Past and present tense trouble...?

Question

"The schools I attended, especially the ones in...were and still are very poor schools. At my high school in .., for instance, a very small minority of students attend four-year universities after graduation. The school’s California STAR Test results are among the lowest in the state, with most students scoring below average in the subjects tested. The school’s drop-out rate is also very high. In my class for example, around sixty students out of an original class of around 360 dropped out during their senior year of high school. Simply put, a majority of the students did not care about doing well in school. There was also plenty of gang activity at my school. The quality of the teachers at the school was also below-average. My Honors Chemistry teacher, for instance, fell asleep..."

So, my problem is some sentences I use the present tense and some I use the past tense... (continued...see my edit below...)

I'm trying to give the reader reasons why my school sucked, but I didn't exclusively use past tense because I want to show that my school still sucks...so where do I need to make revisions to improve the whole thing..? Thanks!!

For example, I wrote the test results ARE the lowest... then I wrote the students DID NOT care ... (one is present, the other is past...not consistent)

Really? It's correct? I was afraid no one would answer my question because it's so long...thanks for taking you time to help me :)

Answer 1

Your grammar is correct. You are not changing tenses, you are telling a CURRENT story. The story is in the present tense even though you have to use some past tenses in your text. This is not changing tenses. If the school is still this way and you are referring to more than one, it should be "are."

Look at the following:

I gave Regina my notebook, and she "was" glad to get it. I should not have to give her my things to make her happy, but that "is" the way she "is."

I used "was" then "is" twice. It is not changing tenses; it is correct in its context. Regina is still this way, so I cannot say, "this is the way she was".

YOUR ARE NOT WRONG!! WE MUST NEVER MIX PRESENT AND PAST TENSES IN TERMS WRITING SOMETHING IN THE PAST. Had I not seen Regina in five years, I could not write and say the way she "is." I could only speak from when I knew her and say the way she "was." You are a lot smarter than most and will do well in college.

I was raised in the Ghetto and did not know grammar when I went to college. The truth is, I was admitted on probation due to my low grades. I studied day and night and graduated with Highest Honors from two colleges.

If you are still attending the school, the students "do not care."

Answer 2

It sounds right to me, assuming you're not still attending the school you mentioned. You speak of your year in the past, and the school in general in the present. If you know how the school is now, and want to stress that, you could use "do not care", "there is gang activity" and "the quality of the teachers is below average".

Answer 3

It depends on the context... does the person look the same not as they did in the past? If so, then the first one is correct. If the person looks different now, then the second one is correct.

Answer 4

It sounds perfect!