being a genius would be sad

CocaColaAddict
Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:46:28 +0000

molly, you are absolutely right. I think I had disregarded that aspect because, I, personally, was not “still going through puberty” and was not “small and scrawny.” I was not only intellectually mature, but my physique was also more mature than your average 12 year old. In fact, I appeared as though I truly was of high school age.
To be a little more clear: by the age of 15, I was growing a full beard.

You also note that “outside of class, people don’t discuss Chemistry and Victorian Literature with their friends,” implying that you believe a 12-year-old high-schooler would do so. It is on this point that you are falling back on stereotype. Personally, I can tell you that I was not like that at all; quite the opposite, in fact. I hardly brought up academics out of class at all. I got along with my classmates that were much older than me perfectly fine. As a matter of fact, I probably would have had trouble relating to kids that were my age. As I mentioned in a previous post, they seemed rather immature to me.

I reiterate, however, that what you said, molly, is perfectly plausible and I’m certain that it does happen. I just wanted to clarify that the situation you described is not necessarily the case. Speaking of which, I believe that if an advanced student is having trouble coping with the level of maturity he/she is surrounded by, it is the parents’ responsibility to provide an alternative for said student, such as homeschooling or, if available, a program in which all the students are advanced so that the child does not miss out on the social development others go through at that age.