A Squeaky Wheel Primer

Since I heard of a small booklet with the title "The Squeaky Wheel Primer" I have been thinking of items that should be in a document with such a great name.

Not just concrete advice on how to go about speaking up for yourself and your community, but examples.

Here's one: more than 20 years ago I knew a student who had just taken a giftedness test. One of the questions, she said, was "When was North America discovered?" This was not a multi-choice question; it was given by a live psychometrist.

She complained to me about the question, saying "It instantly flashed through my mind that there were four possible answers."

Four? "Yes, of course: '1492', or 'around 982', or 'around 12,000 BC,' or 'this is a racist question.'

Wow. You must have gotten bonus marks for giving him four answers. Her face fell. [i]"I didn't know which answer he wanted, so I said 'I don't know.'[/i] She had no FN ancestry, or perhaps she would not have been so shy. Or maybe she would.

Despite losing those points she was classified gifted anyway, but I spoke to the psychometrist and I think that question was changed.

Morals: it's okay for a question to have more than one "right" answer; and if you don't speak up for yourself, who will? No doubt there are other morals.

What other stories might go in such a primer?