"I'm so proud of you. Granted, I've missed so much of-- well, all of this," she adds, flapping her hand at all the photographs that line the tables, "but still."

It's still an accomplishment. Especially knowing what she does of Darrow's public school system, and how awful some of the teachers are. Sometimes she thinks it's a wonder anyone makes it all the way through without simply dropping out in disgust. Not that Darrow seems to offer many other options, of course. Apprenticeships seem to have gone more or less extinct.