#653 – Nerdy Schools

Most of our high school students go back to school today. As I wrote about last week I used to dread the beginning of the school year. As a youth pastor, though, I love when our students go back to school. Our ministry takes a little break to recover from the summer and prepare for our fall kickoff. Had I been a student at one of these nerdy schools, though, I may not have minded going back.

Hogwarts

I think I like the idea of Hogwarts more than I would actually going there. At this point in my life I would love to spend a year living in a castle, learning how to perform magic and wondering why everything always revolves around the same three students. As an 11-year-old, though, I don’t think I would have been excited about being away from home for a year. At that age I was nervous about being away for a week of summer camp; I can’t imagine how I would have gotten through an entire year away from my family. The homesickness, though, might have been ameliorated as soon as I cast my first spell or played my first game of Quidditch.

Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters

I’ve never been to the East Coast so I’m not sure how’d I feel about living there. However, if I was going to Salem Center, New York to learn how to use my mutant powers and become an X-Man, I could probably handle a little snow. I started reading X-Men when I was in junior high, about the same time I started participating in the G.A.T.E. (gifted and talented education) program at school. The G.A.T.E. program made me feel special, like I was about to join the likes of Cyclops and Colossus in class. Unfortunately there weren’t any super heroes in our G.A.T.E. program, just a bunch of other nerds like me. There wasn’t even a Jean Grey, though I would have only stared at her and stumbled over my words when she asked to borrow a pencil.

Starfleet Academy

I love Star Trek but I honestly don’t think I’m cut out for Starfleet. I’d like to think I could be a captain or a chief engineer but my brain just doesn’t work like that. I’m not really cut out for the military now and I don’t think that would be any different in the 24^th century. Everyone in Starfleet is really smart and knows a lot about math, science, astrophysics and quantum mechanics. Perhaps everyone seems really smart in Star Trek because we really only spend time with the senior staff of a starship. Maybe there are some lifelong ensigns and enlisted men and women who aren’t nearly as smart as Picard or Dax but still lead fulfilling lives in Starfleet. All that to say, I don’t think I’d even get admitted to Starfleet Academy much less make through the first day of classes.

Even though I never wanted to go back to school, I always enjoyed the first day back. It was fun to see friends and start the journey of another school year. Now I’m just excited that our students are back in school and I can hang out at the mall without having to avoid a bunch of high school students.

What nerdy school would you like to attend?