I was told many times by my teachers how dumb I am.

Hey, I still remember how one of my teacher's told me that I was 'good for nothing'. It really hurt and made me angry at that time. But later after i got out (and started making many many times the salary of a school teacher) I realised that she must have been mean because of her own frustration. I mean, it's not easy being a school teacher- no money and no appreciation, and sometimes difficult kids.

When you're saying a person is dumb you're challenging their intellectual capacity. Dumb people are never dumb, they're just misunderstood. I have one friend who is academically challenged back in high school and I had to tutor him to pass. But when he got to college and enrolled in Fine Arts he was the alpha male of the Fine Arts course in their college. It's very disheartening for a teacher to call his pupil dumb. If the student is dumb, what more the teacher?! The teacher's efficiency in teaching is reflected on how much the students are learning or improving. If I were you and they the teacher said that to me one more time, give them your violin and tell them to play a harmony for you! If they couldn't, tell them they're dumb. And if they contest and say that they're not dumb you can answer back.... "you called me dumb because you said I'm not capable to do the things you asked me to do, now, I'm the one asking you to play the violin and you couldn't play it. Just following your train of thought my teacher." Of course they'll rant out that violin takes years of practice to master... you answer back "yes, just like studying, and you failed miserably." "Oh, and since you related to learning the violin is like studying and since I'm good at playing the violin then I'm not as dumb as you think I am." Case closed!

Yes! You are right! Unfortunately the yardstick used to measure once actual intelligency is very wrong one! They want students to mug up the things and reproduce them in the examination to score the marks. We are never given opprtunity to express ourselves and we are branded as a useless child or Duffer or dumb! But I think in school the child is as sharp as he should have been but his field is different. He always wanted to use his brain for the purpose of his own interest as he finds the routine teachings as uninterested to him. Same thing happend with Albert Eienstein, he never could complete his Schooling but the World knows him as one of the best known Scientists of the World! Personally I too was lebelled as an useless child when I was in school, but later on after leaving the school I prospered in my studies and for that matter I left the school by scoring First division in our Board exams, and there after I never looked back . I was getting Merit Scholarship during my undergraduation and Post graduation! REgarding my talents and achievements you can refer ubder talents , in the search Engine! Thanks! You have initiated a nice discussiuon and it has taken me to my past like and I was nostalgic for a moment at this age of 47! Thanks again!