Impressions can become deceptions..don't fall for them! Wed Sep 20 14:35:47 2000
I'm not one to brag about anything, but here's the thing. I guess it's been happening to me a lot this school year, than it has ever happened before! School started for me on August 28, 2000. The First week of classes, rather first day of classes, I met up with the people I had spoken with last year, and the thing that came out of their mind was "I thought you had graduated already!" Okay, okay, I wish I DID have graduated and I wish that I was in graduate school by now, but I'm NOT, nor have I graduated. I got this response from about 5 people during the first week, and I'm still getting it even now!
Now today..it's gotten to a point that I had to write about it. Earlier today I had two tests, one in Chemistry the other in Physics. Before I went to take the tests, everyone is like, hey you're "SMart" you'll do good don't worry. Hmm..how do they know I'm smart? I mean, they've never known me well enough to know my GPA, but rather they just assume that. Then just now, I was talking to another person, and he said "you're smart", I guess it made me want to talk about this issue on my msg board because it has gotten way out of hand. But in response to this, this person I spoke to asked me if I'd like it if everyone called me "dumb"...well of course I wouldn't! But why should one be called "dumb" or "smart" isn't there such a thing as being "normal"..being a person, not having to be identified by a characteristic...why not just a name?
I guess the worst part of all of this is that, I know way too many of the teachers on campus, I know them personally enough to talk to them, kind of more like a friendship thing sometimes, though not as deep as a real friendship. But the thing is this, now that I'm taking my classes this year, all 5 of my teachers this semester know me. One I had a class with during my freshmen year, the other I had a class with last year, and have anther class this year with him, another I had a class with last year and this year, another is my dad is friend, and the last one is the one I worked for in the biology dept. But the thing which bugs me is that ALL of these teachers (well 3 of them for sure!), have this image in their mind of me being "extremely smart"..I'm sure all of you out there are saying "Wow, congrats, you're lucky to have teachers think of you like that" but umm..actuallly No I'm not happy. Put yourself in the position once then tell me. Since my teacher think I'm smart, they think that I should know the answer to anything they ask in class..they look at me everytime they ask..they even call on me (who likes that??)! I thought I came to the class to learn..how the heck would I know the answers if I'm still learning just like the other students? Then there's the thing about when my teachers need help for something, hmm...they put me in charge for doing it in the class, it only makes the other students think that I'm a brown noser, which I am NOT! Then when you do bad on a test, this teacher wonders what happened to you..they call you into their office and ask you to talk it over with them! Well if they would have known from the start that I wasn't that good at the subject and had judged me as a "normal" student, then they would have understood my score. Then there's the thing about doing something in class, you're assigned a hard task, and you know what happens...everyone comes running to you...asking you to be their partner, because hey you could pop out those answers faster than them...but not always!
I guess sometimes, it's not too bad to be considered smart, but there is a limit to it. It's not fun being told that you are smart all the time..neither is it fun being told that you are the dumbest kid alive. All of us need to be judged as real people, and not supernatural genius's! If my teachers would just judge me from day one, on who I am..and not the way I dress (I admit, sometimes I do dress a bit like a smartass--but that's just taste in clothing!), then they wouldn't end up breaking the image they get of me later on. I guess all I can say is that it has gotten to a point, in which I go to my class right ON time because I hate being early to class, because then the teacher just talks to you, and asks you about this and that. It has also gotten to a point in which, when I see a teacher walking down the hall my way, I take the longer way to go wherever just to avoid my teacher. Don't get me wrong, I'm not Anti-social, but I'm just sick of all these impressions people start making of me even before knowing me well enough.
So briefly...for all of you out there judging others by their impression..do this--talk to them...see how they are. And if you need to comment, comment on something other than the person you're talking to being smart, because you never know if that person you're talking to might just be annoyed just like me. Btw...or lastly, don't ever make an impression of someone on the first day, and if you do please don't stick to it! It only makes you think more and it makes the person you spoke to, feel bad if they don't match up to what you thought they were/are!
Note: You know who you are...I'm not making fun of you. I just took what you said and made a msg for my msg board out of it. Thanks though..1st :)