Conformists

Just read this in the Today paper:
"One problem is that "gifted" individuals are often "non-conformists" who have difficulties blending in..... Gifted individuals are the ones who scan the environment and decide what is worth doing and what is not..."

It is unfortunate that GEPers and the GEP program have been getting a lot of flak from the public lately. A recent issue of The Economist described Singapore as a "highly conformist society." A couple of people I spoke to actually thought that was a compliment. Trust me, The Economist had absolutely no intention of singing our praises! It would actually do us some good to have "non-conformists" who are able to think creatively and out-of-the-box.

Then there is the accusation that "they become so comfortable with other GEPers that even outside the classroom they prefer each other's company." Hello! At that age who doesn't hang out with their own kind/classmates? Ah Bengs prefer each other's company, so do secret society members. What about the jocks who do sports training everyday? Or the "english-educated" rich kids? Or those in SAP schools? Hey, boy scouts and girl guides hang out in little cliques too! I can't believe anyone could be so narrow minded as to think it is a problem for kids at that age to hang out and form cliques with others who they see in class everyday.....