Daughter Emily graduated from middle school in June with many honors, including an award from our state senator Marty Golden for "Excellence in Academic Achievement." Intensely embarrassed, not only by having wear the obligatory cap and gown but also by having to give a salutatorian speech, she still made her parents proud. In September she starts at a small, high-pressure, competitive-entrance public high school in downtown Manhattan. Her mother and I are convinced she is smarter than both of us together!