Later, my adviser suggested that I not share my IQ score with other people. I thought maybe I’d scored low. I had no idea what the numbers meant. It was in my file. The teachers knew if they wanted to. And at least some of them wanted to know.
Once I had my schedule changed while my adviser was out. The stand-in obviously didn’t see my file. I walked into my new improved science class with the transfer paper. The teacher took one look and said “No, you won’t” and left the room with my ‘schedule’. He was gone most of the class.
The kids in that class were from another planet. Sheltered, spoiled as I was, I had no idea people like that had landed on this earth – and in Denver. As the teacher came in, he motioned to me. I went. He handed me another newer and more improved schedule. That was the second indication that I was different.
I was an A student. Some things were easy, some were not, but I was an A student. My parents had never allowed me to believe otherwise. My grades really didn’t change much from private to public school. My social life did.
I remember one friend who asked if I made my own clothing. Yes, I did. “I thought so,” she added. “They’re just so . . . . . different. I mean, they’re creative. I mean, they fit you’re personality. I mean,. . . ” “They’re obviously not off the rack at Sears?” I offered. “Or any place else.” she finished. Surprisingly, different as we were, we remained friends. I just never got into the main stream.
Once I fudged and told a guy what my IQ score was. He laughed at me. “You silly girl, that was probably your advisor’s weight.” I laughed along and never brought it up again.
When 17 years of marriage to the afore mentioned person ended, I went back to college. I was given a battery of tests –to place me. After one semester, I was on scholarship. Not only was I poor, but I was a woman and I was smart. I qualified for tuition, money and a job.
One day my advisor called me into his office. He had questions he needed to ask. What did I want to do with the rest of my life? Seems every department on campus wanted a piece of me.
He looked me in the eye and said “You can be anything you want to be. You’re intelligent.” He laughed and looked away. “When you came here, I thought, ‘One more dumb blonde to train for a skill and toss out on an unsuspecting world.’ Well you had me fooled.”
People always seem to believe that what eggs I have in the basket were scrambled long ago. They make the most incredulous comments. Then one day, they open their eyes wide and say softly, “Oh, you’re not stupid.” Then they try to explain. I occasionally ask them to stop embarrassing us both.
I think I’ve mentioned in another blog that I spent a lot of time in the hall during elementary. It didn’t affect my grades or my spirit; it just made me wonder what I did this time. After being a public school teacher –not my first choice- for many years, I think I know. I was a very active child, mentally, physically, emotionally. That kind is hard to endure with a class of 25 to 30 children no matter how stimulating she would be one on one.
A while back I took one of those online IQ tests. My daughter and hubby were working in the wee hours on her vehicle and, since I am automotively challenged, I ended up the bored, can’t sleep tonight, water and cookie dispenser; so the test, bronchitis meds and all, after a long day, at about 2AM. I was disappointed, I scored a good 25 points lower than my high school test. They rated me at genius and wanted to sell me an education. I’m thinking genius at this level? What was I in high school?
Well so, my college adviser sat looking at me, wondering, expecting an answer. “I want to be a journalist.” “Why?” He emphasized again, “You can be anything you want. Anything.” “Well, I want to write and do photography for scientific research.” He was dumbfounded. “I’m promising you the world and you want to be a journalist? Why not the scientist?”
I got that first degree and ended up in advertising which I already knew I hated. So a few years later I went back and got my teaching degree. I remember one co-student who was ticked because I destroyed the curve for the rest of the class. She said "When you get done being miss know it all with your 4 point, you'll find no one wants a perfectionist. They can't relate to the common student." Excuse me, I work hard at this and it's a 3.93 thank you. I did get hired - my first year out.
It was, in the early years, the most incredible thing I could have imagined. I felt I should be paying them, or at least still be on scholarship. And now after years and changes and converting to private, I still love teaching. It still challenges me, knocks me down and picks me up.
So, sometimes, my conversations are kind of random. I have a strange sense of humor. I may be obsessive compulsive, stubborn and opinionated, but I’m not stupid. Even when I do stupid things.
Yeah, that's me: the one with the back injury, dragging a loaded back pack over large boulders.
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