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On Nerdhood

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Sheri
Nov 04 2006
02:11 pm

BBC’s (the guy, not the news-folk) article on the freedom of nerdiness really resonated with me. I, too, find that the older I am, the more delight I take in the activities and aspects of my personality that are commonly labled as nerdy.

Last year I mentioned to my fourth-graders that I was an unashamed nerd and several of them tried to deny it, as if nerdiness was something to be avoided. I laughed and tried to explain that I classified myself as a nerd willingly and even gleefully, but they didn’t seem to understand. It’s rather sad that nerdiness is so unpopular with the younger crowd. And, strangely enough, at least one of the kids denying my nerdiness was one who I’d classify as a blossoming nerd in her own right. How can we make the title a badge of pride—or at least just another acceptable choice like "jock" or "skater"—rather than a brand of shame?

Most recent nerdy experience: This morning my husband (a librarian and first-class nerd) laughed when he came into our bedroom and found me grinningly engaged in [u:290d5f3982]Eats, Shoots and Leaves[/u:290d5f3982], a humorous book on punctuation, with my dictionary open beside me.

Update: My husband is gleefully showing me that he has just created a computer program that counts to a million and then stops. Who but a nerd would take delight in that?

Hurrah for nerds everywhere!