I Just Wanna Be Average

Mike Rose starts off his piece by saying people who have left the working class, will sometimes describe a regular classroom as "an oasis of possibility." He recalls some of the time he spent at the Catholic school, St. Regina's. Like most kids he thought of his time in school to be long and blurred, he disliked grammar and mathematics and did not receive good grades in either of those classes. Mike did enjoy chemistry though and for Christmas one year his parents bought him a chemistry set, which he was soon engrossed in. His mother warned him to be careful since a friend of hers knew someone who had to go to the hospital from explosives. Mike wanted the same effect but realized his small chemistry set was not up to it. He began to read many books on science, which lead to his creativity to start drawing. Before starting middle school, Mike got a job working at a pet store, cleaning up the animals' cages. After that he then acquired a job selling strawberries door to door. A man named Lou, started spending time around Mike's house since he was lonely. Lou began repairing the family's broken belongings, and taking care of Mike's father when his health began failing. In high school, Mike was sent to another Catholic school where punishment was harsh. He soon began to take even more of an interest in science especially Biology, which he took to college with him.