Typical education prizes a specific kind of intelligence: doing well in academic subjects. Students who learn poorly with traditional teaching styles, regardless of the reason, are discouraged or dismissed. This educational model doesn’t take different types of intelligence into account. In The Unteachables, Room 117 holds students deemed “stupid” by the administration’s very narrow definition. The novel shows how important different types of intelligence are.

The kids in room 117 each have their own type of intelligence. Parker struggles with reading, but understands mechanics on an adult level. Rahim sleeps through class, but is a talented artist. Mateo has an amazing memory, which uses to connect deeply and analytically with pop culture, teaching himself Klingon and using the Grinch as real-life inspiration for the vuvuzela heist. Barnstorm slacks off in school, but is a gifted athlete with physical precision and a competitive streak that he can harness for productive work. In their classroom, Kiana stands out because she is a more neurotypical student—she excels in core subjects and gets good grades from standard teaching.

The Unteachables highlights the importance of cultivating many different types of intelligence for both traditional and nontraditional learners. Over the course of the book, the book-smart Kiana learns to be flexible, working with machines at Terranova Motors, seeing the kinetic chaos of her baby brother as a science lesson, and helping Parker work through anagrams.