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Just Because I'm Smart

October 15, 2009
By JessicaMollie BRONZE, Hawera, Other
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JessicaMollie BRONZE, Hawera, Other
3 articles 0 photos 16 comments

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Life isn't measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

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I am (apparently) a gifted student. Most people think I've got it easy, and i a way I do, but it doesn't mean there aren't downsides. People never see ME.

Just because I'm smart, it doesn't mean I'm deaf. I can hear what you say about me, and it does hurt. I do have feelings, and, if anything, they are probably more easily hurt than yours .

Just because I'm smart and I use big words doesn't mean you shouldn't talk to me. I want to be treated like a person too. Don't assume you won't understand me just because I use big words in class. I can speak your language too, and anyway, you might end up learning a new word.

Just because I'm smart, doesn't mean I don't make mistakes. And it most deifnitely doesn't mean that you can laugh at me when i do et something wrong. Just because I can answer the questions, doesn't mean I am going to get cocky about it, so I don't need you trying to cut me down when I mess up, because it's not like you don't mess up too.

Just because I'm smart, doesn't mean I'm not human, doesn't meant don't get hurt by what you say. Just because I'm smart, it doesn't mean I want to be...

© Caitlin S., St. Louis, MO

The author's comments:
This is to all the people at my school who think that I don't have any feelings just because I'm smarter than them....Just because I'm smart enough to not let my feelings show...
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JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 42 comments.

Yignificence BRONZE said...
on Jan. 1 2015 at 9:25 pm
Yignificence BRONZE, Corinth, Texas
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

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Baseball happens to be a game of cumulative tension but football, basketball and hockey are played with hand grenades and machine guns.<br /> John Leonard

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This is almost exactly what I said to my mom the other day when I came home upset, ad she asked why I didn't have any friends. The worst is that I have teachers who won't call on me when I have a question because, and I quote, "Oh, you're really smart, so I assumed that you already got it." It's like I'm never allowed to make mistakes or not understand something.
Awesomesauce said...
on Dec. 1 2013 at 11:16 pm
The same thing happens to me! I've always had trouble saying no to people, so when they ask I give them the answer. I moved recently, and I think that my friends here are only my friends because i give them answers.
Awesomesauce said...
on Dec. 1 2013 at 11:12 pm
You should be proud of your vocabulary. I get called Answer Key because I enjoy math and reading.
scarlite BRONZE said...
on Oct. 8 2012 at 11:13 am
scarlite BRONZE, Monahans, Texas
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dream as if youll live forever, live as if youll die to day.

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im a sophmore in per-calcluse. got the nick name "professor" . i almost feel stupided for making a big dill out of it but still it is anoing
teacuppoetry GOLD said...
on Dec. 2 2011 at 3:35 pm
teacuppoetry GOLD, Lancashire, Other
15 articles 1 photo 23 comments

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The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes- Sherlock Holmes

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I know how you feel, I am in the same situation as you, I get called Dictionary Girl because I use fancy words. My teachers are impressed by my varied vocabulary and in English my teacher said in a year I will be working at an A so if I want to be a writer, this benefits me
SacredDancer said...
on Dec. 1 2011 at 3:22 pm

I'm homeschooled, and I'm involved in a homeschool co-op at my church.  I don't want to sound arrogant, but I'm smart.

And just about everyone thinks I know everything.  According to them, I am an encyclopedia, atlas, dictionary...I'm Google.  They don't treat me meanly; they just have a ridiculous awe.  The guys are the worst.  This one, who likes me, made "OMG ur so smart!" comments all the time.  During one class, it was every 5-10 minutes.  Seriously.  This other guy makes comments like this: <A few other girls and I walk back into class after break>  "They're fashionably late.....Here comes the smart table!"  None of the other guys actually call me smart to my face.  They just imply it.

Being called smart isn't a bad thing (Hey, it beats being called dumb), but it's so awkward and annoying.  I don't want people to be intimidated or put down.  

I have lots of amazing friends who appreciate me for who I am, but I wish my reputation with others wasn't "the smart one."  I wish it was about who I am and what I believe. 

schoolgirl13 said...
on Oct. 21 2011 at 8:29 am
wow, thats amazing. I wanted to skip aa few grades, but  ireally cant. People already taunt me for being 12 in eighth grade, i coudnt imagine what being in high school at that age must be like. Its very outstanding though, sometimes i wish i could try it. Because what im learning now, isnt advanced enough( im in accelerated classes). Many one day.
schoolgirl13 said...
on Oct. 21 2011 at 8:24 am
jessicamollie, i completely understand what you mean, and im glad someone els feels how i feel. Im an accelerated student as well, and kids sometimes tease me or taunt me when i get a good and/or bad grade. I also feel like tehres more pressure on me to get good grades because tehy expect so much more of me than everyone else. hasthat happened to you?
Live&&Love said...
on Oct. 1 2011 at 5:16 pm
When your at college, maybe you should go to visit those who made fun of you at the local mcdonalds where they'll be cleaning the floors :)
nessaboo said...
on May. 27 2011 at 7:07 pm
i feel you . but dont be sorry ,.
Friggin_Daisy said...
on Jan. 8 2011 at 3:27 pm
Friggin_Daisy, Eloy, Arizona
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Im just like you Zakk, I also am brainy but have lots of friends. They dont care how smart you are, they care about who you are :)
Friggin_Daisy said...
on Jan. 8 2011 at 3:19 pm
Friggin_Daisy, Eloy, Arizona
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Im in all advanced classes at my High School, and also in College. As a Freshman, people are like what the heck? But, Im just a teenager like them. Im very popular and in tons of clubs and activities. The way people say, "Oh shes a genius! Lets ask her!" Dont take it offensively. Everyones smart in their OWN way. Some people are book smart, street smart, some are good at cooking, some are good with electronics, etc. We all help each other in our own areas of expertice. So, dont take it personally....they just think you are brighter then them in that area for which they are not familiar with. :)
Skeezics GOLD said...
on Nov. 25 2010 at 1:01 am
Skeezics GOLD, Eatonville, Washington
12 articles 0 photos 87 comments

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A childs voice, however honest and true, is meaningless to those who have forgotten how to listen.<br /> Everyone faces obsticals. What defines you is how you overcome them. -J.R. Celski

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i know how that is. i get it alot. i have a very high gpa and i answer the teachers questions all the time. the kids in my school dont seem to understand that even though im smart i can make mistakes too. i am only human and i do make mistakes. but like Phantom_Girl said it feels like you always have to be right, it gets old and it does hurt. whether or not the kids in the class believe it or not.
Phantom_Girl GOLD said...
on Oct. 19 2010 at 1:19 pm
Phantom_Girl GOLD, Ft. Carson, Colorado
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&quot;If it comes out of the lion&#039;s mouth...it will be on the test.&quot;<br /> -Mr. Bala

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Point being that the girl thought that because I was "smart" I automatically had to know what the teacher was talking about. When you're considerred "brainy," it feels like you're not allowed to be confused. It feels like you always have to be right.
Phantom_Girl GOLD said...
on Oct. 19 2010 at 1:15 pm
Phantom_Girl GOLD, Ft. Carson, Colorado
14 articles 0 photos 279 comments

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&quot;If it comes out of the lion&#039;s mouth...it will be on the test.&quot;<br /> -Mr. Bala

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Don't forget the dreaded, "I can't figure it out! Let's ask her, she's a genius!" This was said by a girl in one of my classes. She and the girl she was talking to then proceeded to nag me to help them, not believing me when I said I didn't get it either (the teacher did not explain it well and she refused to help us further). What's worse is, the thing that made her say I was a genius was figuring out the percentage of interest she would need to double her investment in 2 years. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, I just cross multiplied, just like they did on Mean Girls...
Zakk H said...
on Oct. 17 2010 at 3:27 pm
Yes I understand what you are saying and i agree that it is much easier to use one word instead of several small ones. If my friends ask me what a word means I just tell them..they actually look at themselves as stupid when they don't know what im saying instead of them viewing me as a nerd haha...but most of my friends are smart and in the IB program like me so they understand me. Just make friends with smart people then? I mean the people in your classes should have a similar intellectual level as you so it shouldn't be too difficult. I think its mostly because I just don't care what people say...people out there are going to piss you off - its unaviodable so just be with the people who make you laugh, who make you happy, who make you feel good, and mostly who make you feel loved and cherished
JessicaMollie BRONZE said...
on Oct. 15 2010 at 3:10 pm
JessicaMollie BRONZE, Hawera, Other
3 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life isn&#039;t measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

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Zakk, you are lucky, but it's kind of hard to make friends when people can hardly understand half the words you use. It's not like I deliberately use big words, it's just that to me one big word seems simpler than a lot of little words that still don't fully convey the meaning of what you are saying. An example would be the word convey which I just used. Most people in my class would say show, but to me convey expresses the meaning more accurately. I hope I'm still making sense, kind of going off on a tangent here...
Zakk H said...
on Oct. 12 2010 at 8:53 pm
I actually don't get looked at differently for being smart and I am greatful for that. I have tons of friends that are just as smart as me and tons of friends that have even had to go back a grade. It shouldn't matter if you're smart or not, it should just matter who you're like as a person. I am sorry you all feel like you are outcasted but hopefully it will change. Just put yourself out there and meet people! Best wishes and good luck! :)
mudpuppy BRONZE said...
on Oct. 12 2010 at 2:34 pm
mudpuppy BRONZE, Orangeburg, South Carolina
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Life is like a box of cheese and flower petal sometimes it&#039;s soft and sweet, sometimes it just plain stinks. - M.J.

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Oh, I made a mistake it was suppose to be the eight grade, but I was typing fast and put 'ninth' by mistake.
mudpuppy BRONZE said...
on Oct. 12 2010 at 2:33 pm
mudpuppy BRONZE, Orangeburg, South Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 475 comments

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Life is like a box of cheese and flower petal sometimes it&#039;s soft and sweet, sometimes it just plain stinks. - M.J.

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I skipped the nineth grade! This girl had once tried to jump me once, because she thought I had a higher grade than her (or at least that's what they say was her problem was). :