• ApatheticCactus@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    I struggled at math as a young kid because I hated doing everything the long way and showing every step. I got a mental math book that taught how to do longer form multiplication in your head. I could multiply 2-3 digit numbers in my head and just tell you the answer.

    My teacher made me do it on the board in front of everyone and swore I was cheating somehow because if she couldn’t do it, a kid couldn’t either.

    I was also reading Michael Chriton books in the 4th grade, and teachers thought that I wasn’t because kids don’t read books like that.

    School was kinda annoying with how it would punish you for being anywhere outside of normal. Even if it was positive.

    • Dasus@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      swore I was cheating somehow because if she couldn’t do it, a kid couldn’t either

      because kids don’t read books like that.

      School was kinda annoying with how it would punish you for being anywhere outside of normal. Even if it was positive.

      This 100x. I taught myself how to read before going to first grade. The reward was being isolated in an empty classroom for a lot of first grade when others were learning to spell. Well there was one other kid, but she didn’t speak. She had been taught by her extremely strict parents to read before school. They had like 7 children and were horribly strict. This girl starter crying once when she got what’s equivalent to an A-, afraid she was going be yelled at at home.

      There was a special class for anyone below average. But dear me, if you were above average no you weren’t, because that’s just rude.

      Doing any work I was given faster than other didn’t result in getting more challenging work. It just resulted in getting more of the same boring shit I’d already shown I know very well.

      I could’ve been one of those kids who go to college at 14, but nooooo. I just learned to avoid work and hide my skills