Michael Sylvester wrote:
>
> I have a student in my class who I and the other students perceive as
> weird and wacko. His head is shaved as a skinhead,wears dark classes,
> sits alone in a corner from the other members of the class-seems to
> be the classic loner.
> He has a unique way of writing.Its all lines and dots,looks like morse
> code.I am unable to tell where the top or the bottom of the page is.
> I can not even tell where his name is on the page. I asked
> him not to write this way,but he
> insisted that's how he writes. So I have him read his answers to me when
> the test is over. I require that all his take home written assignments be
> typed .
> He is also very defensive about his answers ,but he is getting A's.
> He is extremely bright. I suspect that this guy is so paranoid
> and perfectionist that if he was to less than A in the course something
> may happen.
> Have you had cases like this and have advanced with caution because of
> your awareness of the warning signs?
> Comments invited.
>
> Michael Sylvester
> Daytona Beach
Warning signs of what?
The critical fact here seems to be that he IS getting A's, so I
assume his answers are focused, relevant, and correct. It's my
experience that all bright students are "defensive" about their
answers. They study and know the material well enough to believe
that the answer they give is correct. It should take only a simple
explanation of why the answer is not correct (with supporting material
from the text or lecture notes) to satisfy them. On occasion, the
students can persuade me that their answers are correct (with the same
sort of supporting material).
Handwriting can be terrible for many reasons. For example,
perceptual/motor problems.
A shaved head and dark glasses are hardly sufficient reasons to fear
a student. Why don't you ask him about his interests outside of class.
Perhaps he's a musician or writer. Maybe he's undergoing chemotherapy.
I knew a woman who developed light sensitivity during treatment and
hated it when people assumed she was some sort of freak because of her
bald head and dark glasses. Bottom line--you're assuming too much.
Talk to him.
All my best,
Pam
