Okay - I HAVE to say it ......

[Bullwinkle925]

The boy who won the National Spelling Bee. Is he a bit strange, or what? I don't know if his parents are doing this kid a favor by home schooling. Seems to me that he needs a bit more socialization with his peer group.
Anyone else have similar thoughts?

:shrug:

[Hugin]

1. ...

Seconded.

I see the poor guy sitting in a 'speed dating' or job interview in a few years...

"Uh, it's very nice you can spell... What other skills do you have?"

[Bullwinkle925]

2. I really felt badly for the kid.

In his 'bio' I thought it was a bit creepy when he did that little singing part. Clearly, his parents don't see anything out of the ordinary, but I can just see the social problems that he may be encountering down the road a bit.

[Hugin]

3. There's not much future in being a 'dork'...

Words from one who knows. :)

[Bullwinkle925]

4. I'm a bit on the dorky side myself - just ask my daughter.

But at least I'm a 'high'- functioning dork. I'm not sure what the future is for this kid. He even makes KKKarl look normal. (well, not quite - nothing could make that pig look normal).

[Hugin]

7. A High-functioning dork... eh?

:)

I'm not sure where I fall on the scale. They never tested me for it...

[Bullwinkle925]

8. Yeah - I think I hide it well, but it does manage to sneak out at times.

You should get yourself tested. You are probably not as 'dorky' as you think!

[Hugin]

10. Mine is a self-diagnosis...

I think I self-medicate with beer to compensate.

I'd go to a center, but, the word on the street is they only make one dorkier.

My current dorky obsession is finding out what really happened to Emila Erhart.
Very little information on that topic is available at DU.

[Bullwinkle925]

21. She's either:

1) Fish Food

or

2) POW by the Japanese - then done in with.


That's my take on it, at any rate.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

23. I don't think you're a dork

My current dorky qualities:

1. Smelling the Morrissey shirt collar from May 25th
2. Watching tennis 25 hours a day
3. Having 3 books going at once

Actually, except for #1, those aren't really dorky. My point is, dorky is in the eye of the beholder.

[Jade Fox]

5. These kids spend hours and hours....

simply memorizing words. Not the greatest of childhoods, I would think.

By the way, Grammar Cop told me to tell you it's "feel bad" not "feel badly".

[Bullwinkle925]

6. Thanks ...

I do need special 'policing' from time-to-time. "Feel bad" sounds cropped to me. That's the problem I have. Oh well.
Yes - the kids don't really have a normal childhood. That one especially.

[nickgutierrez]

9. Socialization?

How's that gonna get him into Harvard? :sarcasm:

Seriously, the parents that would force their kids to do something like this Spelling Bee nonsense scare me. I understand that they just want what's best for their child, or whatever nonsense line people like to use to defend this kind of thing, but one good look at the way a lot of these kids handle themselves on stage, and it's clear that they have parents who have drilled all sense of perspective right out of them, and replaced it with the spellings of words nobody ever uses.

[Bullwinkle925]

13. It gives me pause to consider my feelings toward this kid in particular.

I'm judging him by what I think a normal life is. Perhaps he is perfectly happy and content with himself and his lifestyle. I just couldn't help having a recoiling reaction to him during his 'bio' and could just imagine how he might be treated by his peers. Its great to have the brainpower that he has. I hope that he has a fulfilling life with friendships and joy for all that life has to offer.

[Spacemom]

11. He's not home-schooled

http://www.spellingbee.com/news_champ07.asp

<snip>
O'Dorney is an eighth grade student at Venture School in San Ramon, Calif.
<snip>

[Bullwinkle925]

14. Am I mixing him up with one of the others?

I could have sworn that they said he was homeschooled by his mother.

[Gormy Cuss]

17. Venture is an alternative, independent study school.

Self directed home study with an adviser. Looks like it caters to drop outs and others who don't fit well in a traditional school setting. It's a program of the local unified school district.

[Whoa_Nelly]

12. The kid is a prodigy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFGz0IkfP30

He may be behind re: social skills with peers...it's possible...he's also still very young. But, he seems to have a lot of personal confidence and has a natural talent for deep thinking and problem solving.

This kid is going to go far in life.

[Bullwinkle925]

16. I hope so.

He makes me think of a physician that I have worked with in the past. The physician is extremely brilliant, but is sorely lacking in social skills and is very awkward in social settings. Makes others around him feel awkward as well.

[Deja Q]

15. There are kids who go to social/peer schooling (public, private) that get shunned.

Or worse.

[Bullwinkle925]

18. Yes. I am curious to know more about this kid - whether or not his parents

are strictly promoting his intellectual side and not addressing the playful side of this kid (if he has one).

[Gidney N Cloyd]

19. Someone should start a national spellcheck bee.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

20. It's Danville - does anyone normal live there??

They can't all be Repukes!

[Bullwinkle925]

22. Amy Tan used to live there.

I can't see her as being a Repuke - but who knows??