17 yr old mid-schooler robs elderly couple with air gun, eldery has REAL gun

[Sidoh]

I'll judge him if I want.  Even if your family is poor as hell, that's not a valid excuse for being 17 and in middle school.  Clearly something's wrong in his head.

I could just as validly say that you're stupid for some other arbitrary reason.

If you don't think a home situation leaves a significant impact on someone's performance in school, perhaps I will defy my own advice, judge your situation and call you stupid.

[deadly7]

I could just as validly say that you're stupid for some other arbitrary reason.

Nobody's stopping you.

If you don't think a home situation leaves a significant impact on someone's performance in school, perhaps I will defy my own advice, judge your situation and call you stupid.

I never said I don't think that.  You misinterpreted.  And please, you don't come home to arguing parents every day.

[Rule]

Hmm, I've been seeing this attitude floating around that somehow grades are so closely associated with intelligence and success.  It's a comforting thought if your grades happen to be good, but it just isn't true.  Even though grades are the standard "measuring stick," grad school grades aren't even looked at for most post-doc work.  A friend of mine got a postdoc at Caltech, and they didn't even ask for his transcript. 

Many of the smartest and most accomplished people in history have been high school drop outs.  Dropping out of high school probably isn't a good way to achieve your goals, but it might be, and it doesn't necessarily say anything about intelligence.  There is a lot more to take into account.

[Sidoh]

I never said I don't think that.  You misinterpreted.  And please, you don't come home to arguing parents every day.

No, I didn't.  You either missed or ignored the point that dark drake brought up:

However, there are kids with family problems that suddenly start doing poorly in school.  Cipher in the Snow is a short film that demonstrates this.

[Joe]

rabbit, you totally missed my point. Some of his ideas for that filament were *REALLY* stupid. Are you going to call him a dumbass? Well, if you don't appreciate his work, I have a burnt out lightbulb that needs to be replaced.

[rabbit]

Joe, hindsight is 20-20.  Shut up now.

[deadly7]

However, there are kids with family problems that suddenly start doing poorly in school.  Cipher in the Snow is a short film that demonstrates this.

There are exceptions to everything.  I have family problems.  You don't see me doing poorly in school.

[Sidoh]

There are exceptions to everything.  I have family problems.  You don't see me doing poorly in school.

You're stating the blatantly obvious.

How can you so quicky assume that he is an excpetion?  Also, I'm sure there are family situations that are far worse than yours.

[rabbit]

Also, I'm sure there are family situations that are far worse than yours.

I hate to break it to you, Sidoh, but you are wrong: deadly's Indian.

[Warrior]

lmao

[Sidoh]

I hate to break it to you, Sidoh, but you are wrong: deadly's Indian.

Excellent point.

[CrAz3D]

Hmm, I've been seeing this attitude floating around that somehow grades are so closely associated with intelligence and success.  It's a comforting thought if your grades happen to be good, but it just isn't true.  Even though grades are the standard "measuring stick," grad school grades aren't even looked at for most PhD work or post-doc work.  A friend of mine got a faculty position at CalTech, and they didn't even ask for his transcript. 

Many of the smartest and most accomplished people in history have been high school drop outs.  Dropping out of high school probably isn't a good way to achieve your goals, but it might be, and it doesn't necessarily say anything about intelligence.  There is a lot more to take into account.

yeah, but how do you get to undergrad before grad school?...those measuring sticks.  they cant just let everyone in. it'd be a giant waste of time for those people who are actually smart enough to be there...maybe grades are like a "weeding out" process.

[Rule]

yeah, but how do you get to undergrad before grad school?...those measuring sticks.  they cant just let everyone in. it'd be a giant waste of time for those people who are actually smart enough to be there...maybe grades are like a "weeding out" process.

You're right, they're for weeding out purposes.  It's a mediocre evaluation tool that is used because in many cases it would be impractical to use something else: most decent universities have to sort through tons of undergrad applications.

Grades can definitely be important.  I'm just saying they're not necessarily a good measure of intelligence, they're just a compromise in an imperfect system that has to work for a lot of people.  Later on in the education system, when there aren't as many applications floating around and so time/efficiency of evaluation is less important, and determining ability/potential is more important, grades aren't really considered as much.

[rabbit]

My mom is a nurse at an alternative school, on the North campus, specifically, which houses the criminals.  All they have to do to get an A is not try to kill each other (4 from last year are already in prison for murder, and there are at least 3 sociopaths in that class as well).  Grades have nothing to do with intelligence at schools like that that, and the scary thing is that people who go to college from alternative schools generally don't have a hard time getting in.