The best and the brightest

Today's Topic: Intelligence

I read an article last week in the Toronto Star that blew my mind (no pun intended). It had a profile on the top student at every different district in the Toronto High School Board and their average. The lowest, TOP student in all the district's was a student who achieved a 97% overall average in eight subjects. For what it's worth and if you don't believe me you can read a profile on of the students here who had a 100% overall average:
http://www.thestar.com/article/834981--ace-earns-perfect-report-card-how-did-she-do-it

Imagine. A 100% overall average. Now to achieve this is incredible. The article I read answered all your questions that you have brewing on on your mind. How did they do it? Do they have anything else in their life? How many hours of homework did they do a night? To me, the answers were surprising.

They all had very different answers on why and how they did it. Some did it for their own motivation, some did it because their parents gave them absolute freedom, and one girl did it because they wanted to prove their brother wrong. To make sense of it, they all had extracurricular activities outside of school. Some volunteered, some had a good time with friends on the weekend, some were on school reach and some were in gifted programs to FURTHER challenge themselves. I thought it was interesting however that none of them played sports or at least they never mentioned sports as their favorite past time. Maybe that's why I only graduated grade 12 with an overall average of 83%. I guess once you play sports, your average sinks a bit because you simply just don't have the energy or enough hours in a day. I also thought it was interesting that one boy's least favorite subject was french because that was his "lowest" average from his eight courses...a 96%. Smart ass.

And trust me people, these kids were not working around the clock or killing themselves to get these grades. Three to four hours a night was all it took. Some also worked a lot on weekends hitting the books. And they did it because they just loved knowledge. School is their addiction. That's what it comes down to.

I think it's safe to say that not only was I baffled by these grades but was puzzled at the same time. Okay, I understand how you could get a 100% in say math or chemistry because there is a right and wrong answer and your graded on the knowledge of a right or wrong equation. But I struggled with how they could get a perfect score in English simple because of essays, big projects and interpretation of literature. Those must have been some damn fine essays. Either that or all of their English teachers didn't want to be that teacher that held their average down by only giving them a 90%.

I just think it's amazing how someone can dedicate themselves to such work. One teacher said it best to me when she told our class at the start of the semester that "You all start out with 100% in this class. And what you choose to do with that 100% is up to you." Good point Ms. Irvine.

So like all my other blog topics, how does society fit into this topic? Well, society awards gifted people in general. If you're smart, every wants to help you and everyone wants to recruit you. And I bet a lot of workplaces are pressured to hire students like this. The first things that these kids will get is money. Society likes to award money to the smartest. Doctors, engineers, chemists, NASA employees...they all make a handsome salary. And post secondary institutions are on the smart money boat as well, paying ridiculous amounts of cash for the best and the brightest. Family even makes a case. Good grades could mean a good allowance; a bribe if you will. Bribe your kids to be smart...is that good parenting? Who does it help more?


I wonder for these kids at what point pressure sets in. When I was growing up and trying to get good grades, I felt there was always a certain point where the pressure was on to perform. There was a time and a place for everything smart and I took care of business when I had to. But I was no where near perfect. For me, being perfect was being happy with myself. Whenever I got into an argument with my parents over my grades, I just told them that I put effort into the stuff that interested me and my grades reflected that. I hated Math, so that's why I got a 65. I loved writing so that's why my English mark was an 88.

Personal satisfaction is the key to intelligence. Don't you think it's amazing that people are so similar yet everyone has their own interest at what makes their clock tick. And I think that two people never put the exact same effort into the exact same work at the exact same time everyday for their whole life.

And for the People out their still reading, throw away every stereotype of what you consider to be a smart person because these kids all had a different colour of skin, a different ethnicity and they were male and female. What does a perfect or near perfect average student look like to you? Did you sit beside one of the bus or subway and not be any the wiser? All valid questions that everyone has their own opinion on. Here's mine: it doesn't matter what they look like.

Our North American society has set up a grading system. We are all judging each other and let's face it, it feels great being perfect at something in life. And it doesn't even have to be school. Making a perfect piece of toast, the perfect park job, the perfect kiss, picking out the perfect piece of clothing...we have all felt it. But how many wish they could be "perfect" all the time?

Society calls intelligence various things. Smart, super smart, A genius, a wiz kid, a smarty pants, gifted, incredibly gifted...I could go on and on. To all those students in the Toronto Star article that inspired this week's Sunday Sitdown, your dedication to school is nothing short of exceptional. My hat goes off to all of them, but that doesn't mean I'm not still perplexed and how they did it.

Just remember, I think it's very important to keep one thing in mind and I want everyone to really think about this one this week: All intelligence is based on matter of opinion.