Bring Geeky Back!

Justin Timberlake made the phrase "Bring Sexy Back" popular. I would like to instead "Bring Geeky Back." 

What a weird mission, right? Probably. But I love the idea! I hate that there are still some kids today who feel like being "too smart" isn't cool, so they don't try as hard to achieve success. This doesn't just happen with older kids - it even starts with our younger students. This absolutely breaks my heart.

I do feel that it is probably better now than when I was a K-12 student, but this mentality still exists. Think about your own classroom. Do your students ever use the term "geek" or "nerd" to make fun of the smart kids in school? Have you ever heard of a student who doesn't want to be thought of as nerdy, but would much rather be cool? I know I've heard it.

I don't think of being geeky/nerdy as a bad thing! I certainly feel it's a compliment! I would describe myself as a big nerd, and I'm happily married to a geek I adore (I use the terms interchangeably, but I know there have been other blogs to define the proper usage of each term as they have separate meanings, but I won't go onto that right now). What I want to know is this: what can we do to bring geeky back?

Is it a matter of building self-esteem among the nerdy? Is it a matter of us embracing our own inner geeks to serve as confident role models for the future generations of geeky Americans? 

I think it's easier in this age of gadgets and gizmos galore (please pardon that Disney reference). I personally think it's the nerds who will lead us into the future. So how do we get them to be proud of their intellect and push them to do more?

I'm personally a fan of making "Bring Geeky Back" teeshirts, but sometimes I take my ideas too far. Thoughts?