postbacs

I went to a "public" high school. It was a tuition-free school, but since property values for homes in the district skyrocketed, the vast majority of my graduating class was upper middle-class, and white or Asian. We had a brand of ambition that overpowered the need to eat properly, develop socially, and sleep. We were smart and talented in the way that school had conditioned us to be—obedient, except for the cheating rings; creative, but only in ways that were socially acceptable; willing to make a difference, but only in ways sanctioned by authority, never to challenge the system. We were confident. We were terrified.