Geek is Not an Insult

This is my last week as a literacy specialist at a community center in inner city Milwaukee, although in reality it had more to do with babysitting than literacy. I didn't always get along with the kids. I didn't really understand them, and they didn't really understand me. As I was reflecting about what wisdom might have come from me and creeped into their brains, nestled between the Bratz dolls and the rap music, I came to the conclusion that I hope it was the thing I often said "It's ok to be different." It sounds cheesy and cliche and obvious, but until I worked here, it never really dawned on me how important it was.

Most of these kids come from similar backgrounds. Most are low-income, several from single parent homes. They're all from similar neighborhoods. They're all African-American. They all have similar taste in music--they all like R&B, and then about half like gospel and half like rap. And they will all try to pick on you and try to find out how you're different. Being called a geek or a nerd is one of the biggest insults they use. Last year, a middle school aged boy came here. He was already different than all the kids because his mother was white. His sister blended in quickly with the younger girls--bonding over music and Bratz and jump rope. He had a bit more trouble.

He was smart. He didn't want to hide it, like some of the other kids do. He did well in school. He enjoyed working on the First Lego League team. And, while other the other kids barely knew who "Dark Vader" was, when I said Shaak-Ti, this boy knew who I was talking about. And was picked on mercilessly for it. He was picked on for being smart, for not liking basketball, for liking Star Wars, for his pale skin, for being himself.

You know, this kid was one of the only ones who figured it out. He had it figured out by age eleven. It doesn't matter what other people want you to be. It doesn't matter what everyone else likes. Too bad it's going to take his classmates year to figure that out, if they ever do.