I love this book. I went to a Jr. High and High school that would (by today's standards) be considered low-performing. I now teach in a low-performing Middle/High School.

I always questioned why some of the "smart" kids in my high school never did anything with their brains. Sociology classes answered some of these questions, but "Outliers" really helped.

I taught at a Community College last year and tutored there as well. Most students did not read or complete their homework. They were so upset that they were failing. However, there is a huge Mongolian population and they always show up prepared - even though they have trouble with English.

I spoke to one of them about math (my subject). He said that they all do their homework. Their sixth grade math is like the College Algebra so they sail through that class while most drop out or fail it. I asked about the students who were not so smart. The answer is that they study also. This is cultural because the parents enforce it daily. They cannot do anything else until they complete their homework - contributing to their 10,000 hours.

This may explain why most of my eighth graders cannot tell me the circumference of a circle.