What is Education: privilege, or a right?

This is a very interesting topic. i grew up in Alaska. As a child I tested as gifted and was in several gifted programs. However by high school my mother (single parent) left my education mostly in my hands, due to a combo of a stubborn teenager and the time she had to take to keep a roof over our heads. At which point, I really stopped caring about grades and did the bare minimum to graduate. I was supposedly so smart, and did have a quick understanding of topics, that i did not feel the need to work for it, and only did enough homework to pass classes. I tested extremely well in SATs and ACTs. I could answer all the questions of my peers and teachers in my science, math, and English courses. 

One of my peers who was in all the same advanced classes and eventually class valedictorian asked me my college test scores. When I told her, she was very upset i had scored higher than she did, yet I was a C (or below) student. She was upset because she had worked very hard for the best score possible, and truly could not understand why I did ‘better’.

Fast forward a few years when i decided to enter college. Imagine my surprise when I was not eligible for any scholarships. Didn't they know my brilliance?

Once I did get into college with a combo of state loans and my McDonald's income, suddenly grades mattered. Now I was literally invested in my own education. I was very involved in all aspects of my classes; setting up study groups, asking questions of all my teachers, providing feedback when I felt the quality of teaching was not what it should be for a college course. For the first time I got A’s by making an effort. It felt much better than a high SAT and ACT score.

I do think we do not appreciate the free educational system. I also see college students who do not pay for their classes sometimes have the same lack of initiative. I have often thought it sad as they will find the work world to be a shock if they do not start to apply a work ethic to following a syllabus in a 101 level course.

I also learned – the smart student isn't the one who scores well in tests. The smart student is the one who works for that score. - Indigo 1.29.14 

smoking in the nude - Madonna