

The Inverse Power Of Praise - sthomps
http://blog.sokanu.com/the-inverse-power-of-praise

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tommynazareth
I think this is a point worth considering, even if it is a little off topic.

I hear about this 'disadvantage' of being intelligent often, and I won't
disagree that it can be crippling to learn to avoid challenges, but when
discussing intelligent children in school, I think there is a much bigger
pitfall. The picture of gifted children breezing through school is often
painted without a second thought. From following the popular narrative of the
elementary school and middle school classroom, you'd think that every above
average student is a carbon copy of Lisa Simpson. The greater hurdle in my
mind is that school caters to the average student. The most successful student
in many cases is probably the very average child. Being excessively
inquisitive and driven makes the classroom hell, because the system seeks
efficiency, and that means punishing the margins for not fitting in with the
crowd.

Sorry, but when I read "[s]chool work is a breeze, resulting in a little to no
stress ..." it hits a nerve! :)

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sthomps
I could not agree more. I had the exact same experience going through school.
I would always ask for more work in order to be challenged. I would constantly
be looking to do more, because you are correct, school is extremely catered to
the average student.

Also, about that quote, because I wrote it, I don't get the readers
experience. But looking at it now I can completely get your frustration. I
would feel the same thing, since I was frustrated going through school, even
though I did fine. I wrote that line as more of a generalization.

"The most successful student in many cases is probably the very average child.
Being excessively inquisitive and driven makes the classroom hell, because the
system seeks efficiency, and that means punishing the margins for not fitting
in with the crowd." This is bang on. Thanks so much for the great comment.

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tommynazareth
No problem, thanks for the article. I signed up for the Sokanu alpha, although
I can't quite figure out what the product is.

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sthomps
Thanks for signing up. Hopefully you received our email which explained it a
little better.

