Elsa believes that her "teachers are wrong. She doesn't have problems concentrating, she just concentrates on the right things. What are these things and how does this create problems for her? Do you think that Elsa is a good student?

Elsa believes that her "teachers are wrong. [She] has no problems concentrating. She just concentrates on the right things." (p. 47) What kind of things does Elsa concentrate on? How does this create problems for her? Do you think that Elsa is a good student? Why or why not?

Elsa "right" things are creativity, a desire to be having a little more fun, and an artistic spirit that does not want to color between the lines, so to speak. I am not sure if Elsa is really a good student if one is measuring by standardized test scores and/or performance on classroom exams, but she could be one of those students who becomes a success in life - - like some corporate founders and wealthy people who simply followed their dreams and desires. I think that Elsa could be a wake up call for schools that seem to want to push everyone into the same mold - - make everyone read Shakespeare instead of offering job skill or handyman classes.

I think Elsa is a very bright young girl - that doesn't necessarily make her a good student in the eyes of pretty much any teacher. Almost all teachers have a set of things they expect you to learn or attempt to. It is a very rare teacher who would understand a "student" who simply follows their own interests.

Elsa is strongly influenced by her grandmother and their fantasy world that she doesn't seem to understand the importance of what she should be learning in school. Her teacher and parents should be able to help her understand and come up with a compromise so Elsa gets a proper education in school.

I was Elsa. I didn't *get* the whole concept of school as it was constructed. I could never intuit what the teacher was looking for when s/he asked a question. I expected to be encouraged to think, to extrapolate on ideas and principles. I was a voracious reader. But of "quality literature", not the stuff we were assigned. I read to learn about other cultures, other countries, ideas that were contrary to those of my small world. My father was my mentor (my Granny) who asked me what I thought about things, why I believed as I did. He had the audacity to challenge my Catholic school nuns' dogma. So I totally understand Elsa's school experience. She is a terrible student given the educational system she's in. But I don't think it's the cause of her school troubles.

Elsa's teachers are wrong. Donnac is absolutely right, teachers should be teaching their students to think, and to extrapolate. Elsa was incredibly smart, even by our school's standards. I think she probably scores well on tests, and doesn't cause problems in the classroom, and is therefore sliding through the cracks because of all the other crap teachers have to deal with. It is why her peers find her to be such an easy 'victim'. As for the concentration issues, she has probably surpassed whatever her teachers are focusing on, so she is bored, and educating herself on the things she is interested in.

How does the saying go--something about marching to the tune of a different drummer? That's Elsa. I used to rejoice when I had a student who showed creativity and spontaneity. I'm not sure if Elsa fits the mold of a "good student." She certainly is a thinker and has the capability to keep a person on his toes. She doesn't fit the mold, and that does create problems for her; yet she realizes that problems will come her way, but she capably finds solutions. She'll go through the School of Hard Knocks, but being different is never easy. Granny proved that. She certainly is a challenge!

Not sure if Elsa was a good student or not. Throughout the book, I was trying to understand why she was picked on and why her teachers treated her badly. She may be a bit advanced for her age because she spent so much time with Granny. "A little adult", so some kids may not like her. Not sure if grades are the issue, but it may be social issues instead.

People are smart in different ways. Most of our school systems are set up to foster and recognize a very structured and narrow intellect. Those that do well are the ones that pay attention, apply themselves and follow direction. Most schools don't reward the creative student who goes off into their own world. I think Elsa was bright in a non traditional way.

I don't think schools today are structured for students who are gifted or think outside the norm. It is clear that Elsa is a bright student- but doesn't thrive in the formal school setting. On another note- I think it was terrible how the headmaster and other teachers just told Elsa to try harder to fit in. Different or not- there is no excuse for bullying.

As a retired teacher, I was fortunate to have a few students in my teaching career similar to Elsa. She was brilliant and very creative. However, students such as Elsa are not always appreciated by teachers and other students because they can be challenging compared to average students. In too many classrooms students like Elsa are not rewarded for their abilities. Elsa was even bullied by other students because the others were not mature enough to respect how capable she was.

Being an education professor --- and having raised a child very much like Elsa myself --- I found myself becoming angry at the headmaster and teachers reacted and interacted with Elsa. Children are all different, with widely varying personalities, abilities, challenges, successes --- and their individual gifts. She may not be a "good student" in a structured, conforming school/classroom --- and could be a bit challenging --- but our task as educators is to fit the curriculum to the child, not make every child conform to some idealized "norm". Being a creative teacher builds success and an excitement for lifelong learning for creative, out-of-the-box children!

Some insightful answers to this question. In defense of teachers, with large class sizes it is difficult to "tailor" the curriculum to students who are above or below average. Too many have to teach to the middle ability students.
Elsa should have been in a gifted student program.

Elsa is very bright but a non-conformist who is probably bored stiff by the classroom curriculum which her teacher imposes on her. Because of granny's influence she has a powerful imagination, and reads Harry Potter books that foster her creative imagination. Concentration on things she no doubt already knows just doesn't work for Elsa. Her vocabulary and knowledge of things of interest to her are way above the level of her classmates and thus she becomes the object of bullies who probably are jealous of her and dislike her because she is so different. I agree with annette's assessment that Elsa would be better served by a gifted student class.

Elsa may not have been school book smart but she was smart from her life with her Granny and from her Dad. She was a very creative and caring little girl.