I was just reminiscing about something that really pissed me off at the time, and it still irks me when I remember it.
My parents never had any extra money when I was growing up. I had to work if I wanted anything extra (clothes that didn’t come from Goodwill, a car, electronics, etc). When I was in high school, I worked as a cashier at a grocery store. It was a great job for a high school student. It taught me responsibility and gave me a sense of pride and accomplishment at earning something for myself.
My 11th grade Biology teacher was the wife of a very wealthy and prominent physician in my hometown. She had a PhD and was ridiculously overqualified to teach in a public high school, but she did it as a hobby. I was always a good student and in high school I got mostly A’s and B’s with a rare C thrown in once or twice. Her class was no exception. One evening, she came through my line at the grocery store. I greeted her with a smile “Hello Dr. _____”. She shook her head and had a very disapproving look on her face, and she told me I should be at home studying. What the hell was her problem? Was she really that insulated from reality in her million dollar beachfront home? Would my life be better right now if I had quit my job and dedicated my time to studying for her class? HELL NO.