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Don't Waste Your Talents

© Traute Klein, biogardener

Achievement is based more on motivation than on intelligence. In this story, a bright pupil presents himself as a moron to manipulate the system.

Gifted Entertainers

This true story is about a chronic underachiever and a retarded boy whom I taught at Central School in Transcona, a suburb of the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, many years ago. I seem to remember everything about those two boys except their names, so I have made them up. Steven was one of the pupils in my grade 5 homeroom. He was older than the rest of the children, because he had already failed a couple of times. I was convinced that he was a gifted child. He displayed his talents every Friday afternoon when my class hosted a variety concert in my classroom. Different groups of children would spend their spare time all week long to prepare skits which they would perform for the other children. Every child would get one turn to prepare one presentation once every five weeks, either solo or with friends. As word of our entertainment spread, other classes would invite themselves. Some teachers felt that maybe some of the skits ought to be censored, because grade 5 pupils are quite capable of presenting the shady side of life. I felt, however, that I would rather let the children present in the classroom life as they saw it than to talk about it on the playground or in backlanes. The skits which Steven organized shone in those concerts and evoked more laughter and applause than anyone else's. In his classwork, however, Steven insisted on failing every test.

Deadpan Sidekick

Henry was Steven's sidekick. He was a retarded boy, unable to perform in regular academic subjects. He only was in grade V because of his age. He had failed several times already, but his achievements remained well below class expectations. That was all right with me. He was working to capacity, and that was all I expected of him. Henry and Steven hit it off well together, possibly because they were closer in age to each other than to any of the other children. Henry adored Steven and became the deadpan sidekick for the comedy skits where he came to share in the applause at our weekly concerts. What a boost to his confidence!

Chronic Underachiever

As much as I was pleased with Henry's progress, I was convinced that Steven was failing on purpose, and I determined to get through to him. One afternoon, I kept him after school, doing one geography test over and over until he would quit writing down nonsense answers. I let him know that I had enough work to do at school to stay with him all night if necessary. His family would not be concerned. They were not in a habit of keeping track of the whereabouts of their children.

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