Genius Gym: "I hope no one calls me a nerd..."

"You're a NERD!"

When you hear the word "nerd" what comes to your mind? Does it bring back bad memories of middle and high school? Or, maybe you were the one doing the labeling?

Do either of these guys look familiar as you imagine a perfect nerdy specimen?

Admittedly, this one annoyed me...

My all-time favorite... It's all about the dance moves!

Nerd: (n)

- a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious

- a single-minded expert in a technical field

You may be wondering, why I am focusing on nerds. Well, an interesting thing happened this year that quite surprisingly has not come up in our class up until this point.

Recently, we added some new students to our Genius Gym class. Typically only a few students are screened in the fall semester for gifted services and most of these students are new to our school or system. This means that they truly have no concept of what type of environment they are walking into. As one might imagine, there is some apprehension and a little anxiety about what to expect.

Our full-day resource had just begun for our 1st and 2nd graders when one of our newest members quietly said, "I hope no one calls me a nerd." I wasn't sure that I heard him correctly, so I asked him what he said and he said it again, "I hope no one calls me a nerd now." Without a moment's hesitation I replied, "I hope they do!"

There was quite a shocked look on his face and quite honestly I was a little surprised by my response. I mean... let's think about this... I told a 2nd grader that I hoped someone would call him a nerd! Who wouldn't do a double-take if they heard a teacher say that to a student?

The student and I chatted for a few minutes more about his concern and then got on with our task of brainstorming inventive ideas that would make Santa's life better. (That is what a bunch of "nerds" do in Genius Gym. It doesn't sound cool at all, does it?) 🎅

That evening I spent some time trying to figure out why I hoped one of my students would be labeled a nerd. Why was I totally OK with something meant as a insult? What I discovered is that I think those whom the world labels as "nerds" are some of the most amazing and needed people in our society. I am convinced that nerd=cool so there is no negativity connected with the term whatsoever!

I realize that I have lived a large portion of my life. I have navigated through those awkward times where impressing my friends meant everything... even if it meant pretending to be someone I was not. Convincing myself that being called a "nerd" really is not the end of the world is not the challenge. The challenge is convincing the young thinkers who walk the halls of my school and the schools in my community that this "nerd" label is not something to fear. Fear keeps us from taking risks and reaching our fullest potential, so fearing the dreaded "nerd" label would most certainly hinder this group of students. Therefore, I make it my goal to make sure all students feel comfortable in their own skin, comfortable with their intelligence, comfortable with their unique way of looking at the world, and to help them realize that being a nerd is...well... GENIUS!

It is evident that at some point I have redefined nerd in my own mind. The adjectives used in the definition above don't even apply in my mind and I am pretty sure that they don't apply in the minds of the students I serve in Genius Gym. How do I know this? Check out this note that was in one of my Christmas gifts this year.

In conclusion, I leave you with some photos of the COOLEST NERDS on planet Earth showing off their creative and intelligent thinking at an Invention Fair for Santa.

Merry Christmas,

The Head Genius