Beyond the Science Box: Why a School That Can't Tell a Clock From a Bomb is a Symptom of Deeper Problems

I'm sure by now you've heard about Ahmed Mohamed, the child who got to spend some time in juvenile detention and was suspended from school for three days because the school principal thought his extracurricular project was a fake bomb. Even though much has been said already about the incident, I think there are a few important points that haven't been addressed yet.

MacArthur High School's Administration Just Failed a Very Basic Electronics Literacy Test

Security expert Bruce Schneier said it best: Child arrested because adults are stupid.

When I first saw the released picture of the clock, I immediately identified on sight all of the components.  (See this article for a labeled diagram if you are curious.)  You don't have to be a government munitions contractor to know that bombs have to have an explosive component.  None of those parts are capable of that.

Saying that Ahmed's clock looks like a bomb is like saying that a metal tube with windows cut out from it looks like a plane -- it's obviously missing an essential piece of the puzzle.

No one doubts that electronics are an extremely important part of the modern economy.  How did we get so far removed from them that seeing a box of very basic and innocuous electronic parts is enough to make school officials freak out and call the cops?  How can a school like that possibly do an adequate job educating its students about how things work?

I'm not saying that I expect every school employee to be an electronics expert.  But I have to think that if the school is doing its job there should be enough exposure to basic electronics just by being there that adults won't mistake them for something more sinister, in the same way that you wouldn't expect an English teacher to panic at a multiplication table or think that it was a computer virus.  Perhaps this year in addition to testing its high school students' aptitude in the economically critical skill of filling in bubbles with a #2 pencil, the State of Texas should have a session where students have to build a three-bit adder out of electromagnetic relays.

Schools Want You To Keep Out-of-School Learning Where It Belongs

Irving Chief of Police Larry Boyd unknowingly said it best:  "We live in an age where you can’t take things like that to school."  I learned very quickly in my educational career that school was incapable of helping me pursue my academic interests.  I can count the number of teachers I had that were even interested in nurturing my extramural learning on one hand, and I had very good teachers overall.  Even those teachers were unequipped to devote more than a few minutes in a school year on such things.

Can you imagine what kind of chaos there would be if every student brought their interests to school and expected teachers to help them learn more about them?  As an adult, I see why when children refer to outside learning they might at best get some small praise: it's much easier for the teacher.

Still, I think that encouraging students to bring their interests to school and teaching them more is worth it.  Can you imagine how wonderful it would be, and how much more motivated students would be to learn?  There would probably be a lot of cross-pollination of interests between students as well.  I can't think of a better way of exposing children to new topics.

If at First You Don't Succeed, Fail, Fail Again!

Perhaps the most serious problem is that the school is unwilling to admit it did anything wrong.  Irving Independent School District's insistence that it stands by the teachers and administrators and that the proper procedures were followed correctly sends a clear message: it's ok to be ignorant, it's ok to not learn from your mistakes, and anyone who has the gall to learn outside its walls should be treated as potentially dangerous.

What a bad example!  Now that they know there are serious flaws with their system, if they choose not to address them, we have to assume that they are satisfied with having those flaws.

I know I would never send my children to a school that is satisfied with having them.

Ore Academy Family Summer Camp - A Unique Opportunity

We are excited to share with you what is going into Ore Academy Family Summer Camp to make this experience extraordinary for the children and families involved.

Tuition for Ore Academy Family Summer Camp includes:

Lodging – Ore Academy will be held at Rockcliffe Farm Retreat and Lodge. There will be a lodge as well as tents provided. Families are welcome to bring camp trailers. The lodge will be used for daily activities. Limited rooms are available for those with health requirements making it necessary to sleep indoors.

Fun & Games

Extremely bright children are constantly soaking up the world around them. Play is one of the ways this is manifested. He plays with a new fascinating toy all day, then never picks it up again. She has a very active and developed imagination. He has taken apart the vacuum, the dvd player, and his bicycle, to figure out how they work. She is developing new codes and ways to encrypt them. These children need stimuli and an outlet for exploring and creating.

"Play is the highest form of research." - Albert Einstein 

We are their parents. We struggle to keep up with them, to keep them challenged, to help them develop, to keep them safe. We have witnessed the pure joy on their faces as they make a breakthrough or new discovery. Along the way we too have learned and grown. We wear the badge of Parent of Profoundly Gifted. We are becoming the experts in providing the needed outlets for our children.

Join us at Ore Academy's next Mom Meet Up as we discuss "Fun and Games". Bring the gems you have gleaned as we compile a resource of best loved fun and games. All participants will receive a printable copy of this valuable resource via email after the meeting.


Preregister now for this virtual meet up!
Mom Meet Up Registration

When: Saturday, March 28, 1:00pm EDT
Where: The convenience of your computer, tablet, or phone
Who: Moms of profoundly gifted children

Come Meet Other Moms of Gifted

Ore Academy is excited to announce that we are now hosting virtual meetings designed for moms of profoundly gifted children. These meetings are open to moms with children of any age. Moms can join the meetings by phone or internet. This service is offered free of charge, preregistration is required. Each meeting will have brief introductions and a discussion topic. Ore Academy Mom Meet Ups are a great opportunity to connect with other moms who are going through similar experiences. Come be part of our Mom community!

To preregister for Ore Academy Mom Meet Ups, follow this link:

Registration for Mom Meet Up

School Does Not Fit My Child, What Do I Do?

Thursday, January 29, 6:00 pm ET

Living with Intensity

Tuesday, February 24, 8:00 pm  ET

Beyond the Math Box: There Are No Dragons!

My mother was a child psychologist and she always used to say that if a child is old enough to ask a question they are old enough to get a straight answer, and that the answer should go into all the depth that the child is interested in. That approach hasn't always been easy with Adam, but it's paid big dividends.

Reaching Beyond Borders

We have gone international! Ore Academy's blog has now been viewed in 22 countries and 44 of the United States. We have reached all of the continents with the exception of South America and Antarctica. Six year old Adam has been helping us mark the world map. He is anxious to add Italy to the list. Thank you to all of our readers. We would love to hear from you! Give a shout out, in the comments, letting us know where you are. And if you know someone in Italy to share our blog with, you would make a little boy very happy.

I Have Never Met Anyone Who Has a Child Like Mine… Until Now

A few weeks ago, I received a call from a mama who had heard about Ore Academy. With her permission, I share some of our conversation. 

She began telling me about raising her five year old son, who is often referred to as a genius. He does algebra, and reads and writes in many languages. The more she talked the more I knew exactly what she was talking about. In a lot of ways it was like she was describing my child and my home. I was amazed at the similarities. When I told her about my son, Adam, there was a long pause, followed by, "I have never met anyone who has a child like mine."

I have never met anyone who has a child like mine.

Both boys have a hard time making meaningful childhood friends. In her words, "The other children aren't interested in what he is interested in, and go off to play, while he continues what he was doing." We had both experienced environments where teachers or coaches just did not know what to do with our little boys. We discussed our desire to not only meet each other, but for our sons to meet.

Leta Hollingworth, a pioneer in understanding and advocating for the profoundly gifted, wrote:

[Most profoundly gifted children] play little with other children unless special conditions such as those found in a special class for the gifted are provided. They have great difficulty in finding playmates in the ordinary course of events who are congenial both in size and in mental ability. Thus they are thrown back upon themselves to work out forms of solitary intellectual play.

I got off the phone and cried. I had finally found someone who had a child like mine. I had found someone who understood the intensities, hardships, and joys I lived with, a family who needs what Ore Academy has to offer as much as my family does. 

That afternoon I told my son, Adam, about this little boy. He watched the videos of this little boy intently. He then asked "How old is that boy?" When I told him he was five, I saw disappointment come over his face. I then pointed out that even though they were not the same age they had a lot in common and could still be friends. Adam's whole self lit up. That night when Daddy got home Adam made a chart to tell him about his new friend. He had a column for himself, Daddy, and the friend. He listed his own interests and likes under each column. He then marked if Daddy and this boy shared his interests. Question marks where used for unknown information. 

Did finding someone, even if by long distance, have an effect on my six year old? Yes!

I have met someone who is like me.

Did meeting a mama like me have an effect on me? Yes! 

I am someone who tries to hide emotions, and am usually pretty good at it. I try to put on a strong face. This time I could not. The tears came. I needed to share my experience. Through tears and choking up I got on the phone and called my brother. After my story ended, he said "What I am hearing is community. You need community." He hit the nail on the head. That is what my precious boy, my family, and I were missing. Someone who understood. I then called the camp directors and staff of Ore Academy; they needed to know about this experience. This is what Ore Academy is about. 

To those of you who are raising profoundly gifted children, know you are not alone. I am going through the trenches with you. I too am exhausted from the intensities that come with having profoundly gifted children. I know what it is like not to be able to share in a normal mommy group what my normal looks and feels like. I also yearn to share the intense joys and awe that come from raising these amazing children without trying to sound like I am putting my children on a pedestal.

With the help of God, I am dedicating the energy I did not know I had to advocating for profoundly gifted children and their families. We need a place where our families finally fit. I urge you to become part of the Ore Academy community. We desperately need each other. Come know what it feels like to be able to say, "I have never met anyone who has a child like mine… until now."