Left of Normal with Scott Sery

There wasn't really mayhem.  Maybe only in my mind.  Going to a public school I learned that high school is childish, people are mean, and teasing hurts.

I also learned that Spanish is easy to learn, math is cool, and science is awesome.  So by focusing on school I didn't dwell on other students' actions.

In 9th grade I started at West High, but ended up back at Shiloh Christian Academy.  During that time I got in trouble a lot.

 

But it was also a safe place where I could practice social "stuff" and learn how to do public school so that the next transition didn't go quite as poorly as the first.

High school is not a friendly place for Left of Normals.

 

This episode is a little shorter than others as it sets the foundation and gives some important background information.

 

In this episode we go through my first attempt at transitioning into a public school... and why it didn't go over so well.

After jumping into 7th grade as an 11 year old, I was suddenly in a new "performance" that I didn't have a script for.

 

Since I wasn't sure how to act, what to say, or how the play was directed, I fell back on old reliable: my totally amazing sense of humor.

 

It more or less worked out.

For a little over half of my schooling, I attended a private school.  Part of that experience was the transition from grade school to middle school.

 

But like most of me, my transition wasn't normal.  Tune in to see how, and for an important warning to parents.

From third grade through ninth grade I attended a private Christian school that was a part of our church.  It was a whole different kind of education; one that largely involved working at your own pace.

 

This curriculum was good academically, but bad socially.  In the end, it took a number of years to catch up despite academic success.

Nearly every picture of me from age 2ish to 7ish I'm stifling a smile.  It's there, but I'm trying to hide it.

 

I didn't understand why at the time, and I don't fully understand the thoughts I had.  But I now know it's because I was worried that I would smile wrong.

We have the groundwork set, so let's look at what I have determined to be the reasoning behind behavior quirks.

Today, we look at why the weird kid is always so quiet.  And a cringey story that sparked the realization that I need to shut the hell up.

Remember, let's connect on facebook.com/groups/leftofnormalcommunity

Our behaviors & thought processes are controlled by a number of different factors.  To simply say it's left or right of normal isn't seeing the entire picture.

Introversion and extroversion play a part.

In today's episode, we go through what I call the four quadrants; different personality types based on how the individual identifies.

Find the community at www.facebook.com/groups/leftofnormalcommunity/

Welcome to the first episode of Left of Normal.

 

Before we get started, let me say that I'm new to this.  If you have feedback, please get in touch so we can all continue to improve.

 

In the first two episodes, I want to go through what it means to be Left of Normal.  Why I chose that title, and what it means to be left, or right, of normal.  We're here to build a community, and awareness of like minded people.