In every class in high school, there is always a particular overachieving genius whom teachers and students adore, almost like the class idol. Whenever an issue arises in the class or school, their opinion is sought after. If that student hasn't given their opinion, then who are you to say something? Even if you do, you are likely to be taken for granted.
These students are like the Albert Einstein of their time; every one of their opinions counts and matters a lot, whether they are right or wrong.
To crown it all, they make other students feel inadequate. I mean, you could be going through an assignment you're probably sure you got right, but just to be safe, you decided to ask that one person in class who knows it all, and that's where you sign up for a whole free lecture on how you should have done it, leaving you confused and questioning your intelligence.
I was a victim of such during my last high school examination, particularly during the math exam. I had not always been a genius when it comes to math, even though I ranked among the top 5 best math students in my class, mainly due to excessive studying and lessons, not because I truly loved math.
However, there was this classmate and friend of mine who excelled in every subject. Every student, both in my class and others, respected him and always sought his help. He was literally the brightest student, not just in our class, but among the top three in the entire school.
Of course, there were other bright students in my class, but the way teachers and other students talked about him made the rest of us feel inadequate, inferior, and, if I'm to be blunt, dumb is the right word.
During the math exam, which was the toughest exam we had ever written, considering it was the last one in high school, I was pretty sure I was getting the right answers to some questions. Not until I looked up and saw the dude using mathematical sets to make some drawings and markings. For a minute, I felt unintelligent because I was certain there was no need for it or perhaps I was mistaken.
I was very confused, and I looked around to notice a few students looking at him with confusion as well. Since it was an examination and we were not permitted to talk to fellow students, I just had to keep observing what he was doing. Some of my classmates had to seek permission from our class teacher to go get their mathematical sets to replicate whatever magic the class genius was doing.
Even though I was skeptical and kind of doubted my answers, I decided to stick to my work and not be a "follow follow" girl. After all, if I perish, I perish.
I was glad I trusted my instincts and stuck to myself. At the end of the examination, I was one of the two persons who got an A, and you can guess outrightly that the other person was none other than the genius. The rest of the wannabe students who tried to follow the pattern of their master, the genius, failed miserably and had to take a makeup test.
I couldn't stop talking to my sister about how all these geniuses make one doubt if they actually have something in their heads. If there's one thing I learned from all of this, it's to do things my own way and not care about how others do it, besides, it's the end/results that will justify the means.
Credits
image from freepik