Short writings about a little boy named Edouard who, like so many nerdy kids, was bullied by his peers, mocked, misunderstood and labelled 'slow' by teachers for being different. Only later to be assessed as gifted.  The abuses he endured in the 1970s and 1980s from...

Tiny Edouard loved sneaking out of bed soon after Ma tucked him in, kissed his cheek, and turned off the light. He was barely tall enough to touch the floor. Belly squirming between the boxspring and the top mattress once the coast was clear. He looked like a footlong...

Edouard was a skinny, somewhat nerdy child who preferred to be out of sight when the company would visit. Aunties would poke at his little ribs as if he were Oliver Twist, pinch his little cheeks and fix the persistent cowlick on top of his head. He dreaded company...

The typical classroom in the 60s and 70s consisted of crammed rows of desks facing a chalkboard and a lecture-based teaching approach. Students passively listened to teachers blah blah what seemed like irrelevant information. For Edouard to be interested in learning,...

At age seven, Edouard's school principal told his parents something was wrong with their little awkward boy. "Eduard needs to be tested,"  they said. "We think he has a below-average IQ and learning disability."  Edouard knew he was not stupid but different, and he...

Sadly, Edouard's meek, nerdy, soft-spoken pre-pubescent demeanour at school emitted an aura that screamed, 'Come at me; I'm here for the taking and won't fight back.' So, at 16, Edouard decided to take TaeKwonDo and defend himself against school bullies.   The word...

I'll Learn On My Own Thanks Fighting back Karate style to ward off thugs was a self-defence strategy that worked for Edouard. Unfortunately, I can't drop-kick the adults who create a terrible learning environment, he thought.  A more diplomatic 'adult' approach was...