'Tutoring' Rich Kids Cost Me My Dreams

Newsweek ^ | April 11 issue | Nicole Kristal

[ladyrustic]

For three years, I was an academic prostitute. I ruined the curve for the honest and ensured that the wealthiest, and often stupidest, students earned the highest marks. I was a professional paper-writer. It all started when I quit my journalism job in order to pursue my dream of being a singer-songwriter. I snagged a job tutoring inner-city foster children, but it didn't pay the bills. One day, I found a TUTORS WANTED flier on the UCLA campus. A small tutoring agency that serviced affluent families hired me. "Just sit at her computer and type for her," my boss advised me with my first client, a private-high-school student. But as I typed her name at the top right corner of the screen, she slithered onto her bed to watch "Are You Hot?" I asked her what she remembered about Huxley's "Brave New World." "She's a slut," my client said with a sigh, referring either to the character of Lenina or the woman on TV. After a handful of three-word responses like that, I realized she didn't care. I was hired to do the thinking.

[ladyrustic]

And our country continues its slide into acceptance of immorality. God's hand won't be held back for much longer, it seems.

[cyborg]

My heart bleeds.

[PBRSTREETGANG]

A small tutoring agency that serviced affluent families hired me. "Just sit at her computer and type for her," my boss advised me with my first client, a private-high-school student.

This woman was told she would assist in cheating...and she decided to do so.

Where's the mystery?

[doc30]

God's hand won't be held back for much longer, it seems.

God will stay His hands. He will stand by and let us hurt ourselves. Only then, maybe, we will ask for His help after we have humbled ourselves through our failures.

[SmithL]

At least she feeeeeeeels bad about doing it.

[ikka]

Now we know how Teddy Kennedy managed to graduate.

[traderrob6]

Jeez, I need to start reading this stuff more carefully, I thought the artcle was "How torturing rich kids cost me my dreams"

[MineralMan]

This woman knowingly did this, and now she's written a little confession. A pox on her and all others who believe they can undo their dishonesty merely by confessing.

[mtbopfuyn]

She couldn't face going back to $12 hour jobs, yet I teach the handicapped for min. wage.

[anniegetyourgun]

Standards are low all around.....

[KarlInOhio]

The schools know that this is going on - either privately written papers or just downloading them off the internet. The first cut is an oral exam on the topic. If the teacher grills the student on the topic, it becomes apparent pretty quickly that the student hasn't even read his own paper.

I had a couple classes like that. The oral exams weren't fun, but you knew you better learn the material.

This does remind me of the scene from Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield.

Jason Melon: "You got a major paper coming up on Kurt Vonnegut and you haven't read any of the books."

Thornton Melon: "I tried (someone knocking on door) I don't understand a word of it"

Jason Melon: "So how are you gonna write the paper then, huh?"

Kurt Vonnegut Jr.: "Hi, I'm Kurt Vonnegut."

[2banana]

Funny how the author never really says what she was making - she hints at it a couple times but never really says what it is per hour. It must have been pretty good (my guess at around $50/hour) and the author probably never tells us because we would feel no sympathy for her and her silly life if she did...

[cyborg]

Yeah no kidding and my mom is a home aide to the rich for about 12/hr. This lady knew what she was getting into and now is blaming it on others.

[Mark in the Old South]

I in no way approve of these rich kids but this "smart" woman is blaming them for her disappointments in a music career? It seems a lack of accountability goes beyond the kids and their parents. All the necessary words are there and by her own hand but still she misses it.

[AppyPappy]

We just do it for football players here in the South.

[general_re]

Now we know how Teddy Kennedy managed to graduate.

We've known that for a while now - it's not a secret that Teddy got expelled from Harvard for paying someone to sit in and take a Spanish exam for him. The school let him reapply after a year, and he was accepted when he did so. I wonder if they would have done that for a non-Kennedy.

Actually, no I don't.

[L98Fiero]

"It all started when I quit my journalism job in order to pursue my dream of being a singer-songwriter."

"It all started when I did something really stupid and juvenile."

[snarks_when_bored]

'Tutoring' rich kids cost me my dreams, but I'm so darned cute that MSNBC gave me a by-line and let me write about my awful plight (send e-mail to me via MSNBC if you need to speak with my agent):

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

There is a lot of fodder for discussion here.

Affluent parents pay a smart tutor to write college papers for their lazy children as if somehow they are doing the slugs they sired a favor.

Unless the parents plan to hire a surrogate to work in place of their eventual college graduate, it only temporarily delays the ultimate revelation the offspring are totally inept losers who do not have the work ethic to last a week on the job.

[Mark in the Old South]

Honey that is old news, you never heard the story about why he was kicked out of Harvard?