There was my 8th grade PE teacher I didn't like. He had a fondness for humiliating the nerdy kids. I wasn't in the direct line of fire (I was nerdy but I also had been on the football team resulting in a dilemma for him I think) but the kids that were had it rough.

And it proceeded this way at that school until my 3rd grade teacher -- Mrs. Howren, you bitch, I still hate you -- accused me of lying about having finished some baby book we were assigned

Heh. At least I occasionally got backup from the other kids, even if they didn't always like me. I remember in like, sixth grade, we had a substitute, and she gave us a story to read, and I was finished very quickly (because I read REALLY FAST) and she pulled that same thing "no way you're done!" and the other kids were like "Er...no, she's probably really done. She's a big freak, but that's her thing"

"gifted" often means "doesn't learn quite like others" and the skills required to be successful in honors/AP are very normative - no quirky learners.

Yeah--I remember being surprised when a lot of new kids who were NOT in our G/T classes showed up in our AP classes in high school--but they were the kids who were just smart and willing to work hard. They weren't quirky or big brainy nerdy kids all "I can't fit in because I'm too geeky" in elementary school. They did fine in AP, and a couple of them were in the top 10 GPA-wise in school (we had a HUGE graduating class of over 500 kids, so that was a big thing)

What do kids do in PE now? I remember a heavy emphasis on non-physical (in the sense of a lot of standing around) activities like gymnastics, dodgeball, softball, and being tested on the President Fitness stuff. But I imagine that potential lawsuits would eliminate a lot of what we did. Do they still have PE?

Mrs. Howren, you bitch, I still hate you -- accused me of lying about having finished some baby book we were assigned. She wouldn't even ask me me questions about it -- she humiliated me in front of the whole class, told me no one could have read it that fast, I was lying to get attention, and that I should never contradict her.

My fifth grade teacher Miss Griskovitch was spawned from the same circle of hell. The only thing that kept me sane that year was switching for math to Mrs. Ryan once a day. Changing to her class entirely was made problematic by the fact that she is my cousin (by marriage).

Awesomely, however, a few years later at a family picnic Marlene slipped up and called that woman a bitch in my presence. It was one of the happiest moments of my young life to find that NOOOOOOOOOBODY liked her.

The memory still makes me smile.

"gifted" often means "doesn't learn quite like others" and the skills required to be successful in honors/AP are very normative - no quirky learners.

Some kids also take their time in coming to academic achievement. Bob Bob was, apparently, an average student until he was a high school junior or so.

Oh, Corwood, that's horrible. I keep thinking of all your family, and Li'l Sphere and Geneva and the police deputy's babies and their devastated father, and I just want to wrap everyone up and hide them somewhere safe. I just don't know where that would be anymore.

Corwood, that's terrible. There's something about knowing a person or a place that makes these things much more real.

My nemesis in elementary school was my second grade teacher, who kept calling my mother in and telling her I was "defiant." I was just bored and I thought she was stupid. Also, in second grade I hadn't fully developed my skills at hiding the book I was reading.

My nemesis in elementary school was my second grade teacher, who kept calling my mother in and telling her I was "defiant." I was just bored and I thought she was stupid.

This sounds a bit like my current job.

My algebra II teacher wasn't mean, but his version of teaching was just reading what the textbook said and working a problem on the board. He was just marking off time before retirement and he really didn't care that he wasn't teaching us anything. He would spend 5-10 minutes with the book and then let us work on our own. If I understood the assignment, the class would split into two groups with me explaining to one group and the guy who became our valedictorian (Doug) leading the other group. If I didn't get it, Doug would teach all of us. And the teacher just watched us.

I was just bored and I thought she was stupid.

This got me in serious trouble in fourth grade. Although I figure the real punishment is coming to me now, when I face students who are bored and think I'm stupid.

I've always thought I could have done better in college if I'd ever had to stretch before. Having to actually work was a terrible shock to me.

Man, I keep telling my students that (the ones who can easily do the assigned work but don't see why they should have to do anything more challenging). They don't believe me.

It got to the point where if it didn't come easily, I didn't bother.

Wordowordoword. I had this problem, and I see it in A LOT of my kids -- very smart, used to things being easy, turn off as soon as it gets hard.

It's been three years and I'm still all "Teaching likes carrots!" Thank god I'm not dating, huh?

Good news -- I brought in a whole bunch of books, to give students something to do if they finish early, and they've started getting into them (after a few days of circling warily). One student borrowed How to Slice a Cake and a couple have dipped into A Framework for Understanding Poverty, and I might be able to talk one into taking home Godel, Escher, Bach. Mind you, he may very well fail my class, but whatever!