Today I ran into an acquaintance that I hadn’t seen in about three years. I asked about her kids and she asked about mine, who are all in roughly the same age group. I mentioned that my older child was happy at his school because he is a nerd and there are a lot of other nerds there, along with a lot of nerdy activities like band, robotics, and the coding team.
She looked at me with wide eyes and said she didn’t think of “nerd” as a very nice thing to say about a kid. But I think it can be. Same with “geek” and “weird.” I love kids who are nerdy, geeky, and/or weird.
Here are official definitions from Merriam-Webster:
Just ignore that part about the carnival performer. You know that’s not what I mean. Focus on Geek definition #3.
Image: Archie Mcphee
Now think about the kids you know. Are they devoted to their intellectual pursuits? In other words, do they want to learn ALL about something that interests them? It doesn’t have to be a traditional “academic” thing, either. Are they enthusiastic about some activity or interest? Is there something about them that’s strange or eccentric? I hope the answer to all three questions, is YES. If it is, they are interesting kids who will become interesting adults.
Bloggers tend to be geeks too, and several have taken on this nerd/geek topic:
Via Great White Snark
I like the way this one separates Geek from Social Ineptitude. A kid can be a basketball geek or a rock music geek or a Pokemon geek and still have friends.
Image: Shoebox Blog
Let’s talk about Dorks. Merriam-Webster says dork is a synonym for nerd (or for jerk). We tend to use dork when someone is being a little extra nerdy, and proud of it.
Kid: “I really want to make this t-rex hat for Halloween!”
Sibling: “Haha — Dork — that’s amazing!”
Why do we think of both nerds and geeks as being men? Girl geeks, we love you too!
Image: xkcd
Okay, this describes it pretty well. As usual, xkcd knows all of us.
But, I digress. Let’s embrace and normalize our nerdy and geeky kids! Nerds and geeks and dorks and weird people are interesting and successful! They can grow into popular adults who change the world for the better! If your kid is a nerd, let them know that you love that about them.
This advice goes to teachers, too. Especially middle school teachers. All middle school kids are geeky about something, and it might be something weird. Let them be geeky! Let them dive into whatever they’re interested in and learn ALL about it. Let them know that you value their weird interests and nerdy passion. And don’t be afraid to fly your own geek flag, about what you’re teaching or something completely different. Kids know when you’re being authentic, and they appreciate it.
The next time a nerdy kid tells you about something weird that they love, listen and learn from them. You’ll help them become an interesting person.
Brandon Applegate
Cary Busby