Geeks

I'm quite happy to hold my hands up and out myself as a geek.  After all, I seriously cannot contain my  excitement at the thought of all 5 Star Trek Captains together at a Star Trek convention in October this year.  In London *squeeeeeeal* MUST.BE.THERE!  As a teenager I had a huge poster of the Starship Enterprise above my bed and I eschewed all Disney Paraphernalia on a family trip to Disneyland, California when I was 16, instead coming home with a Captain Picard T-shirt (make it so!) and a book on Zen Buddhism.  Definitely a geek.

Not to be confused with Nerd. A geek does not have to be smart, a Geek is someone who is generally not athletic, and enjoys Video Games; Comic Books; being on the internet, etc. Urban dictionary.

I wouldn't have been happy to admit to being a geek at school.  After all, the geeks were only one step above the nerds, y'know, the ones who were uber-intelligent but didn't care that their specs were NHS or that short sleeved sheets and slim-leg grey trousers were fashion suicide.  I was top set, and actually quite athletic til my boobs grew in the 10th year and it all went pear-shared (literally).  No, I was a rebel - with my leather jacket, tight-chained leggings and red hair.  Okay, so my idea of actual rebellion was to occasionally wag school only to head to the library to complete my English coursework, but I looked the part.

That aside, I counted the geeks and the nerds amongst my friends.  They were certainly more pleasant to be around than the so called trendy kids - y'know, the one's you see pop up on your Facebook with a gazillion kids to someone equally unpleasant from the year above.  You tended to get a higher standard of conversation with nerds and geeks, though I'd often bring them down to my level (nerd-confuddling, a fun pass-time).  Even aged 14 they were already discussing the merits of socialism and existential literature (yeah, even in the North).  So they were pretentious, but you will never find the perfect teenager!

As a teacher I am reminded of this on a daily basis and I see the same social divisions and forms of self-expression that existed almost 20 years ago (and no doubt 20 years before that too).  Nobody wants to be labelled, but it's no fun being on your own - it's so much more comfortable to be part of a group.  I didn't have a group at school after about the age of 13.  I was a little bit transient, wanting to be myself and at a time when there was no alternative movement (the term 'emo' had certainly not yet been coined, thank god).  Yes, a group would have been comforting - safety in numbers and all that, but I've never had a strong enough desire to fit in.  That would be too sensible *sigh*  However, I'll never forget walking through the town centre, aged 14, with my mother one day (I know, being seen in public with a parent at that age? Social suicide!).  We walked past this pub which was always pumping out the 'Heavy Metal' music I absolutely loved.  A group of long-haired leather jacket wearing people walked past and greeted me.  I must have given them a funny look as they responded with "Don't worry, we're on your side".  I didn't really think too much about what they meant as although I had already been bullied a fair bit over the years, the image was new so I hadn't yet had bother over it.  I retained the 'alternative image' throughout the remainder or my time at school and came to understand what those friendly metal-heads had meant.  One day I would make friends who would accept me for myself and wouldn't label me a 'grebo' and spit at me.  And indeed I did.  Many times over.

And so as a teacher I always want to say to the quiet student sitting on their own that everything will be so much better for them in a few years.  The nerds already know it.  They will excel and become highly paid professional people.  People will have to call them sir and boss and they will reap the rewards of not having conformed.  The geeks, well, they're not so self-assured as they share many of the same social inadequacies but don't have the self-belief.  I would love to say to them that this awkwardness is temporary and that the boys and girls will love them for their individuality in a few years (especially those who pick up a guitar - every girl loves a cool rockstar dude) but for now I simply ask them about their video games and whether or not they will be attending the Star Trek convention.  At which point they laugh at me and exclaim mock indignation at what a geek I am, bless.