Sadly, many have families who depend on them to work to help financially support the family. While many will not go on to big colleges out of high school, I feel like given enough opportunity and time they could make it there. They make huge gains despite earlier opportunities denied them. The students I teach are hungry for skills and spend hours outside of class practicing. low, diminishing their opportunities even more. As a result, there are many well-intended, but misinformed people who place these students in special education courses or deem their I.Q. They have not been given the opportunity to gain a formal education. Many of my refugee students are pre-literate. My own personal experience as a teacher of refugees reflects Gladwell's primary thesis. How many people who might have come up with the cure for pancreatic cancer been forced to spend their time standing in lines waiting for clean water or food? What could all the people with limited opportunities do if given greater opportunities? Think Darfur. Moreover, I felt the text tugging at the need for greater equity. : ) Instead, I found myself reflecting on things that have felt like lucky opportunities in my own life. In a rare moment, I found myself not wanting to argue. While I can see a different way of spinning the data provided to support Gladwell's argument, I didn't care. I kept thinking, 'I've just got to put in more hours if I want to do better.' It helps me feel better about my many failures at initial attempts to master things (like glazing pottery, algebra, Salsa dancing, skiing and sewing. He states that it takes approximately 10,000 hours to master something and that gives me comfort.

Gladwell argues that success is tightly married to opportunity and time on task.

Outliers gladwell