When Mediocrity can be Excellence

My daughter appears to be enjoying school. This is her second full day. For the past two years school has been a huge issue for her. She was very crabby about going, hated every minute of it, and was hard to get out of bed in the morning. Every morning was a struggle.

But now that she is going to Alternative School with the roughest crowd of impossible kids in town, she seems to be excited about going. And the more I think about it, the more I think I understand.

I think she finds places where she can be the best without trying too hard. This is the reason she chooses some of her friends, why she prefers to be in other homes than mine, and why she is enjoying this school. If expectations are very low she can excel without too much effort. The sad thing is that she could excel in the best of crowds if she just believed she could.

But I'm happy that she is happy and that she seems to be enjoying her experience.

It seems to be prevalent with three of our kids -- this seeking of peer groups and places where they can be the best with minimal effort.

Does this ring a bell with anyone?