Geek is good . . . right?

[BibleBeltCatholicMom]

It wasn't always, though. I mean, back in the way back a geek was the same as a nerd was the same as a doofus was the same as . . . "other" and not cool at all.

 

But now it seems that Geek is still other but in a smart AND cool way.

 

I find this important b/c I think I have a geeky offspring. She is very smart and beautiful and devout and has friends. She's also a trekkie and wants to be super computer smart and loves robotics and legos and when she talks in her sleep it's in Latin and Ancient Greek and German and English . . . the first time my husband heard this (camping) he wanted to call a priest!

 

When she can't sleep she likes to listen to the first 50 digits of pi or the golden mean to 5000 digits (or whatever) on librivox.

 

She wants to be the nun to invent Starfleet Academy.

 

It is a sick day (Saturday is ususally a school day b/c we have Fridays off) and she's in the floor drawing Voyager.

 

I don't know if I'm geeky or not but people who profess to love me or respect me professionally call me the idiot savant or absent minded professor. Is that geeky? If I am geeky, I'm a different geeky.

 

I ask b/c . . . don't geeky ppl have a hard life?

 

So I just checked on her and she's doing the warp core all in glitter. : P

Edited October 6, 2012 by BibleBeltCatholicMom

[Mrs Mungo]

My experience with geeky people? They have a hard time in high school. Then, they are mostly highly successful in real life. But, yes, I think it's currently popular to be smart, geeky and in the know. And it's popular among the homeschooled teens that we know. Many of them are into Trek, Dr. Who, Big Bang Theory, etc. And, they love this site: http://www.thinkgeek.com.

Edited October 6, 2012 by Mrs Mungo

[GWOB]

Gosh I hope so! My son is currently glued to the computer. He found a cool new programming site for kids. He knows everything there is to know about Star Wars. He constantly spouts random facts to anyone willing to listen. Thankfully his big blue eyes will lure some poor girl.

[Ipsey]

Gosh I hope so! My son is currently glued to the computer. He found a cool new programming site for kids. He knows everything there is to know about Star Wars. He constantly spouts random facts to anyone willing to listen. Thankfully his big blue eyes will lure some poor girl.

 

Oh, Wendilouwho!

Could you find out the name of this programming site for kids. One of my kiddos really wants to learn how to do this. I've found a couple. . .but they just seem. . .bleh.

Thanks so much!

 

OP, yeah, I think Geek is good, particularly if students have a group to Geek-out with. A lone Geek is lonely and, potentially, vulnerable--at least in a public school. My husband was a self professed 'band geek' and I was just a brainiac. We worked it out. :)

[BibleBeltCatholicMom]

Did you happen to see this on the subforum? http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=429767

 

I don't know which one Wendylouwho is referencing but this might be appealing to you.

[Crimson Wife]

There are an awful lot of geeks in my neck of the woods who got the last laugh after being miserable in jr. high. They are tech start-up millionaires while the formerly "cool" ex-jocks are slaving away at their regular jobs trying to make ends meet.

[Joshin]

Yes being a geek is cool now, thank goodness! My youngest is a self-professed geek, and proud of it. My oldest would be horrified if someone labeled him a geek...In my house, we treat those terms as complements. A few weeks ago another kid called DS7 a geek at a scout event. DS looked him in the eye and said, "Yep. Why, are you going to bully me about it?" The kid looked confused and said no. DS answered, "Good. I have more developed fine and gross motor skills than you. So I can duck faster and aim better, so I'd probably win if you tried." :lol:

 

If you're worried about a hard life, read "Nerds: Who they are and why we need more of them" by David Anderegg if you get a chance. A very good book about "geeky" kids. Delves into the psychology behind how people view nerds and geeks and is a very good read. I don't think homeschooled geeks suffer as much socially as those in public or private schools, but I still like to be prepared just in case!

[LittleIzumi]

Geeky people who find geeky friends and have a decent self-image make it through even high school happy, and it gets better from there--it's much easier to find like-minded friends when choosing colleges, majors, and geeky jobs. :001_smile:

 

We're total geeks here.

[Dmmetler]

I think "geek=cool" depends on who you're with. DD7, when she's had girls over from dance (generally PS kids, FWIW), has sometimes gotten the "But what do we DO???" questions because we don't have the Xbox or Wii systems, don't have a big-screen TV (and since our TV is inside a cabinet, it's often not obvious that we even HAVE a TV), and so on. They always find something to do, but it often takes active work and intervention to get it started-for, example, for them to join DD happily making crafts in the schoolroom or dancing on the back porch. There's a weirdness that it takes them a little bit to get outside.

 

But when we've had homeschool groups over more recently for things like mythology or Latin, our house has quickly become the "geeky kid hangout"-because THESE kids are thrilled with the wall o'lego bins, the fact that we have Daleks attacking LoTR and Harry Potter Lego minifigs on the bookcase, the ton of board/card/tile/puzzle games, and so on. To those kids, Geek definitely = Cool, and the fact that DD has PARENTS who embrace their own geekiness is just amazing. They never even miss the fact that there's no obvious TV, video games, or even computers on the main floor of the house.

[GWOB]

Oh, Wendilouwho!

Could you find out the name of this programming site for kids. One of my kiddos really wants to learn how to do this. I've found a couple. . .but they just seem. . .bleh.

Thanks so much!

 

OP, yeah, I think Geek is good, particularly if students have a group to Geek-out with. A lone Geek is lonely and, potentially, vulnerable--at least in a public school. My husband was a self professed 'band geek' and I was just a brainiac. We worked it out. :)

 

He is using Scratch. Nothing fancy, but really neat.

[Ipsey]

He is using Scratch. Nothing fancy, but really neat.

 

Thanks!

[Ipsey]

Did you happen to see this on the subforum? http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/showthread.php?t=429767

 

I don't know which one Wendylouwho is referencing but this might be appealing to you.

 

Ooh, thanks for the link!

[Mommyof4ks]

Geeky people still get made fun of and it is still hard in school IMO, but geeky people will someday get the last laugh. My dh is a geeky, techy type (computer programmer), but it has worked in his favor since high school (not-so-much in middle school). He was my math tutor, we married at 19, he graduated from college in 3 years, and he makes a really good salary for his age and our location. He sees nearly everything differently than most people, and he really needs a personal life assistant (that would be me ;)), but he is funny, sweet, and very loving.

 

My middle ds is following in his daddy's footsteps. He is always talking about the robots he wants to invent, and problems are not problems for him but just issues that he has yet to find a solution for. He is 9 though, he has yet to deal with the middle school years. My plan is just to encourage him to be himself.

[Arcadia]

I am a geek surrounded by geek neighbors and tech companies :lol:

Plenty of geek ladies and girls too :001_smile:

[Annie]

Geek is a compliment in our home. :)

 

I was blessed with a large group of geeky friends in school, which was very nice.

[angela in ohio]

I have geek kiddos, and I was/am. Dh was a football player/non-geek, but we are winning him over. :D

 

It's worked well for our girls, but of course, they don't care much what people might say about them negatively. I think it is easier to be a geek girl, though. There are more geek guys, so the odds are in their favor. ;) We sent 14 yo off to ps part time, and we worried about bullying or name-calling, but geek is really "in style" right now and she carries it pretty confidently, so she's had no problems at all. Last year, she was bullied at the homeschool co-op for "being a nerd." :glare: So this has been nice for her. She is not quite as geeky as her older sister, though, who is full-on computer science, robots, Latin, etc. like your dd. All of her good friends are guys, because we don't know a single girl who gets her *at all.* She is friendly with girls, but only for polite chit-chat. I can't wait until she goes to college and can find geek girl community.

 

Geek often overlaps with gifted, though, and all that comes with that. Yes, life can be a bit harder. People who think a bit more about things think a bit more about *everything.* So there can be more worry, more concerns, more sensitivity (not always, of course.)

Edited October 7, 2012 by angela in ohio

[katilac]

I think geeks still have a fairly hard time of it if they go to public or private school. Life is much easier on home educated geeks! :D

[GWOB]

I think geeks still have a fairly hard time of it if they go to public or private school. Life is much easier on home educated geeks! :D

 

It really depends. While you couldn't pay me enough money to ever go back to high school, I had my own little geek/nerd community. I was always in the "gifted" program. In middle and high school, the gifted kids had their own classes. I always felt comfortable in my gifted classes. In non-gifted classes like PE, art, and computer science I stuck out like a sore thumb.

 

In the 14 years since I've graduated high school, we still keep in touch, mostly through FB. Out of 420 fellow graduates, about 40 of those were in the gifted program. I can only think of 3 who didn't finish college. We have 3 PhD professors, 2 MDs, 4 lawyers, a bunch of computer geeks, a few college-grad SAHMs, and one UT-Austin grad (son of our local, much-loved newscaster) who last I heard worked at a video store. And way too many people who are still in a band. But the logical discussions we have when we occasionally get together (with tons of alcohol) are still amazing.

 

We aspire to be nerds in our house. Nerd is definitely a term of endearment. We embrace weirdness, so send your geeky/nerdy/dorky/weird kids on over! We love them.