Slashdot Mirror
The Prodigy Puzzle
theodp writes "Once neglected, the NY Times reports that America's smartest children have become the beneficiaries of a well-organized effort to recognize their gifts and develop their talent. Programs like those offered by the Davidson Institute, run by Bob and Jan Davidson of Math and Reading Blaster fame, have sprung up to nurture the intellectual development of profoundly intelligent young people. But do we know how to identify the child whose brilliance might change the world? And do we really want to?"
well, there are several kinds of slashdot trolls:
(1) - the really stupid one, who doesn't bother trying to obfuscate anything
(2) - the timid one who is afraid to make it a bit more obvious
(3) - the smart kid who is unchallenged by a stupid site like slashdot
pick the category you like. one hint: you most certainly don't belonmg to the third category.
(Ph.D in Neuropsychology; look it up)
Wow, you're a real ass! Oh, and just so you're aware:
1) Nobody here actually believes you're working toward you're Ph.D. in Neuropsychology (unless, of course, you've *just started* on you're Masters) as you're post was -to say the least- less than insightful.
2) Unless the person you're speaking to has lived in a hole his/her entire life, they're probably familiar with neuropsychology. (It's not obscure and not that impressive.)
3) There are numerous problems with I.Q. tests. The problems you've listed, in fact, are the least of the problems with I.Q. tests -- "look it up".
4) You're an ass.
5) You're poorly educated. q.e.d. as per your post.
I can only half agree with you on this one. I'm also quite high up there on the IQ list and I went to public school and subsequently had five years of college travelling around the world all paid for by people who thought I might turn into something really grand. Initially I left public highschool early to got to Carnegie Mellon as a 16 year old in a program they have specifically to cull out the brighter than average who they think don't need to bother completing highschool. I was a robotics major and whipped major ass in just about everything. Those super smart kids were so busy being dorks and talking in verbal TCP comands that they bored the hell out me and I decided to not pursue the sciences at all. I then went back to highschool which after carnegie mellon, was so easy that I had one of the best times of my life. My friend and I (also a gifted student) were so beyond what was highschool reality that we took AP and IB exams for classes we never even took and scored very well based on the knowledge of the subject we just already knew.
In college though, much changed. I had spent some time overseas and it occured to me that ones inteligence could be applied just as easilly to the social arena as it could to the sciences. From building robots, studying physics and playing concert piano I resolved to lose weight, get in shape and make small talk with pretty people I didn't know. Fast forward five years and I'm now 24. My friends from highschool are finishing their masters (which I admit makes me a little jealous) and while my brain probably isn't as sharp as it once was I have been a succesfull international model, hobnob with the most beautiful peopl on earth, and I already make six figures as a rising star fashion photographer. I travel extensively and I am surrounded by the cream of society, both in beauty and brains.
The moral of this story, (although since I'm 24 I still don't really know how the story will turn out in the end) is that being smart doesn't preclude you from having social skills. One of the first things I noticed about the life that I live is that many of the other people here have simmilar stories. They were smart, often lonely teenagers who one day simply decided to apply their inteligence to their personal understanding of social skills. The best of the best models, actors, photographers are all multi-lingual well read and well spoken individuals. One of my good friends with whom I travel regularly is one of frances highest ranked young doctors at the age of 25. We often talk about the differences in our lives and while I'm seriously proud and impressed with her accomplishments she is simmilarly impressed with mine. In my opinion, inteligence is your ability to apply yourself not just to a subject, but also to your own life.
College was never a challange, nor was highschool or anything that came before. I haven't yet found a subject that if I apply myself even just a little bit, I don't quickly master it. If you find college boring, I've really got to say that it's you who are at fault. In college I got the silly idea that german was stupid and that instead I wanted to speak Czech. Of course, my university didn't even teach czech, (because very few places do) and I managed to convince the administration that obviously the only solution was for them to send me and support me in the Czech Republic until I learned it. At my school there wasn't any good robotics resource so I started one. After learning Czech I realized the university didn't have any Czech language materials so I created an entire collection for the library of learning materials.
Everything, no matter what, is what you make of it. If your smart, really smart, just learn to apply yourself. The only thing I can honestly say that I truthfully learned in the past ten years, the only thing other people understood but I had the hardest time grasping, was Discipline. (except spelling, because I must be dyslesix or something I could never spell worth crap). Discipline is not the same as dedication. It's mastery ov
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but conformity and "proper" socialization are primary goals of the public schools. They may even be a higher priority than learning."
That was their explicity stated purpose when originally proposed by Marx and Engels in the Communist Manifesto in 1848.