The international association Mensa is extremely elitist: not everyone makes it in here and even a lot of money or a good name won’t help. The only (but very tough condition): An exceptionally high IQ is mandatory. Anyone who does not belong to the two percent of the smartest people already fails at the door.
One of the youngest members in two senses of the word is Teddy Hobbs, a little boy from Great Britain – and his intelligence was evident from an early age. Teddy is said to have taught himself to read at the age of two. According to his mother, all that was needed was the television: Teddy watched children’s television and copied the sounds of the individual letters. After the lockdowns, the daycare center confirmed that Teddy could already read.
Teddy is now four years old and doesn’t bother with such little things anymore. His repertoire includes, among other things, being able to calculate with fractions or count to a hundred in six languages – including Chinese. According to his mother, he was also very independent: “He was playing on his tablet and making these noises that I didn’t recognize and I asked him what it was and he said, ‘Mom, I’m counting in Mandarin!’ ‘ Beth Hobbs told the BBC.
It goes without saying that it was only a matter of time for him to join the gifted club: he passed the admissions test at just three years old, making him the youngest member of the Mensa in Great Britain. Nevertheless, he stays down to earth – and that is also Beth Hobbs’ goal: “If he can do these things, then that’s fine, but he sees it as: ‘Yes, I can read, but my friend can run faster than me, so we all have our individual talents.'”
Quelle: BBC, “The Guardian”
