Fascinating responses. However few provided the requested advice, tips, suggestions on how to advocate for math acceleration for a child who tries to blend in. Interestingly, some suggested not advocating. Even more interesting to me were those who stated disagreement with my post while refuting statements I did not actually make... and then appeared to agree with statements I had made.
While I mentioned "
asking for extra math at home" and "
outside-of-school pursuits," one poster called me out by name to disagree... while giving a thumbs-down to school competitions... and giving a thumbs-up to challenge and enrichment
outside of the school environment.
Another poster mentioned a child doing fractions at age 4; one can read
Common Core Math Standards to see at which grade level fractions (and other math topics) are taught.
One poster thought that in suggesting kids who love math would typically be
asking for extra math at home, I was making a lot of assumptions about:
parental
- recognition of math talent,
- knowledge,
- resources,
- time... student
- temperament
- health. I made no such assumptions. However when processing my mention of
asking for extra math at home, possibly some may read into that: parent-arranged formal classes, tutoring, camps, online lessons, etc. These are distinct from a child simply
asking for extra math at home. I've personally known several children who loved math, found it in everyday life, and authentically gravitated toward it. For example, in recipe cook books, mathematical patterns found in science TV shows, crafts, LEGOs, Lincoln Logs, coloring books, calendars, and more... asked for workbooks (often on display at grocery stores, big-box stores), sought math books when visiting the library. At some point, if a parent is preparing to advocate, a child's projects and book lists could be documented to show child-led activities indicative of a love of math. As mentioned above, math topics can be cross-referenced to
Common Core Math Standards.
A second poster gave a thumbs down to school math competitions, another stated that their child who loved math never asked about extra math at home, and another shared that although they are fond of math now, at a young age they did not think they were good at math.
That said, it appears that among the responses (and to varying degrees) there is general consensus that:
- it is more difficult to advocate for a child who hides their ability in order to blend in,
- math pursuits outside of school may be helpful.
Other factors mentioned (which may influence the success of any potential math acceleration):
Positive
- well-developed work habits
- commitment to task
Negative
- pushy parents
- bullies
You know your child best. After reading the personal anecdotes in this thread, and the crowd-sourced advocacy information linked upthread, I'm sure you'll make a good decision for your child.
