Releasing the Genius Releasing the Genius Magazine - Issue 1 | Page 10

RELEASING THE GENIUS
10
THE SECRET STRENGTHS
OF INTROVERTED KIDS
BY SUSAN CAIN
S
usan Cain sparked a
worldwide conversation
with her highly-acclaimed
TED talk and book Quiet:
The Power of Introverts in
a World That Can’t Stop
Talking. She permanently changed
the way we see introverts and the way
introverts see themselves. But she
noticed that a lot of fans mentioned
childhoods of enforced extrovert ideal,
and knew that a book needed to be
written for kids and their parents and
educators.
Quiet Revolution is excited to share
with readers another of Susan’s books
Quiet Power The Secret Strengths of
Introverts.
Quiet Power is all about kids’ world—
school, extracurriculars, family life,
and friendship. It includes the stories
of actual kids who have tackled the
challenges of not being extroverted and
who have made a mark in their own
quiet way, as well as more of Susan’s
own story. Tips at the end of each
chapter and a guide for parents and
teachers provide resources for further
learning and action.
QUIET POWER BY SUSAN CAIN:
EXCERPT
I’ve come to realize not only how
important it is to follow my instincts
and interests, but also to express my
feelings and explain my actions to
others. Here’s an example that might
be familiar to you: Say you’re walking
through the hallway, from one class to
another, deep in thought or possibly
overwhelmed by the noise and crowds.
You pass a friend or classmate and
glance at her briefly, but you’re so
preoccupied that you don’t manage to
stop to say hi and chitchat. You haven’t
meant to be rude or hurtful, but your
friend thinks you’re angry about
something.
Be on the lookout for moments of
misunderstanding such as this one,
and do your best to explain what
you were thinking and feeling. An
extroverted friend—and maybe even
an introverted one—likely won’t
guess that you were distracted by
your thoughts or by too much sensory
stimulation, and your explanation will
make all the difference.
Not everyone will understand your
nature, though, even if you try to
explain it. When Robby, a teenager
from New Hampshire, first learned
about introversion, he felt a great sense
of relief. He had a tendency to turn
quiet in large groups, and although
he’d always felt comfortable talking
and joking with his closest friends, he
had a limit. “After a couple of hours
I’m like, ‘Whoa, I can’t do this.’ It’s
draining. There’s a wall that goes up
and I don’t want to talk to anyone. It’s
not physical exhaustion. It’s mental
exhaustion.”
Robby tried to explain the differences
between introverts and extroverts to
an outgoing friend, but she couldn’t
understand his perspective. She
thrived in loud, busy places and didn’t
see why he needed to be alone so often.
Another friend of his, Drew, grasped
the idea immediately. Drew was more
of an ambivert. He wasn’t as outgoing
as his younger sister, but he wasn’t as
reserved as his parents, either. The
more he talked with Robby about what
it was like to be introverted, the more
he wanted people to understand both
sides of his own personality.
As an amateur filmmaker, Drew
had been experimenting with a new
animation style, and after researching
the subject of introversion, he
produced an animated, graphics-
intensive public service announcement
about what it means to be quiet. Drew
posted it on YouTube, but that was
only the start. He was also a producer
of the high school’s television news
show. Once a week, every student in
the school watched the latest episode,
and in one of these Drew included
his PSA on introverts. The response
was overwhelming; even one of the
teachers, who was secretly introverted,
expressed his gratitude. “I was able to
bring the whole school community
to an understanding,” Drew said.
“For weeks afterward, people would
come up to me and say, ‘Hey, that was
awesome!’” His friend Robby thanked
him more than anyone.
EVERY SCHOOL COULD
BENEFIT FROM A DEEPER
UNDERSTANDING
OF THE DIFFERENT
STRENGTHS AND NEEDS
OF INTROVERTED
AND EXTROVERTED
STUDENTS .
The middle and high school years
are the most difficult times to be
introverted, because when hundreds of