Fox News has a story about a Chicago 12-year-old that is starting medical school. I was no where near a whiz kid but I was smarter than the average bear. I finished my high school credits and was eligible for college when I was 15. I stayed another year in high school and took college and AP courses. Then I finished college in three years anyway and was ready to graduate at 19. I stayed another semester that time.
It was a small problem in elementary and junior high when I was younger than my classmates. It was a larger problem when I finally graduated and had to function as an adult when I was a teenager and one with very little more than booklearning.
I don't know what I would have done differently because school was often boring if I didn't move ahead. However, it seems to me that we need a better way to develop our smarter minds than moving them away from their peer groups.
Here in LA, they have programs with additional activities for the smarter children but what about the couple of kids who even outshine those. They seem to be society's best asset and yet no special attention is paid.
My daughters generally fall into the high average categories and aren't even in the highest group that get the after school gifted program. They seem happier and more street smart than I ever was.
Posted by Justene Adamec at August 24, 2003 12:26 PM | TrackBackAh, you are kinda like Eugene Volokh - I think he graduated college and law school very young too.
Posted by: sid at August 24, 2003 05:59 PM (Permalink)
I understand the compulsion -- but if your kids are so smart that school simply won't do, they -- and their parents -- really ought to consider making them work some difficult job for a summer where they take orders from someone half as smart as they are: construction, bank teller, whatever --- because one thing I've found is that really, really smart people who move too fast in this world is that unless the parents are very careful indeed, they can take their position in life utterly for granted.
I knew many too many folks in law school whose first job was working at a fancy-pants law firm make $100K+, and they couldn't treat a Secretary as though they were actually a human being.
Posted by: Andrew at August 26, 2003 03:02 PM (Permalink)