We Are All Aunt Becky
Do you know who wasn’t surprised when the college admissions / standardized testing scandals broke? Educators. Do you know why? Because we have been dealing with Aunt Becky and her kids for a long, long time.
They are the family who doesn’t live in the school zone but lies to come because there’s a “good” reason to. Maybe the school has a better reputation for academics or a better sports team, or maybe the kid just likes the school colors better.
They are the kids who can barely put together a coherent sentence when asked to write something in class but somehow marshall their cognitive abilities to compose gorgeous essays outside of class when Mom or Dad is there to “help” them.
They are the kids who are late or absent because they just didn’t feel like coming to school and have an excuse letter from a parent in hand. “Please excuse X. She was sick.”
They are the parents who fight over every accurate assessment — down to the last point — that suggests that their child is anything less than extraordinary.
We see it at science fairs when kids turn in projects that were clearly completed by an adult. We see it in the front office when a lawyer shows up to meet with the administrators along with the parents even though the kid absolutely broke a school rule. We see it when a kid brings in a note from a…
