Helping Other Students — Best Solution for Gifted Students’ Boredom
Helping is teaching, and by teaching you gain great learning.
Kara Miller, in Sunday Globe Magazine, wrote: “Where did all the gifted programs go? Massachusetts is one of the few states without them. That could be hurting more kids than you think.”
I thank Massachusetts for NOT separating me from others into a gifted class, in the 1940s and 1950 — as you will see in my personal life story. There are too many in today’s world that are brainwashed by parents, schools, communities, government, to be higher than others and elite — or to feel that way in areas of intelligence, talents, wealth, etc. My parents encouraged me to feel equal to others.
My mother helped me to love learning in the earlier grades, even though we were very poor, affected by the Great Depression, until High School, where she no longer felt competent. I graduated High School with all straight A’s and “Highest Honors”. Yet, I was so bored I skipped 90 days out of 180, to be with other kids socially — some that I could have helped and wanted to, but was not allowed to in class.
Onto college, and I was awarded a scholarship for my senior year by the faculty. Earlier, I had worked in my field, and achieved expertise from experience, and I liked helping other students in my class with this experience by showing and explaining my project work. However, the teacher in my major was upset, claiming I was doing others’ work for them, and asked the President to take away my scholarship. The other faculty had voted to give it to me, so they suggested I go to my state senator, and have him call the President. The Senator said: “The faculty voted to give it to her, so have the whole faculty vote, whether it should be taken away”. And, yes, I got my scholarship back. Note: It was a great learning about politics.
My life continued with three corporations, three engineering design awards and three books, Most of all, I loved teaching, especially from my experiences. Also, in all my work I asked others to help: Workers to help other workers, students to help other students, and in all my papers and books, I write as a teacher to help others, and quote others who do the same.
I sent a brief version of this story to the Boston Globe Magazine. Hopefully, they will print it, as “Helping Others, especially other students, should be promoted in education.”
Thank you for reading. Love to all my readers.
