The book What Made Maddie Run: The Secret Struggles and Tragic Death of an All‑American by Kate Fagan was recommended to me by someone at book club. I can’t read it. Too close to home. Not gonna lie folks, this post here scares the ever loving shit out of me. We had the grade conversation earlier today. B and I do not pressure Lulu, she does that to herself. In fact, we would be perfectly happy if she dropped out of college. The world is immense and options are plentiful. Screw traditional.
A traveling exhibition by Active Minds, an advocacy group, consists of 1,100 backpacks representing the approximate number of undergraduates who commit suicide each year. CreditActiveminds.org
Kathryn DeWitt conquered high school like a gold-medal decathlete. She ran track, represented her school at a statewide girls’ leadership program and took eight Advanced Placement tests, including one for which she independently prepared, forgoing the class.
Expectations were high. Every day at 5 p.m. test scores and updated grades were posted online. Her mother would be the first to comment should her grade go down. “I would get home from track and she would say, ‘I see your grade dropped.’ I would say, ‘Mom, I think it’s a mistake.’ And she would say, ‘That’s what I thought.’ ” (The reason turned out to be typing errors. Ms. DeWitt…
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J-Dub's Grin and Bear It 