Though I have never considered myself shy I sometimes struggle with whether I am more of an introvert or extravert. With some people, such as Mike from Detroit, the classification was evident. As noted previously, Mike played the main character in the original stage production at Samuel Morse Junior High. For some of the cast, like Gary, the stage was an opportunity to open up through a character without feeling the vulnerability he felt when confronting his peers in the classroom or hallways. For Mike it was a chance to parade himself in front of his peers and show what a dynamic personality he was even when playing a fictional character. Despite numerous remedial classes, some filled with intellectually challenged kids as well as misplaced under achievers, there was at least an equally large pool of highly intelligent students at Morse during those first few years. Being categorized as highly intelligent was not good enough for Mike who declared himself a genius. When someone said he was just being conceited, Mike said it was not conceit just a fact his parents had established by having him tested. Funny thing about tests though Mike told us he purposely put no effort into the standardized tests we took at the end of eighth grade. Actually, he didn’t share this with anyone until somebody asked how he was able to get done so much faster than anyone else. He said he just randomly marked the answer sheet. After all, he asserted, the standardized tests have no impact on the grades obtained in class, and he rationalized that if in fact one does poorly on such tests expectations are lower. Then, he postulated that if the teacher sees he did poorly compared to others on the test, but performs well in her class she will come to the conclusion the test is wrong or he is an over achiever. In either case, he contested; colleges look at grades, and special tests for admission purposes, and not the generic ones given in eighth grade, and usually give scholarships to over achievers. Mike convinced me he had knowledge beyond his years by teaching me a rather expensive lesson. We were at my house and there was a deck of cards. For some reason that I do not recall I owed Mike a quarter. He asked me if I wanted to cut the deck for double or nothing. A cut is when each player turns over some random card in the deck and the other turns over another card, and the higher card wins. It took only five cuts for Mike to turn that quarter into eight dollars. Mike said if I kept going odds were in my favor to come out owing him nothing. Statistically, he was right, but I was going to have a hard enough time coming up with eight dollars. Again, to show he was the genius he stated he asked me if I knew what the pin Mr. Hatton, the assistant principal, wore on his lapel was. Conceding I had not the slightest clue, and he being the complete extravert without the slightest inhibition dragged me over to where Mr. Hatton stood in front of his office and asked him to explain the reason he wore his Rhodes Scholar pin. After Mr. Hatton explained how he had been fortunate enough to participate in the program that sends the highest performing college students in the United States to study at Oxford University, Mike flatly stated his intention to wear his as proudly someday.
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