role than sheer intellect in long-term success. Which terrifies me, since my kids are really smart... but lazy with little drive (they did not inherit even a smidge of my conscientiousness).

This is absolutely true. I was one of the smartest both at the Jewish elementary school I attended and in public high school. I was naturally smart, and was a major procrastinator lazy type.
Now I am a high school teacher myself, while my old classmates have far surpassed me professionally. They were mediocre pupils but hardworking. I would say at least half of my old Jewish classmates (from the secular elementary) are doctors, lawyers, authors, accountants, politicians and the like.
I cringe when I recall my sister telling my old teacher what I'm up to....my former teacher apparently replied 'she's just an English teacher? But she could have done that in grade 7 already!'
Oh well it's never too late I say....just finished another degree now in my forties Smile

and I'm full of plans.

amother

White

Wed, Oct 12 2016, 9:33 pm

I was at the top of my class (not to brag, combination of natural ability and drive) and Bh have a very successful career as a marketing executive. I do have young children and did not wait to have kids, so I've been very much caught in the work-life balance. So far I've been able to juggle it all but it has been incredibly difficult, and I absolutely feel that my work ethic in high school is what got me to where I am today.

amother

Crimson

Wed, Oct 12 2016, 9:49 pm

Amelia Bedelia wrote:

Oh, of course not! The shame is that she doesn't enjoy it.

Water Stones

Wed, Oct 12 2016, 11:29 pm

The brightest from my class isn't me ha ha!

I only know for sure 3 girls who were my class best, she is still single does translation, the other one is still single she move to London to learn stock exchange papers, the left one got married one month after me and she is a wife:mother:home brain (lol she says it!).

amother

Bronze

Wed, Oct 12 2016, 11:30 pm

I did very well in HS I am currently working in a real estate investments business doing management and accounting. I go to college at nights (hoping to finish CPA) and have a husband and kids... Sure, it can be hard to balance at times but it is so rewarding and I think I'm a better mom and wife because of it... I know most people would say otherwise, but if I'm honest with myself I know that I need to get out and use my brain and talents. Otherwise, my house will be a mess, there will be no supper and I will be exhausted... But that's just me:) Like other posters have said, it is more work ethic that is valued over everything else HOWEVER brains do get you further faster.

amother

Bisque

Wed, Oct 12 2016, 11:51 pm

amother wrote:

I was among the top as far as intellect/academics. I was slow in getting started, but now have 3 degrees and work as an acute care NP.
Among the other top students in my graduating class you will find a lawyer (last I heard from her), a teacher, and a pharmacist.

I strongly believe that motivation and work ethics play a much stronger role than sheer intellect in long-term success. Which terrifies me, since my kids are really smart... but lazy with little drive (they did not inherit even a smidge of my conscientiousness).

I agree that success in life is not determined by innate intelligence. But maybe with your kids, you just haven't yet hit on what motivates them?

One of my kids was impossible to motivate. Eventually we figured out that his only real motivation was not being bored. (Prizes, nosh, privileges held zero appeal for him.) So once we figured that out we were better able to figure out what worked for him.

Also, I just want to point out that it's possible there's an upside to your kids not being conscientious. Sometimes kids work hard in school because their identity and self-esteem are tied to their grades. If your kids feel good about themselves, their abilities and intelligence, and their parents' love for them, regardless of grades, I think that's very good preparation for entering the real world!

amother

Bisque

Thu, Oct 13 2016, 12:01 am

I'm not really impressed by advanced degrees (except possibly MD). I think most average-intelligent people who have acquired good study skills in grade school, and a good foundation in writing and research, can make it through an advanced degree of their choosing.

Speaking as an attorney.

What does impress me (personally) is someone who starts and runs a successful business. To me, that shows a combination of creativity, ingenuity, resourcefulness and ambition.

amother

Papaya

Thu, Oct 13 2016, 12:17 am

amother wrote:

Bisque - I really appreciate your final paragraph, because that is exactly part of my motivation in not "pushing" my kids. Although I do not resent it at all, my parents pushed us heavily to succeed (think winning bees, science fairs, etc), and sometimes I wonder if the pressure to be so perfect led to my almost-eating disorder as well as the pressures I now place on myself to succeed. I'm sure that (plus DH's laid-back personality and near ADD) accounts for at least part of my kids' lack of motivation. I just wish I could strike a balance, because even though I'm a hands-off parent in the hopes of enhancing their mental health, I'm afraid that I'm jeapardizing their long-term success. It's not that I want them to succeed, it's that I want them to want to succeed. I wish I knew how to imbue that (anyway, their paternal genes may be too strong...)

amother

Cerise

Thu, Oct 13 2016, 1:49 am

amother wrote:

This might be me. I never considered myself the brightest in my class, as there were many bright students who I felt were at least as smart as me, but for some reason, other girls seemed to think I was a notch above. In any case, I was definitely one of the top. Today, I live in Israel and have 10 children and was running a gan for a while (though now I'm doing something else entirely which would completely blow my identity).