“The literacy level at Mississippi prisons? Fifth grade. Can't read, what are you going to do? If you've got a conviction rap, what are you going to do? It's a real crisis.” IfsRealLevelsCrisisPrisonConvictionRapGradesLiteracyFifthMississippiFifth Grade Author:Marian Wright Edelman
“In presidential campaign I released a 65-page file from the Syracuse University College of Law that showed poor grades, back in college, also. If I were plagiarizing consistently, my grades would have been better.” IfsHas BeensLawPoorCollegePagesUniversityCampaignsPresidentialGradesConsistentlyFilesPresidential CampaignSyracuse Author:Joe Biden
“My parents were divorced and my dad was in the Marines. I lived in California until I was 10 then we moved to Bettendorf, Iowa when I was in the fourth grade. I had an older brother so it made it a little easier to adjust to things.” LittlesMadeParentBrotherDadEasierMovedMy DadMade ItCaliforniaGradesFourthMarineDivorcedIowaOlder BrotherFourth Grade Author:Robbie Lawler
“I did start wrestling after I moved to Iowa, I think in the seventh grade. It's really a part of the Iowa culture so it's hard not to do it if you like sports.” IfsThinkingHardCultureSportsMovedGradesWrestlingIowaSeventh Grade Author:Robbie Lawler
“I was probably toward 8 1/2 when I actually joined the church and was baptized - and, my God, did I take it seriously! I was a zealot who irritated every one of my third-grade friends. They didn't beat me up, but I got labeled "the preacher girl."” GirlChurchBeatsThirdsGradesPreacherIrritatedBaptizedThird GradeZealot Author:Oprah Winfrey
“When a young person is not eating three meals a day but still getting perfect grades at school, or when a young person deals with trauma at a young age yet still makes it to college, these are the things that inspire me.” PersonsStillsAgeSchoolYoungThreePerfectDealsInspireCollegeEatingTraumaMealsGradesYoung Age Author:Michael Skolnik
“My grandmother taught me two very important lessons before she passed: hold the door for everyone and always say "thank you." That means to treat everyone the same, no matter if it is the President or a homeless mother begging for food. And never forget to thank those who have helped you, whether it is the person serving you food at a restaurant or your third-grade teacher who taught you the multiplication tables.” IfsMeanPersonsTwoImportantMatterMotherPresidentForgetTeacherDoorsTaughtLessonsTreatsThirdsTablesRestaurantsGradesGrandmotherServingNever ForgetHomelessMy GrandmotherBeggingSaying Thank YouImportant LessonsMultiplicationThird Grade Author:Michael Skolnik
“If you start thinking about who's going to read it [you're writing], or what grade will you get, or is it going to win that award, or are you going to get into this graduate program, you're blocking the light, and the light is that guidance and love we get when we open up our hearts and are guided by our higher selves, or God, or the Buddha Lupe [Buddha and the Virgin of Guadalupe fused together, as they are in the tattoo on Sandra's right arm], or whatever you believe in, or love.” IfsThinkingWritingBelieveHeartSelfLightTogetherWinningArmsHigherProgramAnd LoveBlockGuidanceGradesAwardsGraduatesTattooVirginsHigher SelfGuadalupe Author:Sandra Cisneros
“I just grew up with it [The Simpsons]. The first season came on when I was 5, 6 years old, and the show evolved as I was growing up and got funnier and funnier and, by the time I was in 12th grade, they were at their funniest.” YearsFirstsShowsGrowing UpGrowingGrewGrew UpSeasonsGrades Author:Eric Andre
“I think watching too much TV as a kid led me to being very uncomfortable in new situations. To this day, when I drop my kids off at school, I still feel like I'm in 9th grade and I'm uncomfortable and insecure. Like anyone is paying any attention.” ThinkingFeelsStillsKidsSchoolAttentionSituationToo MuchTvsUncomfortableGradesThis DayInsecureNew Situations Author:Judd Apatow
“Some directors hand over portions of their movie to their head of department to the point where it's like, "I'm not going to talk to you about the costumes, but I'm going to let you talk to the expert." Rather than, "You want to talk stitching, let's talk stitching. You want to talk grade of leather? Let's."” WantHandsDirectorsExpertsDepartmentGradesPortionsCostumesLeather Author:Idris Elba
“When I started wrestling in the eighth grade, I just fell in love with it, and started shifting my focus more to that. I considered playing in college, but it made more sense for me to wrestle, because I weigh about a buck fifty.” MadeFocusCollegeFiftyGradesWrestlingShiftingBucksEighth Grade Author:Urijah Faber
“Some of my very closest friends are my guy friends, going back to the third grade, so I believe in the integrity of the male-female friendship.” BelieveGuyI BelieveIntegrityFemaleThirdsMalesI Believe InGradesClosestFemale FriendshipClosest FriendsThird GradeMale FemaleGuy Friend Author:Emily Giffin
“What accumulated knowledge exists in low grade societies is at least put into practice; it is transmuted into character; it exists with the depth of meaning that attaches to its coming within urgent daily interests.” CharacterInterestPracticeLowsDepthGradesUrgent Book:Democracy And Education Source: Democracy And Education
“I just remember seventh grade as being really difficult, because there's nothing meaner than a girl at that age. You gang up on people, and it's traumatic. It wasn't so bad for me, but there's a woman I know who's still traumatized by junior high. At that age, everything seems like a huge deal, but of course that changes when you get older.” PeopleKnowsStillsSeemsAgeRememberGirlCoursesDifficultDealsHugeGradesBeing RealGangJuniorsJunior HighSeventh Grade Author:Sofia Coppola
“My drummer right now, who was also the first drummer in Weeping Tile, Jon McCann, told me that [Hip drummer] Johnny Fay took drum lessons from [McCann's] dad, who taught a lot of the drummers in Kingston. He said that when he was in Grade 9, the Hip were the model; the goal was to get an agent and gig as much as possible.” FirstsSaidGoalTaughtDadLessonsRight NowModelsAgentsHipsGradesWeepingGigsDrummerTiles Author:Sarah Harmer
“I knew no one in this business, and the only acting I'd ever done was in a first-grade play. I understood some of my talents - growing up playing piano, and my operatic voice led me to All-State in my first, and only, year of singing - but I didn't yet know all of my capacities. My parents felt helpless, as they knew nothing about this world and couldn't help me in any way except through pure love.” KnowsWorldWayYearsFirstsStatesDonePlayHelpingFeltParentVoiceActingGrowing UpGrowingTalentThis WorldPureSingingUnderstoodCapacityPianoGradesHelp MeHelplessPure LovePlaying PianoAll State Author:Idara Victor
“I've been accused of being pretentious and insufferable, and I don't really know what I can say about that. I never got good grades in school, but I did read the dictionary for fun. That was just the kind of stuff that I liked to do. I can't apologize for that.” KnowsKindI CanSchoolFunStuffGradesApologizingAccusedDictionaryPretentiousGrades In SchoolInsufferableGood Grades Author:Mara Wilson
“My grades in high school were not very good. I was that kind of perfectionist that figured if you can't do it perfectly, why do it at all?” IfsKindSchoolHigh SchoolVery GoodGradesPerfectionist Author:Mara Wilson
“Discovered W. Somerset Maugham in about 5th grade. Didn't understand the plots, but loved the descriptions.” GradesDescriptionPlot Author:W. P. Kinsella
“I blame it [never taking a break] on my mother. She was a born entertainer. Leave the songwriting, the singing and all that behind, and I still would have found some way to be an entertainer. I would have never been an actress, though, because I realized early in my life, in like sixth grade, I was a terrible actress.” WayStillsMotherFoundBornBehindsTerribleSingingBlameActressesI RealizedGradesSongwritingEntertainersSixth Grade Author:Stevie Nicks
“In the 1950s, we had all these B-grade science-fiction movies. The point was to scare the public and get them to buy popcorn. No attempt was made to create movies that were somewhat inherent to the truth.” MadeFictionScience FictionGradesScareInherentPopcornScience Fiction Movie Author:Michio Kaku
“My grades in high school were not very good. I was that kind of perfectionist that figured if you can't do it perfectly, why do it at all? So my grades weren't great, but I feel like, is there any other way that I could have gotten into NYU? I don't know. I think that it definitely worked in my favor in some ways.” IfsThinkingKnowsWayFeelsKindSchoolHigh SchoolVery GoodFavorsGradesPerfectionistNyu Author:Mara Wilson
“My kids have to maintain good grades. They have to be involved in activities. They have to report to me how thing are going. I watch for any activity that would steer them wrong - drinking, drugs, etc. So their skin in the game is knowing the money won't be there if they don't do their part.” IfsKidsGamesWatchesKnowingInvolvedDrugActivitySkinsDrinkingReportsGradesEtcSteersGood Grades Author:Michelle Singletary
“Having a sense of fun in books is a huge, huge deal, because a lot of times kids - even me when I got to third or fourth grade - don't associate reading with fun.” BookKidsReadingFunDealsHugeThirdsGradesFourthAssociatesFourth Grade Author:Dav Pilkey
“I enjoy going to campuses and reading and doing a class or teaching and then running away and not having to grade papers.” RunningReadingEnjoyClassTeachingPaperGradesRunning AwayPapersCampus Author:Frederick Busch
“I often suggest in workshops that if you have 30 students in your American History course in 11th grade, or whatever grade level, that you maybe triple them up. You put, and have them choose, let's say 11 different Native American cultures. Maybe you give them a list of 15 and they choose 11 of those 15 so that they have some choice in the matter.” IfsGivingDifferentMatterChoicesCultureCoursesLevelsStudentsListsGradesNativeNative AmericanAmerican HistoryAmerican CultureWorkshopsNative American Culture Author:James W. Loewen
“If you don't know the difference between dictatorship and leadership then you got to go back to a fifth grade civics class.” IfsKnowsDifferencesClassGradesDictatorshipFifthCivicsFifth Grade Author:Tim Kaine
“8th grade I started writing my own songs. They weren't good songs or anything, but it was always the song writing aspect of things that was important to me, I always just wanted to create a song it seemed like.” WritingImportantWantedSongMy OwnAspectGrades Author:William Clark Green
“It's a familiar story now: a meek and depressed high school chemistry teacher with terminal cancer cooks up a scheme to make and market a superior grade of methamphetamine to provide a nest egg for his family after he's gone. But over the course of five seasons Walter White goes from milquetoast to murderous in order to survive.” StoriesSchoolOrderCoursesWhiteGoneFiveTeacherHigh SchoolSeasonsCancerFamiliarSuperiorsCooksGradesEggsChemistrySchemesNestsMeekTerminalMethamphetamineTerminal CancerWalter WhiteChemistry Teachers Author:Bryan Cranston
“I would certainly make the attendance in college paid for, at least at a community college level or a state - you know, a sponsored university level so that if you wanted to go to college and if you had the grades - you might not go to Harvard - but you went to college.” IfsKnowsStatesMightWantedCommunityLevelsCollegePaidUniversityGradesHarvardAttendanceCommunity College Author:Mitch Albom
“In White Boy Shuffle, I combined my seventh-grade teacher, Mr. Takemoto, who really saved me - I don't think I've ever told anyone this - and my first basketball coach, Mr. Shimizu, into one character. Something about the way they talked about things, and their attitudes, had a huge impact on me. Not that I necessarily agreed with them. It was important to me to just put them there to stay grounded.” ThinkingWayFirstsImportantCharacterWhiteAttitudeBoysTeacherHugeBasketballImpactCoachesSavedGradesGroundedBasketball CoachShuffleSeventh Grade Author:Paul Beatty
“When I was in eighth grade said sit in at a graduation party and I played 'Boys' by The Beatles and fifty people were standing around with their mouths open. And you kind of get the hint, well maybe I should do this because I'm not very good at sports, I'm not that popular, I'm not very smart, and I'm not very good looking, but when I played the drums, everybody liked it.” PeopleShouldWellsKindSaidSportsPartyBoysSmartMouthsStandingVery GoodFiftyGradesLooking GoodHintsVery SmartEighth GradeGraduation Party Author:Terry Bozzio
“Research in education has shown that we remember field trips long into adulthood. I remember visiting the post office in second grade and looking at the sorting machine. I have vivid memories of that, when I don't even remember the name of the teacher who took me.” LongRememberNamesMemoriesTeacherFieldsOfficeResearchMachinesPostsGradesAdulthoodVividVisitingPost OfficeSortingVivid MemoriesField Trip Author:Neil deGrasse Tyson
“I remember we had a visit by a helicopter at our school when I was in grade school, and I was punished that day and didn't get to see it. To this day, I am so mad I never got to see that helicopter land! I took my first ride in a helicopter recently, and that's what I thought, "Yes, finally the circle is complete!"” FirstsSchoolRememberLandMadCirclesGradesThis DayHelicoptersGrades In School Author:Larry Wilmore
“When I was in the sixth grade my friend and I always won writing contests, and we read a lot of books. We were always the ones that read the most books in class. I thought about writing but visual arts weren't part of my vocabulary.” WritingArtBookClassMy FriendsVisualsGradesContestsVocabularyVisual ArtSixth Grade Author:Chath Piersath
“I've realized there are far more efficient and devastating methods of disturbing people than merely sloshing around in the pigpen with obvious, profane, scatological, flat-brained, grade-school offensiveness.” PeopleSchoolMethodObviousGradesFlatsEfficientDisturbingProfaneGrades In School Author:Jim Goad
“Thing is, I wasn't in the library, didn't study too much, didn't get the best grades, but honestly, I didn't party a lot either. I stayed in a lot.” PartyStudyToo MuchLibraryHonestlyGrades Author:G-Eazy
“Language instruction should start in the first grade. Writing, also.” ShouldWritingFirstsLanguageGradesInstruction Author:Nikki Giovanni
“Books have always been important to me - my mom was a first grade teacher, so I grew up reading all the time.” FirstsImportantBookReadingTeacherGrewMomGrew UpMy MomGrades Author:Kelly Clarkson
“I'm old enough to remember when the air over American cities was a lot dirtier than it is now. You've probably never woken up early on a winter morning to the acid stink of coal smoke in the air, which was everywhere when I was a little kid. My grade school was heated with coal. Not only was coal used to generate electricity, it was without any scrubbers in the stacks.” LittlesEnoughKidsSchoolRememberUsedCitiesMorningAirWinterSmokeGradesElectricityCoalLittle KidRemember WhenAcidStinkUp EarlyGrades In SchoolAmerican CitiesWinter Morning Author:P. J. O'Rourke
“I dunno, around 11th grade, 12th grade I was just like "yeah. This is something I want to do". I was always known; I was always the rapper.” WantKnownYeahGradesRapper Author:Ab-Soul
“I went home every night to New Jersey - or most nights - and to help with the six-grade math homework or to make breakfast in the morning, just to make sure that that was there. When I was single and didn't have children, I used to laugh at this notion of quality time.” ChildrenHelpingHomeUsedNightQualityMorningLaughingSixNotionMathGradesBreakfastEvery NightJerseyHomeworkNew JerseyQuality Time Author:Kellyanne Conway
“I have been playing since the third grade. It just makes me happy.” Has BeensThirdsGradesMake Me HappyThird Grade Author:David Wilkerson
“As I got older, my ambitions changed and I wanted to be a graphic designer. In form five, I did Art for CXC and got a grade 2 at the general proficiency level. I was devastated because I was aspiring for a grade 1. I took a break from art when I went to A level because I could not cope with the disappointment of my Grade 2. But I guess when you love doing something you just can't turn you back on it completely.” ArtWantedFormTurnsLevelsBreakFiveChangedAmbitionDisappointmentDesignerGradesGraphicMy AmbitionDevastatedGraphic DesignerProficiency Author:St. Lucia
“This actress named Lisa Eilbacher. I was up for the part in Shampoo and friends of mine kept telling me she was going around saying all these bad things about me. It's like we're still in the sixth grade sometimes.” StillsSometimesMinesActressesGradesBad ThingsSixth GradeShampoo Author:Carrie Fisher
“In the beginning of the 19th century, maybe forty percent of women and fifty percent of men could produce a signature, which meant that they'd had at least three years of education because it was in third grade that people started penmanship in the 19th century. And of course black people could get killed if they got caught teaching themselves to read in some parts of the country.” PeopleIfsMenYearsCountryThreeCoursesBlackTeachingCenturyProducePercentThirdsCaughtFiftyGradesFortyBlack PeopleThree Years19th CenturySignaturesThird GradePenmanship Author:Robert Hass
“I'm sure kids had masturbated by sixth grade. I had for sure.” KidsGradesSixth Grade Author:Jen Kirkman
“You teach someone about fallopian tubes in grade school, and you revisit it again in seventh grade for a better understanding of that stuff. I think it's never-ending. I don't know why it isn't all the time.” ThinkingKnowsSchoolStuffUnderstandingTeachGradesTubesNever EndingGrades In SchoolSeventh Grade Author:Jen Kirkman
“You know, the old version was about balancing a checkbook. The new version is about the risks of debt, which is so much more widely available. So I think it's important that we design relevant financial literacy courses, and teach them starting early in grade school.” ThinkingKnowsImportantSchoolCoursesTeachRiskDesignStartingFinancialAvailableDebtVersionsGradesRelevantLiteracyGrades In SchoolFinancial Literacy Author:Elizabeth Warren