Wednesday, October 22, 2014

A Genius in Real Life?

Today, you all handed in your second drafts of your creative short stories. Huzzah! I am so excited to dive back into these drafts, and to see the revisions that you've made. Now that we've gone through a round of revisions on grammar and form, the third drafts will focus on character and plot development.

As Mike would say, Sweeeeeet!

We also read Chapter 13 aloud together. Mike is fully engaged in trying to help raise the $40,000 to adopt Misha from Romania--but we are wondering if his plans will succeed.

Our word for the day was attribute, which is both a VERB and a NOUN! As a noun, it simply means, qualities--as in this example: My wife has many attributes: she is kind, bold, courageous, and energetic. But as a VERB, it means to explain the cause of something--as in this example: Some people attribute feelings of boredom to watching too much television!

After reading chapter 14 in The Absolute Value of Mike, share your insights, below, on this question: In Chapter 14, Mike replies to Past that his dad is not a genius " 'when it comes to real life,' " (p. 116). What do you think it means to be a genius in "real life" and not just according to math or any academic subject? 

66 comments:

  1. A genius in "real life" understands other people and emotions and things like that, not just an academic subject.
    --Grace Acton

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  2. I think it means that his dad is only good at math and nothing else.

    --Sean McNamara

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  3. I think it means that there are 2 different things that almost have the same attributes but really there is nothing that they share at all and I am comparing this to mike's dad and the real world. Mikes dad is a person who is depressed like Poppy, and mikes dad does the one thing he is good at to make him forget the incident he does a lot of math. And he does this to keep himself away from the reality that he is facing. like Mr. Reynolds taught us 1 or 2 weeks ago about being despondent.
    John Parlee

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  4. A Genius in real life is being knowledgeable about how to interact with people and how to take care of yourself and others, not just a specific academic subject like math or science.
    -Fiona Morrison

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  5. A genius in real life has compassion, understands people and feelings, and can make good decisions, where a academic genius understands a academic subject, but put in the real world of people and decisions that have to be made, they are useless.
    -Tessa

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  6. A genius in "real life" would have social skills, make good decisions, etc, not just good at academic. It's a different kind of intelligence.
    --Olivia Diodato

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  7. I think that a genius in real life understands other people and does what he needs to do and doesn't just do what he wants to do like math. He needs to focus on paying the bills and feeding people and not just be in his own private little world. --Emmalyn Mirarchi

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  8. A genius in real life is someone who gets peoples emotions and desires, or knows their needs, someone that can deal with an emotional conversation. Someone like Past or a therapist. A math genius is someone who gets theories and facts that don't require emotional conversations.
    Nick Joe Lewis

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  9. Being a genius in real life is being good at everything you do not just one thing like math
    -David Sampson

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  10. A genius in real life would be good at socializing and would be responsible and focused.

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  11. Being a math genius means you know all about how numbers work and numerical problems and equations, but that does not mean that you know ANYTHING about people; their emotions, behaviors and body language. It also doesn't mean that you have common sense, which is what you would use in a real, non-mathematical, problem. --Collin Burns

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  12. Being a genius in real life is someone who has common knowledge. They make good decisions and are social. Not like Mike's dad, who's strength is math and nothing else.
    - Lwiza AitDowd

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  13. A "real life " genius is being able to communicate with people. Is understanding to all, caring. A "genius" is someone that is really good at a subject like in mikes dads case it would be math, that he is really good at.

    -- Anna Laursen

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  14. I think a genius in "real life" is when someone is really smart at his or her right.

    -Alondra

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  15. I think it means to be able to actually socialize with other people and know what's going on around you instead of just staying to yourself and only being social with numbers.
    --Emily Rypinski

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  16. being a real life genius meas to be remarkably smart and good at every thing academically

    Jack hunnewell

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  17. I think being a genius in real life means that he understands what they mean not what they say. Like not just academic genius being social and connecting with people. That is what I think it means to be a genius.

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  18. I think being a genius in real life means you are good at interacting with people. Like solving relationship problems or you have good social skills, good manners, and understand peoples emotions.
    - Rachel Shrives

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  19. A genius in real life means that you aren't just book smart, but you know stuff like paying bills or knowing how to camp, or even making a Pringles Wi-Fi booster.

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  20. A genius in life is somebody who gets you and knows how you are feeling and why. They get you and do anything and everything to help you feel or get better. They are not a super smart math genius of history genius but they are a human and life genus who really gets you.
    -Chris Pickreign

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  21. A genius in real life is someone who understands the value of people and friendship and learns from their actual experiences and mistakes, and isn't just good at academics.

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  22. I think that a "real life" genius is a person who understands. When someone is happy, sad, mad,or lonely (etc) this person knows how to react to the person and help them to whatever it is that they need help with. Also this person is compassionate and can make good decisions in the world that help them be a good person in life, where as a regular genius is a person who know everything. It is all based on the " cold hard facts" Most of the time these types of people are very good at their academic subject but not so much with their social academics.
    ~ Caroline Mara

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  23. Being a genius in "real life" means that you aren't just book smart but you can also be social around other people and interact/carry on conversation with them.
    --Clayton Hanlon

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  24. I think it means to know a lot in all areas not one like mikes dad, James.
    --Isaac Noble

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  25. Having to be a genius in reality will not only just be smart academically, but also understand peoples emotions, how to do things. Most people who are geniuses are a lot older, and wiser, and experienced more. Mike's dad is only a genius because he's is what they would call an academic genius. In other terms he is really not a genius because he doesn't understand him emotionally because thats what most geniuses do.
    -Tommy Wacek

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  26. A genius in real life is someone who is empathetic towards other people and their feelings. For example, Mike is a genius in real life because he takes care of most of his and his dads house work, bills, shopping, ect. Mikes dad is not a real life genius because he can't do things for himself or other people.

    --Meili Stanten

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  27. I think being a genius in real life means that you understand people and not just academics. Also, real life geniuses knows what to do, and how to do it in certain situations. A math genius Is someone who is just REALLY good at math, they don't have to be a real life genius.

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  28. Being a genius in real life is caring, and being a "people person." Also, being empathetic and knowing what feelings people have. And, being friendly to everyone you meet.
    -Anna Shlimak

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  29. Being a genius in real life is knowing about people's feelings and being caring, as well as friendly. Also, being empathetic.
    -Anna Shlimak

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  30. being a genius is being really good at a certain subject and knowing most if not all of its nooks and crannies.
    Chuckles Carbonell

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  31. A genius in real life is someone who has very well developed social skills and the person can do things like pay taxes, buy food, and stay healthy. Things that you need to know to not be hated or get so lost you need someone to take care of you.
    -Gwyneth Smedley

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  32. I think a genius in real life is someone who can understands people.
    -George Earnest

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  33. Being a genius in real life is understanding and appreciating the things going on around you, and relating intelligently to them. An academic genius is someone who's sole purpose in life is for academics. This person usually doesn't notice or appreciate different types of people or generally life around them.
    --Shreya Kumar

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  34. I think a real life genius is someone who knows everything about life issues such as family and relationships.
    --Christopher Clark

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  35. Being a genius in real life means to have wisdom and you're cunning. you have common sense. -Dylan Ashe

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  36. I think that a genius in real is someone who makes good choices. It is someone who knows and understands problems.

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  37. To me being a genius is when you feel like being a genius, in any way, shape, or form. when you feel like a genius you get confidence just so enough that you can do it but not so much you slack off from being your greatest.

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  38. Being a genius in real life is someone who can deal with problems in their lives and can connect with people. A genius in real life is someone who does what needs to be done even though it might not be the most desired thing or is painful.
    -Sam Schoenberg

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  39. A genius in life is a person who is wise and knows a lot about everything not just math.

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  40. I think it means to be a genius in real life is to care about people and also to be good at a lot of stuff that you use everywhere.
    - Olivia Gomez

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  41. I think he is referring to interacting with real human beings and just being human, he's not very good at that

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  42. Being a genius in real life means knowing how to interact with all types of people not just being good with math. Also a genius in real life would know how to interact with his own kid.
    -Paul Witmer

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  43. A genius in real life is being really skilled at something other than math and has the intelligence to know more deeper things.
    -Pasha Sahin

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  44. Being a genius is not just knowing mindless facts about sports, weather, math, science. You can be a genius by thinking smartly not just in an academical way. For example, Let's say there is a brick wall in front of you a genius would find a way to get past it.

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  45. I think that someone who is a genius in real life is someone who is somewhat like a rennosance man: a person that can do almost anything (that is needed in everyday life) almost flawlessly.
    -Magnus Miller

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  46. A genius in real life knows people and how to be with people and friends and have fun.
    Thomas gibbons

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  47. A genius in real life is someone who can read peoples emotions and know the right thing to do at all times. In other words they would always be sure of themselves

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  48. A genius in real life means to know how people feel and how they think, not just academic intelligence. He needs to focus on his son rather than work and math.

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  49. A genius in real life is someone who is smart when it comes to surviving in the world. You know how to pay bills and taxes, how to buy food, etc. But it's also social, too. To be a genius in life, you have to understand how people feel and how to help if they're upset. You should know how to make a lot of friends and ESPECIALLY know how to take care of your own kid, or at least show that you love them.

    – Allie Hunter

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  50. In life, being a genius reminded me of being wise. Being wise means to make the right decisions, and to do the right things at the right moments. In math, you just have to know things, where being wise takes time and experience. Being a genius in life also includes relationships; you have to go through a lot of them to become a genius.

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  51. A genius in life means to be aware and responsible with everyday life. Not just being good at academic stuff.

    -Lucy Bodtman

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  52. I think that a genius in real life means having common sense and in James' case ( Mike's dad) putting priority's first because Mike's dad seems to do things that aren't as important instead of prioritizing-like depositing money.

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  53. Being a genius "in real life" is making good decisions along with being good academically.

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  54. Being a genius in real life means having skills in many categories, and not just book knowledge but world knowledge too.
    -Brianna Schmoyer

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  55. I think a real life genius is someone who can help people through their hard times. Even if they aren't good at academics, they still are true at heart.

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  56. A genius in "real life" is a person who understands peoples emotions and their hopes and dreams but also has great social skills, and makes good decisions etc. They don't necessarily have to be good at academics.

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  57. A genius in the real life is someone who is very wise, patient, caring and more. A genius in real life is also someone who's intellegance is not book, math and school smart but is someone who knows what to do and doesnt need to be directed and told how to do it. I think past is one example of a genius in real life.
    ---Kellie Sundeen

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  58. I think a genius in real life is someone who knows how to take care of his or herself. They won't need to depend on someone else to do what they need to. They have to know people and understand them.
    -Angela Xing

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  59. To be a genius in real life, you have to gain common sense. The word genius, has a number of synonyms that don't necessarily relate to academics; cleverness, ability, brilliance. To have these traits, you don't need to be an Einstein in math, or a Jane Austen in Language Arts, but you have to be able to handle the real world. James may be great at solving problems on paper, but in life, he needs Mike to pay the bills, buy the food and so on. Although Mike isn't the best in math, when coming to life, he can surely be a genius.
    --Raiya Suliman

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  60. To be a genius you need to know about each subject about everything and can do these things with ease too.
    --Thomas Hart

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  61. Being a genius in real life can sometimes mean being good at math, science or engineering, however you also have to be able to do simple everyday common things like paying bills going to the grocery store ext. Mike's dad may be a genius in math but he sure is missing a key ingredient to being a genius. Memory is so important to being a genius or even just a functional purpose, you need to remember thing so that you can accomplish them.
    -Fiona Nash

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  62. It means to be smart with knowing what other people want and giving them what they want and making them like you but this doesn't mean mathematically smart or scientifically smart like mikes dad, it is being able to please other humans

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  63. to be a genius you have to bee good at almost everything and do them easily

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  64. I think a "Real Life Genius" is a person who understands people's feelings and having knowledge of what's going on socialy, not just in math

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  65. I think a real life genius is someone who understands people, not just academically

    HenryHays

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