A college professor actually quoted this old wives tale in my class the other day.
Thoughts?

I have also heard this, but the twist I heard was that they thought he was mentally challenged.

I've heard something about this. There is a short history in one of Hawking's books. I'll have to look it up when I get home later. I remember there being something about him not liking some of his professers. The history is fairly detailed and starts from when Einstein was a boy. I belive its in 'A Brief History of Time'. I'll check it out and report back.

Tim

I doubt it is true, but you never know.

Heard this, don't believe it though.

He was told by his teacher that: "He wouldn't get far in the world", or words to that effect.

Taking into consideration the rigid school system in Germany (and most other places) in those days, it's quite believable.

Bjørn

I think (not certain without checking) that he was poor at Latin, but gifted at mathematics. But a traditional classical education had Latin as a key component. He did not drop out or fail, but he had a patchy academic record - some brilliant, some less so.

Did he later tell you the facts of the matter?


What folks might not know is that back then admission to university also required demonstrating some facility with a second language. So after a year of studying French he went off to school and things started to move quickly after that.

No, I had already read them. I thought it was sad. I wish we still had Latin in all of the colleges.

This is true and well known, not a myth at all... Einstein wasn't good at school and his teachers never thought he would get far in his studies

It is a myth. Einstein did not thrive at everything in school, but he was not stupid and did not perform poorly. He showed a flare for mathematics but little flare for languages. He passed his final exams and got into college without difficulty. It is a pure urban legend that he was poor at school. Hogwash.

And here I thought it was his fear of relatives...

The story is an indictment of the educational system in which he was brought up; not at all the man. Fortunately for science and discovery (and several great patter lines), Einstein overcame the oppression and defects of that system.

DK

He was diabetic, but mentally challenged? Give me a break... Who invented the Theory of Relativity, EM=C2, theorized about a multi-dimensional universe, riding on a light wave, quantum mechanics, the genius behind the A-bomb that brought us out of WW2?

I know that no one has responded to this thread for a month or so, but...

From what I understand, Einstein very likely had Aspergers. A high-functioning form of autism. I can totally understand that he would struggle in school. We have a 6 yr old (almost 7!) with Aspergers and school is extremely, extremely, EXTREMELY difficult for him.

Despite the fact that staying in the classroom, participating in class, etc. has been pretty much a disaster, he has passed his skills tests so far with flying colors. He scored 2nd highest on 'robust vocabulary' after never being in the room for the instruction and while the rest of his class is reading level C, maybe level D books, our little guy is reading level I books.

There is no doubt in my mind that while Einstein was extremely 'book smart' the problem was in the social cues, sitting still, etc. that people with Asperger's have to learn just like it was a math problem. I don't doubt for a second that he never graduated. There are still definite defects in the school system. Hopefully my own little Einstein doesn't fall through the same crack!

Oh yeah! And back in the day, a lot of children that are considered autistic today, were considered mentally retarded.

TonyB2009 is right. The story is utter hogwash. It is nothing more than a story people use to justify their own deficiencies.

It is interesting how opinionated we can be over such things and speak out with no hard facts. I might add that refers to on both sided. Some times though, the truth is almost impossible to find due to historical bending of facts.

I do not directly trust unverified statements from Wikipedia, but..


"Although Einstein had early speech difficulties, he was a top student in elementary school".[10][11]

10 Rosenkranz, Ze’ev (2005). Albert Einstein – Derrière l’image. Neue Zürcher Zeitung. p. 29. ISBN 3-03823-182-7.

11 Sowell, Thomas (2001). The Einstein Syndrome: Bright Children Who Talk Late. Basic Books. pp. 89–150. ISBN 0-465-08140-1.

I'm sorry, but the posting about Aspergers is pure hogwash. There is no evidence that Einstein had any social difficulties beyond the normal. He could be absent minded and eccentric, but so can many people. He married twice, he got on well with colleagues and students, and he functioned normally in society.

Didn't Einstein get into one of the top universities at an early age?

I think people may be confusing the urban legend about Einstein with the factual story of Thomas Edison. Edison's mother pulled him out of school after only three months of public school because his teacher had a low opinion of his ability. Mrs. Edison taught young Tom at home. So he didn't really flunk out. He opted out.

Edison said:
"Our schools are not teaching students to think. It is astonishing how many young people have difficulty in putting their brains definitely and systematically to work."

----- Amado "Sonny" Narvaez