CHARACTER
Ungiftedby Gordon Korman

Mr. Osborne

Mr. Osborne

Quick Facts

  • Role: Homeroom teacher and head of the robotics program at the Academy for Scholastic Distinction (ASD)
  • Nickname: “Oz”
  • First appearance: When Donovan first enters the robotics lab at ASD
  • Core function: Mentor, coach, and advocate who expands the definition of giftedness beyond test scores
  • Key relationships: Donovan Curtis; the robotics team (Chloe Garfinkle, Abigail Lee, Noah Youkilis); school administrators (Mr. Del Rio, Dr. Schultz)

Who They Are

Mr. Osborne—“Oz” to his students—is the teacher-coach who turns a high-pressure gifted program into a space for curiosity, courage, and second chances. He’s the adult most willing to test the boundaries of what counts as intelligence, making him the story’s clearest investigator of The Nature of Giftedness and Intelligence. With no physical description to anchor him, Oz is defined by voice and action: a whimsical, self-aware “wizard” who prizes tinkering over perfection and people over metrics.

Personality & Traits

Oz blends authority with irreverence, inviting students to experiment while insisting they own their choices. He sees beyond transcripts to the lived skills—improvisation, empathy, risk-taking—that make a team function. His lab runs on trust: mistakes are learning opportunities, and “fun” is a legitimate educational objective.

  • Patient and understanding: When Donovan’s first-day mishap damages the robot, Oz reframes it as a setup issue, not a personal failure—signaling that errors are data, not grounds for shame. Later, when Donovan is accused of cheating, Oz chooses a reflective walk over punishment, prioritizing growth.
  • Dedicated and passionate: He’s so invested in the program that he considers cannibalizing his lawnmower to keep the robot (Tin Man) moving. Administrative snags—like the missing Human Growth and Development credit—genuinely upset him because they threaten student learning.
  • Open-minded: While others doubt Donovan’s place at ASD, Oz keeps looking for unconventional strengths—joystick instincts, social glue, real-world pragmatism—and validates the seemingly small act of naming the robot as a “transformative” shift in team culture.
  • Supportive: He nurtures Noah Youkilis’s emerging interest in YouTube and nudges socially isolated students toward shared experiences like the Valentine’s Dance, believing joy and community are part of the curriculum.

Character Journey

At first, Oz assumes ASD’s selection process can’t be wrong; if Donovan is here, there must be a hidden aptitude, and Oz promises to “explore where [his] true gifts lie.” Over time he stops hunting for a single testable talent and begins to notice Donovan’s integrative impact: calming Noah’s isolation, supplying creative fixes (like the Human Growth and Development solution), and piloting the robot with intuitive finesse. The arc isn’t just Donovan’s acceptance; it’s Oz’s evolution from guardian of a high-achieving enclave to champion of a broader intelligence—one that values social insight and practical savvy as essential to the team’s success.

Key Relationships

  • Donovan Curtis: Oz is Donovan’s anchor at ASD, offering belonging and purpose on the robotics team. He recognizes that Donovan’s presence catalyzes community and confidence, giving Donovan a sense of Identity and Belonging while also enriching the group with real-world thinking.
  • The Robotics Team (Chloe Garfinkle, Abigail Lee, Noah Youkilis): As coach, Oz balances rigor with humanity—mediating conflicts, distributing roles, and celebrating collaboration. He validates Abigail’s academic standards while refusing to reduce Donovan to a GPA; he cultivates Chloe’s leadership; and he draws Noah out of isolation by legitimizing his passions.
  • School Administration (Mr. Del Rio, Dr. Schultz): Oz often plays defense against bureaucracy, translating rigid policies into workable paths for students. Even amid the health-credit crisis and the chaotic robotics meet, he advocates persistently—securing a compromise that lets Donovan and Noah stay engaged with robotics.

Defining Moments

Oz’s key scenes reveal a philosophy: protect curiosity, dignify mistakes, and measure success by growth as much as by trophies.

  • Welcoming Donovan after the robot mishap
    • What happens: Donovan breaks the robot on day one; Oz de-escalates and reframes it as a teachable error.
    • Why it matters: Establishes a lab culture where experimentation outranks blame—crucial for integrating a “nontraditional” student.
  • The “cheating” conversation
    • What happens: After Abigail’s accusation, Oz takes Donovan for a private, compassionate talk instead of disciplining him.
    • Why it matters: Oz models restorative mentorship, focusing on long-term learning rather than short-term punishment.
  • Solving the Human Growth and Development crisis
    • What happens: Donovan brings his pregnant sister, Katie Patterson, to class; Oz embraces the solution with relief and gratitude.
    • Why it matters: Oz prizes practical intelligence and community resourcefulness, not just procedural correctness.
  • Post–state meet advocacy
    • What happens: Following the chaotic meet, Oz persuades Dr. Schultz to let Donovan and Noah continue in robotics part-time.
    • Why it matters: Shows Oz’s unwavering faith in his students and his effectiveness at navigating systems for their benefit.

What He Represents

As “Oz,” he embodies a humane, holistic vision of education. He demystifies genius by making the lab a place where tinkering, humor, and empathy coexist with high-level problem-solving. His classroom is a living argument that intelligence is many-sided and that a team’s excellence depends on complementarity—echoing the spirit of Teamwork and Collaboration. In elevating social intuition and creativity alongside raw IQ, he challenges narrow definitions of success.

Essential Quotes

“I am the great and powerful Oz.”

  • Playful bravado becomes a teaching tool: he’s signaling authority while puncturing the intimidation that often surrounds gifted spaces. The line frames him as a transparent “wizard”—powerful, but more guide than gatekeeper.

“I want you to mess with stuff. This is a place of tinkering, fiddling, experimentation. But,” he added pointedly, “before you touch, ask somebody.”

  • Oz sets the lab’s ethos in a single breath: curiosity first, but anchored by community and consent. He trains students to pair initiative with responsibility—an engineer’s mindset and a citizen’s ethic.

“It’s more than cute. It’s humanized our entire program. The difference between dealing with an it and a him is a transformative concept.”

  • By endorsing the robot’s name, Oz validates the social psychology of teamwork. Personifying the machine galvanizes care, attention, and accountability—subtle dynamics that change performance outcomes.

“We had a real problem, and we found a way to solve it. That’s what the robotics program is all about.”

  • Oz reframes success as pragmatic problem-solving, not just technical purity or rule-following. The lesson extends beyond robotics: intelligence is measured by effective action in messy realities.

“Maybe he doesn’t belong, but he’s good for these kids. He completes them.”

  • Oz articulates the book’s thesis about complementary gifts. Even if Donovan defies traditional criteria, his presence increases the team’s total capacity—a powerful critique of exclusionary definitions of merit.