The road to exceptionality requires mediocrity. In Middlesex, it feels like a crime not to be productive. Already occupied with sports requirements and grade deflation, Middlesex students are under the anxiety of being mediocre in every aspect of their life at school, even outside of the classroom. It is not unusual for a conversation about class schedules to immediately shift into comparisons or inquiries about grades. This invisible yet perceptible pressure permeates the Middlesex…