Back to School: Ainan's welcome.

Yesterday, Ainan went back to school, after resting a few days at home, owing to his broken arm. His welcome was instructive for what it said about the nature of the various people.

His school friends were very curious about his arm. He was assailed by questions all around of what had happened to him. All were keen to know every detail. That is a natural reaction - and one that showed that, in their childish way, they cared about Ainan and what had obviously befallen him.

The reactions of his teachers were altogether different but even more revealing. Not ONE teacher in his school enquired after his arm. Not ONE showed any interest in learning what had happened to him, or how he was. Incredibly, they had another concern: his hair. Three teachers, on different occasions, approached him, not with the intent to sympathize or enquire after his health - but to order him to do one thing: "Cut your hair, it is too long!", they said, as if each was reading from the same script. Perhaps they were, the script called MOE "teacher" training 101, "How to oppress the little people and make a big deal out of nothing, on a daily basis."

My wife and I were both somewhat surprised at the priorities of the teachers concerned. Part of the teacher's role in life - and an important part - is the physical and emotional well-being of their student charges. A teacher who had those priorities right would, in every instance, first enquire about Ainan's broken arm. They would not ever consider the state of his hair. It amazes me, in particular, that the concern for the hair should have been the common concern of all three teachers who spoke to him - and that not one did the human thing of enquiring after his arm. Their behaviour proves that these teachers do not understand what their priority as teachers should be: the well-being of their students.

For a hot country, Singapore can be remarkably cold at times.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.)

Ainan discovers Gravity, the hard way.

Everyone has heard the legend of Newton and his apple tree. Everyone knows that a falling apple is supposed to have inspired his insight into gravitation. Ainan, however, found another way to examine the issue of gravity.

Two days ago, when Ainan was on a swing in a playground, he was momentarily distracted and looked away from what he should have been paying attention to. This proved to be a mistake. Ainan fell face first from the swing, as it swung backwards. He reached out to break his fall with his left hand (being left-handed). Ouch. It hurt.

The pain accompanied him all the way home. It stayed with him as he lay recovering on the couch in front of the TV. It endured through all of his mother's soothing words. It even lay with him in bed that night. Syahidah told him: "If it is still painful in the morning, then we will know you have done something to it and we will take you to the Doctor."

In the morning, it was still painful. Ainan had slept the whole night with his arm bent across his chest as if in an invisible sling.

It was decided to take him to the Doctor since this looked like more than a bruising. The Doctor duly had the arm X-rayed. The arm had bent, near the wrist, in a zigzag fashion. So it was "broken" but not quite in the way an adult's arm would be, for his was more flexible than an adult's bone. The Doctor termed it a "buckle fracture".

His broken arm has been placed in a cast - and yes, now he has a visible sling, so there is no need for him to imagine one. The Doc says it will be a month before he can be without it.

So, now, Ainan has a month without the joys of penmanship and written homework. I am sure that, at his age, this must be a great burden!

I asked him about his attitude to the swings after this.

"I will still go on the swings." He said, determined not to be thwarted by something as inconsequential as Gravity.

I hope he takes better care next time. This time it was a broken arm...I dread to think what might get broken next.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.)