From: JMPIERCE%USMCP6.bitnet@VM.TCS.Tulane.EDU (JIM PIERCE)
Subject: Re: Bear's story
Organization: Yale CS Mail/News Gateway
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 14:51:08 GMT


>The Sea Wasp also listens to Bear speaking.


>	"You see, by the time I hit first grade (when they started teaching
>reading) I had already been reading constantly for almost two years. I
>had also, somehow, gotten a certain idea of what a school was supposed
>to be like: a lot of people (probably in robes, like graduation) talking
>about interesting things, and exploring them as fast as they could.
>So from MY point of view, I was instead dropped into what seemed
>to be a hospital for the mentally incompetent. When you are reading things
>at the level of _The Wizard of Oz_ and walk into a room to find that people
>your own age are having trouble making the connection between L O O K and
>the word "look", it's a pretty horrifying feeling.

   "Ah yes, the first grade... My experience with this was similar,
but different. The teacher joined in the fun of letting me know I
was too intelligent ! Anyway, I was reading Asimov, Heinlein, and
Bradbury from the date of my birthday in June to the following
August, when I started first grade. 108 books, mostly sci-fi, but
some astronomy and wilderness books caught my reading eye. Then
I got that 'wonderful' paragon of intellectual reading paradigm:
  "See Spot Run !" upon my first day in class. I said to myself,
oh well, I guess I'll go with the program and read this and I
guess we will talk about it tomorrow. Well, it took me less than
20 minutes to read the entire thing. I asked the teacher the next
day what was the reading for tonight as I had already read the
"See Spot Run !" and while it was interesting{?!}, I was ready
for the next one ! I heard a small voice behind me asking the
teacher if that was a bad joke or not as they had only got up to
page two ! I felt my jaw drop and I sputtered so much I could
hardly talk. Ack Phtpt ! { Bill the cat.. } Anyway, I later
found out that I had a twelfth grade reading level going into
first grade and a seventh grade reading level in the twelfth
grade. I had learned that the intelligent being gets their
head chopped off. Hehe. Not anymore though. I read whenever I
get the desire and I don't care whether someone else likes it
or not...

>	"Weak?" the Wasp grins ruefully. "At 14, I could, by straining
>MIGHTILY, bench press (on one of those little machines) 30 pounds. ALL
>the other people could do much more. However, my legs were hellishly
>strong for some reason; I could do the whole rack of weights with them
>(500+ pounds...).

  "Reminds me of P.E. { Physical education class } in the 7th grade.
We were running track, the 220, 440, 880, etc. I wasn't winded, but
the so-called track stars in the class, who said I wouldn't make
it, were gasping and wheezing from too many cigarettes ! So, the
coach tried to get me to go out for track. I refused. He gave me a
D- in P.E. ! My dad went up and had a little chat with him,
something about a lawsuit if the jerk didn't stop trying to force
me into Track and Field. Ah yes, the wonders of high school.
 But, I was considered a wimp who wore glasses.."

>	"The other thing that happened was that I went to college. I
>didn't succeed there, not right away... but it did start to show me a
>wider world."
>
>	The Wasp raises his glass. "To... To growing up... while keeping
>childhood within."

>CRASH!*
    "I agree. To growing up, and making to past age 21 !" NickD.
 CRASH !
>                                Sea Wasp
>                                  /^\
>                                  ;;;


* <JMPIERCE@USMCP6.BITNET> Jim Pierce; Bach. Sci. in Applied Computer Science
* USM Academic Computing on the Gulf Park Campus. Disclaimer: Standard.
* "Women are People, *not* property." me
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