[Motherhood IS a career]

Good for you!

I also graduated as Salutatorian (years and years ago), losing to the Valedictorian by a small fraction of a point. (We were also on a 0-100 system, which I think reflects greater accuracy of grades.) And I was also enrolled in several AP classes in my senior year, so I earned college credit. But in my case, so was the Valedictorian. In fact, all the higher achieving kids did the smart thing and took the more challenging classes. It was fair and square, and everyone was happy.

I think you're absolutely right... the joke IS on him. It really makes little sense to "strategize" yourself into a Valedictorian position by passing up on AP courses. This is something that is probably pretty obvious to a smart kid who's looking at the long term goal, but not so obvious to someone who is simply driven to win at any cost. Being a Valedictorian is a fleeting title that's gone as soon as you advance to the next level -- college.

So if you ask me, you made the smart choice, and you're better off for it. Congratulations!

[Bob Quixote]

The strategy of taking harder classes and not worrying about class rank is noble, but it can backfire. I didn't qualify for many college scholarships because my class rank wasn't in the top 10. It didn't matter that I was taking AP classes while several kids above me were taking business courses.

I might have had the last laugh, though. At my 10-year reunion, I was one of only a handful of college graduates, while even some of those ranked ahead of me failed to graduate, juicy scholarships and all.