i just want to be average

I found the story, "I just want to be average", by Mike Rose really interesting. Rose was accidentally misplaced when he was is school. After they found out what happened, they moved him up to where he should be. Doing this confused him. He already had this built up self-perception of who he was and where he belonged.

I am a psychology major and have recently been studying a little about perception and the influence it can have on you. There was once a study done where two different groups of kids were placed in a classroom. They split them up so that the smart kids would sit on one half, and the dumb kids on the other half of the room. They then told the teachers (which had never met the students before) that the kids on the left side of the room (the smart kids) were the dumb ones, and to treat them accordingly. Then they said that the other half (the dumb kids) were the smart kids, and to treat them accordingly. They tested the kids at the end of the year, and i am not completely sure, but i think they found that the smart kids who were treated like they were dumb ended up doing poorly on the test. The dumb kids who were treated like they were smart ended up doing exceptionally well. I could be a little off, but from what i remember, that is how it went down. I just think it is so fascinated that the smart kids that were treated like they were dumb, did poorly on the test, and visa versa for the dumb kids. It just goes to show how much influence what someone tells you you are has on you. If someone is treated like a nobody their whole life, then they probably will become just that, but if someone is treated like they are everything, then they are more likely to become that.

overall, i really enjoyed the reading. it made me think some. I think teachers have a big influence on their students. I think by encouraging them and complimenting them on the good they are doing can have lasting affects on their life reaching their potential.