High School Reunion

Well we’re waiting here in Allentown
For the Pennsylvania we never found
For the promises our teachers gave
If we worked hard
If we behaved.

So the graduations hang on the wall
But they never really helped us at all
No they never taught us what was real
Iron or Coke
Chromium steel.

Billy Joel 1982

Last year I went to my 25th high school reunion. There were two obvious stars there. One was an Emmy winning war correspondent, the other a CFO bringing it for over a million a year. Back in the day I was friends with both. After the reunion I started thinking about whether 25 years ago there would've been any way to predict their success. Although they were both smart, neither took the advanced program classes or had a reputation of being a straight A student.

I think the answer is no, that you can't accurately predict long term achievement based on what happens in school. Look, I don't doubt the importance of good grades and scholastic achievement. I'm sure I will be as anal as anyone when it comes to checking my kid’s report cards. But everything I've seen and read during my own life leads me to the conclusion that scholastic success is just one piece of the puzzle. To get to the extreme right of the Bell curve, other factors are equally as important. In my high school friends’ case, for one it appeared to be risk-taking, aggression, and charisma, while for the other an intense work ethic and smooth as silk personality didn't hurt. Depending on the job, I could probably name 15 other factors that would be important for success.

Again, I don't downplay scholastic achievement. Studies show that people with advanced degrees make more money than college graduates, who make more money than high school graduates, who make more money than high school dropouts. But at the end of the day, it's just not enough. On the one hand this is comforting, because if a kid has any difficulties in school it doesn't mean that his future is still not halogen bright. By the time school is over we’re barely out of the 2^nd inning. On the other hand, there's a little pressure in knowing that for the huge majority scholastic success by itself won't get it done.

So as a parent, I'm going with a scorched-earth policy. Although I realize that parents only have a limited effect in all this, I’m going to try and emphasize those 15 or so factors that I think lead to ultimate success, Hey, I may even blog about them. I'll just hope that God gives my kids the brains to execute them.

Have a good night everyone.

JR