Charlotte’s Chronicle

  An interesting question was posed this week due to the nature of our In Class Essay, do Troy High students face true adversity in their schooling? Obviously everyone has their own personal struggles, but when it comes to school we are afforded every luxury.      Sometimes it can be hard to recognize the privilege we have because it’s our version of normal, but compared to many other school districts we are incredibly advantaged. We have access to high level classes and well educated teachers. If we ever have any trouble in school, we are provided countless resources to get us back on track. If we have basically any questions at all, our guidance counselors are an email away and always supply helpful information. We’re expected to succeed and given every opportunity to. In fact, when someone doesn’t get into a top college, they face judgement from their peers. Despite the fact that for many around the world simply going to college is a huge accomplishment. Of ...

As someone who has spent years studying the language of French, I couldn't help but relate to Sedaris’s piece “Talk me Pretty”. Despite the differences in the harshness of our learning experience, Sedaris and I shared a common fear of failing the language. For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to learn how to speak French. Growing up hearing it described as “the language of love” solidified my desire to understand the language into a resolute goal. Unlike Sedaris, when I began taking classes, I was met with nothing but understanding and faith. My teachers made it clear it was ok to make mistakes and that, although learning a language was a challenge, it was one I could accomplish. Sedaris, on the other hand, was repeatedly called “lazy” as well as being threatened with chalk to the head. Naturally, he developed a fear of messing up in class and facing further ridicule from his sadistic teacher. Although I have never faced the abuse Sedaris went through, I too dreaded c...

            When we think of the words “imbecile”, “moron”, and “idiot”, the image in our minds is anything but scientific. These are all words we hurl at others in order to insult intelligence and competence. Yet, what if I told you each of these words began as genuine medical terms, it seems hard to believe right?           When the first IQ tests were created, people who received scores below average were labeled as “morons” and “idiots”, not to demean them, but it soon became that way. Thankfully the use of these words fell out of practice in professional fields in the early 20th century, where it was then replaced with the now equally derogatory term “mental retardation”. Today, we use the term “intellectual disability” to signify low levels of intelligence, but let's be honest, it's only a matter of time before the connotation of that too shifts into the insulting and becomes too offensive for medical use. Everytime ...