Notices by Anne of Green Cables (anneofgreencables@noc.social)

@dan @skinnylatte came here to appreciate the "mussel memory" in addition to appreciating this as a musician. Cutest typo ever.

I think this boils down to 2 topics:

How to be confidently different
How to fail successfully

I have actually taken gifted education certs in the past when I taught middle school and high school long ago, and 1) we know these things, they're given lip service in training and we know them from our own experience, and 2) no one seems to actually incorporate them into real lesson plans. It veers too far into the social realm but it's sorely needed, just like concentration and relationship skills.

The education I received as a former #gifted kid:

"Let's stimulate your already exaggerated intellect and ignore the known underdeveloped parts of you."

What I feel would have been more helpful from this vantage point much later in life:

"Here's how to build rapport with people you have nothing common with."

"Here's how to relate socially to children your own age."

"Do this hard thing unrelated to your talents and be OK with it being somewhat imperfect."

(Learned these all the long way)

I've been thinking a lot about how maximizing #intelligence is not the flex people think it is (hi, fellow former gifted students, lol.) It needs to be used for a purpose and combined with kindness in humans to be useful, and being on the extreme end is burdensome at best and entirely isolating at worst (people who work on theories and projects so advanced nearly no one else can understand or discuss them.) /1

Pretty sure what's best for companies and the world is *not* homogeneity, inequity, and exclusion.

The best concrete action I can arrive at for these times is along these lines:
1. Demonstrate through your actions that kindness and tolerance are valued and important.
2. Make very clear that bigoted commentary is unwelcome and not OK with clear consequences for continuing it (e.g. you will leave/not see them, etc.)
3. Volunteer or contribute to causes such as human rights, literacy, food banks, and other areas that have established groups.
4. Take good care of yourself so you can keep going.

@ryanc @morb I meant the double meaning (both) 💥

@ryanc a short one?

@pluralistic so glad you're OK, it is easily treatable, and you have the wherewithal to deal with bureaucracy.