Brilliant … But Bouncy

Were You Invited?

With the third quarter coming to an end, I can say with certainty that Dylan is finally doing what he’s supposed to do. It only took 11 years.

He checks daily to make sure his work is turned in, and he gets it done – and turned in – on time. If missing work pops up online, he finds out what it is and gets it done. Most of the time, his “missing” work is a test he only partially finished. Sometimes it’s an assignment he did, but forgot to turn in.

As a result, his grades are good. His grades are so good, in fact, that Dylan has been invited to apply for the National Honor Society.

Only a few weeks ago, Shane was invited to apply – and ignored the invitation. It was heartbreaking to discover, since Shane gets so little recognition for his accomplishments.

But I knew that Dylan had been doing quite well this year, so I asked Dylan specifically: “Were you invited?”

“Yeah,” Dylan said. “But I don’t know what it is.”

I get the feeling that the National Honor Society doesn’t do a very good job with their marketing.

So Dylan and I looked it up on the school website, and found out that there are a few things that are required of members. In Dylan’s case, he would need to do 15 hours of tutoring and 10 additional hours of student service learning. He would also need to assist with a group project, and do a project of his own.

“I could do that,” Dylan said. “I don’t want to do it, but if it helps me get into college….”

Dylan would not enjoy tutoring. Unlike his older and younger brother, he doesn’t have a lot of patience for teaching. In fact, he gets rather frustrated with anyone who doesn’t understand his way of thinking – which, since he is gifted, can be quite challenging for some (including me).

Dylan would not enjoy the individual project. He would love the group project, but given that he has trouble with finishing an independent reading book over a long period of time, I can’t imagine that he would do well with planning a project and carrying it out, step by step, over any length of time.

But Dylan would also need to apply for membership. He would be evaluated not just on his grades, but on his leadership abilities and involvement in the school community. Before they are even allowed to join (and tutor and do projects), students are expected to be leaders.

This could prove to be a problem. The school website describes members of the National Honor Society like this:

“Student leaders should be resourceful, problem solvers, promoters of school activities, idea-contributors, and dependable.”

Dylan is a leader, yes, but not in the classic sense of the word. He definitely exhibits leadership qualities – but in high school, he prefers to do his own thing. He has great ideas, and is an amazing problem solver. But again, he didn’t choose to use those abilities in school.

And dependability? Well… he’s getting there.

Dylan was invited to apply, but he’s not a shoo-in. And he’s not sure he wants to do the work that’s required of him if he is accepted.

“You can definitely do it, but I don’t know if you should bother,” I told him. “Even though you have the grades, maybe the National Honor Society just isn’t your thing.”

“It’s really not,” Dylan said.

But hey, he was finally invited to apply. And that’s what matters.