When I was about six years old my school diagnosed me as being ‘educationally sub-normal’ (a less politically correct term for what is now labelled ‘special needs’). After a few one-on-one lessons with the headmistress (during which I demonstrated a technique for observing the way that snails propel themselves and created an elaborate full-size painting of a native American chief, complete with headdress made from real feathers), they realized I was not ESN, but simply bored.
