Reply to when does being "the smart one" stop being a social liability?

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Reply to "when does being "the smart one" stop being a social liability?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The parents saying that being smart has never been a social liability have ZERO experience in a school where success in school is not valued by the majority of the school population. This was certainly the case during my schooling. It was socially encouraged not to “try” in class. To try or to be smart was being a swot, stuck up or a teachers pet. I learned to lie about my grades and the amount of time I’d spent on homework. I’d tell my peers I’d failed a test or got low marks on an assignment so that I was more socially accepted. In a school where kids don’t value success it is ABSOLUTELY a social liability to be smart.

Fortunately my kids have not experienced this and are both in very academically focused programs where doing well is socially encouraged and rewarded.[/quote]

NP, I don't doubt that these environments exist.  I am puzzled that educated parents would put their academically smart willingly into one.[/quote]

He's already in private. We were told it was the best local school. What else were we to do? We didn't know the culture was like this, by the way - I assumed it didn't matter in elementary school. [/quote]

OP, I'm sorry for the bounty of obnoxious posters on this thread.
It sounds like good natured teasing so I think you should just not worry about it. Boys at that age tease each other about everything - sports, height, hair, body type, video game ability. 
It's nothing your child did or you did but you can help your child deal with it properly by explaining that and not making a big deal about it. If you see it's starting to impact his effort at school work or if his self-esteem is suffering I'd consider switching him out of that environment.

DS was always thought of as the "smart kid" in our private. Wasn't teased or bullied but it was just his reputation because things came easy. It did not bother him at all but we later switched DS to a larger public school and it was interesting for him to not have any reputation. He found a more diverse group of friends and was not really the "smart kid" anymore although he's still an all A student now in MS. There's good and bad to this because his identity is no longer around other people thinking he's smart so I do wonder how that will impact him going to HS where the smart kids take all the APs and do well.
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